It was exciting to go to the Surfaces trade show at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas last week. The fair actually has a new name, The International Surface Event (TISE), to unite its three flooring shows (Surfaces, TileExpo and StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas) under one brand. Together, the mega winter event featured an extensive display of floor coverings, natural and engineered stone, and tile products.

The photo with the toy sheep on my shoulder was taken for a selfie contest to promote one of the mills, “Quick Sheep,” custom quick ship programs. TISE offers the opportunity to see the latest styles months before the local mill reps have samples of the new products to show us, and as much as a year ahead of when samples would be ready for display. This gives us a sneak peak at trends in style and color, which we love passing on to you, our customers, as early as possible.

My favorite trend is to use undyed wool, as seen in the sophisticated, “Beech,” style (pictured). Natural wool colors are among the most handsome neutrals I’ve seen. The sheep are sorted by color before shearing, and skipping the bleaching/dying process has the additional benefit of being environmentally friendly.

Oscar Isberian Rugs will be newly stocked in the next few months with all of the latest trends from our extensive winter trade show travels. Plus, we’ll have them long before they hit the mainstream. Come see us soon. As always, we’ve got you covered.