NY Post "Home Section", Sept ’05
page 42 by Raakhee Mirchandani
Shagadelic rugs are back
Yeah, baby!
Modern interpretations of shag carpets are all the rage
FANCY a shag? You’re in luck.
The plush, 1970s-style deep pile rugs are popping up everywhere, from glossy fashion spreads to the shelves at Wal-Mart.
Shag is definitely back," says Helen Walters, a senior editor at Cargo magazine. “And what’s going on is that manufacturers are teaming up with fashion to come up with cool, fun, modern-looking designs.”
Out are the shags of yesteryear (think wall-to-wall carpeting in garish colors like avocado). Instead, think rich, handmade area rugs in neutral colors; fun, flirty mini-shags in colorful hues; thick, almost fur-like wool rugs (known as Flokati, an ancient Greek technique) in shapes like “kidney.”
“The shag rug is very exciting, especially now that it’s coming back as a trend item,” says Roberta Marino, CEO of Modern Living, a furniture showroom in Los Angeles. Shag carpet, says rug dealer Phil Vassil of Flokatirug.net, “has caught on to pretty much everybody. It’s not just the hipsters anymore.”
Though dramatic, shag rugs are more versatile than you may think. Joe Nahem of Fox-Nahem Design in Manhattan was among the first designers to use shag carpets in 21st-century homes.
"When we first started using them, clients who know us said, what’s up with that?” says Nahem. “But once we started doing it, they loved it.”
“They work particularly well with a lot of city interiors,” he says. “It takes the hardness out of rooms.”
Plus, he adds: “They insulate well from noise.”