COVER 81 is the fourth and final issue of our 20th anniversary year. We celebrate with an article called Rug Stories: ten funny, crazy, heartwarming anecdotes from people in the industry that illustrate how it is to work with carpets. The issue also looks ahead to the upcoming COVER Connect Las Vegas show, and other important international design events in January such as Heimtextil, Maison&Objet and Las Vegas Market.

We talk to Beni Rugs about the development of the brand and updates for next year. Our Welcome 2026 article takes a look at the highs and lows of rug retail over the last twelve months and proposes ideas for the year ahead. Articles on developments at RH and the recent Kips Bay New York Decorator Show House discuss interior luxury today while in our interior trends feature we highlight the new heritage aesthetic.

The Collections section is full of the latest designs for a new season, from brands such as Rug & Kilim, Tamarian, Knots Rug and Deirdre Dyson. We report on what is hot in broadloom and look at the hands that make a rug with GoodWeave. Rug brands Zollanvari and Roger Oates Design give us the lowdown on designing rugs today while retailers Teppich Jordan and Parisa come under the spotlight.