New York – Australian designer Tali Roth’s travels last year to Italy’s Floating City are echoed in her first signature product line – an artisanal area rug program with Empire Collection.
Set to launch at annual hospitality show BDNY, scheduled Nov. 10-11 at the Javits Center here, the “A Week in Venice” collection “is the culmination of personal experiences and historical references,” Roth explained.
She continued: “My love of flooring began from a young age, as my grandfather was a developer and all of his buildings had terrazzo flooring or Palladian style paved marble. In 2018, I spent a week in Venice and was blown away by the intricate marble and terrazzo work. ‘A Week in Venice’ combines these memories with Empire Collection’
Tali Roth
s signature quality and approach to material.”
Empire Collection is Aronson’s Floor Covering’s boutique line of custom, handcrafted designer carpets. The company launched its first dedicated, designer-focused collection brand in 2018 with collections from Kristie Strasen and Ghislaine Viñas.
This year’s collaboration with Roth, it noted, “cements [Empire Rugs] as a source for innovative, design-forward, and sustainable styles to the design and hospitality communities and beyond.”
A Week in Venice is comprised of six styles inspired by a distinctly Italian aesthetic, Roth noted, with rich color palettes and natural fibers, to “tell a timeless story with a fresh, modern voice.”
The design portfolio includes:
- 1969: A direct interpretation of Roth’s favorite terrazzo, 1969 is bigger and bolder with its enlarged scale and rich colorways. This 100% Tencel shag rug pays homage to an iconic Italian material while also referencing a funky, minimalistic animal print through its tonal versions. It is available in the natural and rust colorways.
- Scarpa’s Window: Inspired by the designer’s visits to Italian architectural institutions from Carlo Scarpa, this 75% wool/25% Tencel rug mimics the trademark patterns found within each building, particularly within their windows and doors. Scarpa’s Window marries classic geometry with colorful energy. Available colors include navy, rust, sage and melon.
- The Venetian: An age-old, traditional pattern invigorated for modern day. The 100% Tencel shag Venetian turns the nostalgic, diamond-grid design on its head with intricate textures, high-end sheen and chic color combinations – chocolate/beige, rust/peach, and natural.
- La Mia Famiglia: The most personal design of Roth’s collection, La Mia Famiglia is centered around an abstract idea of a 1950’s family vacation. Designed while she was pregnant with her second baby, it reflects both childhood memories and the transition through motherhood through its whimsical, unique design and comforting texture. Made of wool, it is available in sage and melon.
- Milano Stripe: Milano Stripe makes a timeless design fresh again with a luxurious, sexy feel that mimics the masculine pinstripe of a well-made Italian suit. The “quiet achiever of the group,” this rug aims to be versatile and elegantly subtle. It is made 100% of Tencel and comes in the olive and chocolate colorways.
- Peggy’s Party: Developed in tandem with 1969, Peggy’s Party explores a louder, more playful side to terrazzo with its dynamic color palette that remains friendly to the rest of the collection via Roth’s signature tone-on-tone approach. Available in the earth and pink colorways, this rug is made of 75% wool, 25% Tencel.
Each design is one-of-a-kind. Select styles are also available in commercial editions with extra durable constructions.
Roth combined her residential and commercial project experience with Aronson’s material prowess and industry know-how to craft styles that combine a subtle, refined aesthetic and expressive design for rugs that aim to make a statement without overpowering the spaces they ground.
“Empire Collection is dedicated to bringing designers’ visions to life,” explained Carol Swedlow, president of Aronson’s Floor Covering, “and with ‘A Week in Venice,’ we continue that commitment. Tali has a natural talent for finding new ways to explore color and texture, which is a perfect match to Empire’s handcrafted, custom capabilities and sophisticated style. The collection brings together decades of skilled artisanship with Tali’s vivid imagination and a shared, deep appreciation for creativity.”
A Week in Venice’s debut at BDNY will be alongside new launches from the Empire Collection by Aronson’s Floor Covering in booth #4129. This year marks Aronson’s Floor Covering’s first time at the hospitality show.