Living Beautifully with Karastan’s ‘A Cut Above’ Program for Designers
Karastan Multi-Panel Rug | Photo by Karastan
It hardly seems possible several months have passed since participating in Modenus‘ #BlogTourKBIS, but here we are, inching upon May, and what an adventure it has been thus far!
Do you know the saying, “All good things come to those who wait?” I’m not one for patience, ever, but what the wonderful folks at Karastan have produced is incredible. Designers now have the ability to work directly with Karastan in creating custom rugs for their clients. The flexibility alone with the newly launched “A Cut Above” program is mind-blowing!
The Program
With Karastan’s A Cut Above program designers can turn the beauty of their client’s favorite carpet into a custom-sized area rug for their home. Here’s how it works:
- Visit your local Karastan retailer to select the style and color of wall-to-wall carpet from an assortment of collections;
- Let the retailer know the dimensions of the rug needed, as well whether the rug’s edges will be bound or serged.
- When choosing the bound option, you can rest assure the tightly stitched edge will be color-coordinated with the rug’s predominate color.
- Next, the retailer will instantly provide a price quote on the rug, and you can now place your rug order!
Our Karastan Axminster Broadloom Multicolor Panel Kirman rug was custom-made and bound.
While visiting their exhibit during KBIS 2016, Karastan was extremely generous in offering BlogTourKBIS members a custom rug, either for our own homes or as a prize for one of our blog readers. I chose the option of having a custom rug for my own home. Why? Because I am a big fan of area rugs. If you know me, you’ll know that’s true. I love how they can bring a room to life and give it a real focal point. They can grab the attention or blend subtly into the background and yet they always add an extra dimension to any room. Also, the name Karastan is synonymous with quality, craftsmanship and pride in what they produce. From Karastan’s own history page…
“In a North Carolina mill during the 1920’s, Marshall Field & Co. created an exciting and innovative product – machine-made oriental design rugs of high quality at realistic prices. These elegant new rugs, almost impossible to distinguish from imported originals, were introduced by Wanamaker’s New York department store in 1928, and the Karastan brand was born.”
What We Chose
First of all, there is such a wide variety of options available with the A Cut Above program! Between the styles, the available color selections, and the sizes, it took hubby and I a week to mutually agree on THE one. So, what did we choose? The Axminster Broadloom – Multicolor Panel Kirman in an 8’x’10 size with bound edges. Constructed from New Zealand Wool and made in the USA, I knew this rug would exceed our needs!
One of the most popular designs from the Original Karastan Collection of rugs is Karastan’s Axminster Broadloom – Multicolor Panel Kirman.
As one of the most popular designs from the Original Karastan Collection of rugs, the complex design of our chosen rug features large rounded florettes arranged between star-like lobed medallions; vines connecting diagonal leaves and ending in lily-like forked blossoms. The soft, muted colors of the Multicolor Panel Kirman rug perfectly complement our decor with ease!
I know some may shudder at the mere mention of wool, especially with two boys and a husband around, but let me educate you on the properties of wool:
- New Zealand wool is non-allergenic;
- Wool’s natural properties provide inherent fire resistance, air purification and moisture control — creating an exceptionally safe and healthy indoor environment.
- New Zealand wool’s superior quality enables extensive design, color and pattern flexibility, while wool’s natural ability to shrug off dirt and spring back into shape after crushing ensures long-lasting good looks to complement and enhance any room setting.
What do the above points mean? Simply put, wool is hypo-allergenic, and is not affected by foot traffic or dirt (although if the rug did start looking a little grubby I could just find a Rug Cleaning Malvern company!) Also, keep in mind that wool has been used in rug-making for centuries, especially in the Middle East, so you know it’s durable!
The detail and care that go into each and every Karastan rug are evident. Here’s a close-up view of our custom ‘A Cut Above’ rug.
Conclusion
After placing the order, we had envisioned the rug would go into our family room, since it is the second busiest room in the house (the first would be the kitchen). Once the rug arrived, in perfect condition might I add, we knew we had to place it in our dining room instead.
For years we had been searching for the right dining room rug. We had everything else sorted for that room, like the tables and chairs, and we’d even found the perfect light (click here for a wide selection of lighting for your dining room), but we were always still hunting for that particular rug. What we had seen was either too big, too flat, too soft, not wide enough, or the colors/patterns were not to our liking. Of course, if it wasn’t for the A Cut Above program, I don’t think we would have ever found what we needed!
Lastly, my heart-felt gratitude goes to Karastan for allowing me to test the program for myself! Friends and family who have seen the rug have also commented on its beauty and the truly amazed at the customization options available. Thank you, Karastan! I couldn’t be more pleased with the results of your A Cut Above program, and indeed, it is truly a cut above the rest!