Innovations and highlights from Heimtextil 2026

Heimtextil 2026 took place last week, here COVER editor Lucy Upward reviews the show’s rug highlights

Unlimited Style rugs

Heimtextil’s 2026 edition took place last week, 13-16 January, at Messe Frankfurt. The benefit of the venue is that it is slap bang in the city centre, which offers easy access to the rest of town and public transport. A shuttle within the site is also needed due to the size of the show spread over ten Halls, the formation of which was rejigged for this January.

It is the third year of Heimtextil’s dedicated Carpets and Rugs Halls, which were located in Halls 11.0.11.1 and 12.0. Being at the other end of what has traditionally been thought of as the centre of the event, Halls 3-6, where the metro station and central hub is found, the rug halls were not blessed with as much through traffic. However, I think most of us are aware that more people does not necessarily equate to more sales and many brands reported good business.

ABC Italia

Focusing on the designs on show, there were a great deal of neutral/cream and brown rugs on offer. Facing a sea of beige rugs, excellence in materials, texture and finishing would have to be the deciding factor for any serious buyer. In Hall 11.0, Khanna Carpet Collection were offering just that, impeccably finished hand-knotted rugs in shades of cream, brown and green, which were garnering attention.

In the same hall, Hafizia put on another fantastic display of innovative wall-hangings outside of the booth. Made of multiple materials in various techniques such as crochet, binding, stitching, felting, wrapping and weaving, these designs won a lot of hearts, proving that buyers are always looking for true creativity.

Also in Hall 11.0 and also with a very creative stand, were Unlimited Style, who chose to stand out from the crowd in terms of stand and rugs—striking designs in bold colours and unusual shapes. The black and white tiled floor, high red walls and fantastical designs created an overall effect that was like a marvellous scene from Alice in Wonderland.

Debuting at the show, Choudhary Exports had a good show with the brand’s painterly designs. Neutrals and monochromes in both transitional and more contemporary styles were the company’s best sellers in January.

In Hall 12, where most of the machine-made rugs were on show were Rezas, ABC Italia, and the only Moroccan rug company La Cadeau Bebere. Rezas brought a variety of designs from its vast inventory plus several walls covered with the brand’s well-organised samples. Always busy with a constant stream of visitors, company owner, Reza Rejaye, reported a good show.

ABC Italia held a breakfast on Wednesday 14 January, alongside COVER and Label STEP, to promote the latest Taimany rugs from Afghanistan. New abstract designs were flying off the shelves every day while the new antique designs were also greatly admired for the amazing wool, colour and designs, of which I saw Mamluk and Samarkand with pomegranate patterns.

Hall 12 was also home to the Future Floor Showcase, for which I was one of the four jury members alongside Jan Laperre of Centexbel, Alfred Beerli of OEKO-TEX and Professor Sanat Pal from the India Institute of Carpet Technology. Focusing on design, sustainability and functionality, the rugs were selected by us four in November from a range of rugs sent in by participating brands. The final display had some great additions—including a rug made of newspaper, two printed wool designs, machine-made wool rugs made in Moldova, and Hafizia’s innovative rug made of leftover ropes.

I gave two tours of the Future Floor Showcase and the display attracted a lot of attention from visitors. My talk ‘What about weaving? Key trends in handmade rugs’ on the Texpertise stage Hall 6.0 on Thursday also had a good audience, as I talked about dwindling weaver numbers, design trends, changes in retail, AI and innovative projects from across the world.

More innovation could be found in Hall 3.0, where Patricia Urquiola’s Among-all installation was an immersive response to last year’s Among-us display. An exploration into textiles and human interaction with them, with multiple pieces made of Econyl, the designer was looking at the possibilities of industry and craft. A highlight piece was the giant fringed seat made in collaboration with cc-tapis and Moroso.

Sitting on this giant form, I got 10 minutes to talk to Urquiola about designing the seat. ‘I work with different levels of control,’ she explained. ‘When I am working with a company, there is always a system to help the company to achieve what they need. I try to always be innovative but there is also a formal side, more controlled. My mind takes me to new places. I once made my ideal seat as a hammock, about 20 years ago. This time, it is like a rug growing into a mountain. Here on this mountain, you can sit alone even if four people sit on it. When working on an exhibition, I will never work in this way that needs a brief. It is all about my research into materials. It is not about control but the designer’s dialogue with material. Negotiating with material, all material, including digital and regenerated material. It needs a lot of dialogue if it is a new material like this. I love this work.’

I also asked Urquiola if people are playful enough with their interiors. ‘When I was young, there was a moment when people like my mum took out their sofas and used ottomans and poofs, some time in the 70’s. There was a revolution. But sometimes we need to come back to designs that are classic, because they give us a kind of balance, especially when so much else is changing in the world.’

As part of the Deco Team area, German rug brands in Hall 3 included Paulig, Theko, Tisca and Vartian. On the back wall of the company’s larger stand of two, Paulig had a wonderful hand-knotted rug depicting bubbles. The star collection for buyers, particularly those from Asia, was a new series of wool, single colour flatwoven designs in pastel shades.

In the hall shake up, Heimtextil Home Textile Trends were moved from Hall 3.0 into Hall 6.1. The 26/27 selection titled Craft is a verb, was curated by Milanese company Alcova. Very conceptual, rather cosmic in its reflective surfaces and surreal lighting, and very exciting to engage with, the display included endless textile samples and then what looked like a futuristic home, comprising fascinating furniture and textile pieces, like rugs by Jonas Hejduk and Bethan Laura Wood. Next door, amongst a gathering of young designers in the New Talent Area, the work of Ayesha Asif and Severina Seidl caught my eye.

Set against a very difficult climate, Heimtextil was a good event for many exhibitors and visitors. Everyone is agreed on the fact that we need a European rug show to focus on, particularly in the light of ongoing tariff dramas. This could be the show in which the industry can come together to build up something that brands want to be part of annually. Nothing happens overnight but let’s what this space.