— Furniture Today,
Branded line coming in January

NEW YORK — Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Safavieh have signed an agreement under which Safavieh will make and market a full line of Martha Stewart-branded rugs.

The licensed collection will debut at the Atlanta International Rug Market in January 2014. The Martha Stewart rugs will include both machine-made and hand-made constructions and will retail from $200 to over $3,000 depending on size and weave.

The rugs will coordinate with the Martha Stewart Signature furniture line, made by Bernhardt and sold by independent furniture dealers nationwide. The rugs will be made in Savavieh’s facilities in Tibet, Nepal, India and Pakistan.

The line is being created by the MSLO design team with Martha Stewart’s guidance. The Stewart rugs will be targeted to independent retailers, including about 400 upscale floor covering and furniture dealers across the country, said Arash Yaraghi, a Safavieh principal.

“We are taking the high road with this collection,” he said. “The rugs will not necessarily be expensive, but they will reflect the high taste levels and simple aesthetic which identifies Martha Stewart branded products. The rugs are not going to be sold in Kmart or other mass market and discount stores.

“Martha Stewart is taking an active role in the development of this collection. She has visited our New York showroom and we spent several hours discussing design ideas. She is an avid collector of rugs and understands rug design and the rug business. We see eye to eye on how this collection will be developed and marketed. We are looking forward to a fruitful partnership.”
 
The multiyear contract gives Safavieh the exclusive license for Stewart-branded rugs, said Yaraghi. “We intend to do everything we can to enhance the Martha Stewart brand with fine-quality rugs targeted to her lifestyle customers, and we are committed to creating a collection that lives up to Martha Stewart’s unparalleled cachet in interior design.”

Stewart said, “Rugs are an important design element in the composition of a home, be it a small entryway or a large living room. We are designing an extraordinary collection of rugs based on our archive of ideas and singular patterns, some of them inspired by rugs that we have personally been collecting for decades.”

Robin Marino, president of merchandising for MSLO, said, “Rugs are a perfect addition to our expanding merchandising program. The products will further round out our furniture assortment and complete our furniture galleries, enabling consumers to decorate their home in true Martha Stewart style.”

Through the MSLO partnership with KB Home, the rugs are expected to be featured in model homes in Martha Stewart-designed communities throughout the country.

Earlier this month, Federated Department Stores and MSLO signed a multi-year distribution partnership to develop an all-new line of Martha Stewart Collection home merchandise exclusively for Macy’s. That product line will be introduced to Macy’s stores in fall 2014. The department store chain also is interested in the new rug line for fall 2014 and beyond, according to Martha Steward Living.

Yaraghi noted that Safavieh already is a vendor for Federated. “If we make beautiful rugs, Federated will carry them,” he said.

Earlier this year, Safavieh entered the licensing arena with a rug collection designed by Thomas O’Brien, and recently also entered the wholesale furniture business.

Safavieh is exhibiting furniture and rugs at the High Point market in a new Market Square showroom, spaces 120 and 123.