OUR STORY

STARK. DEFINED BY HERITAGE.

Heritage. It’s what defines STARK. For more than 85 years, we’ve been passionately focused on one thing: making the finest carpets and rugs in the world.

Founded by Arthur and Nadia Stark in 1938, the company was built on the desire to provide carpet & rugs of unparalleled craftsmanship, quality, and design. STARK is still family owned and run by the third generation of Starks—and that same desire still runs deep in our blood. Proof of the success of our mission, STARK can be found in a countless number of unforgettable rooms that have been created over the past eight decades.

EXPLORE

OUR DESIGN LEGACY

ICONIC PATTERNS

LEOPARD ROSE

Nadia Stark conjured up Leopard Rose in the early 1980s after she returned from an inspiring trip to Paris with a newly acquired—and especially prized—scarf. That bit of silk made Nadia, then the President of Stark, imagine a completely new direction for animal prints. At the time, combining an animal print with a floral was unheard of, but with the aid of company art director David Setlow, Nadia made it work. The pattern proved to have legs, and it’s been in continuous production ever since. And it’s become something of a cult classic among a new generation of interior designers like Luke Edward Hall, the rising British star who recommended the pattern in his column for the Financial Times: “Sure, a classic leopard spot is fun enough, but I like even more Stark’s Leopard Rose 2 — a delightful mix of leopard spots and pink roses.”

Leopard Rose set the tone for this room designed by Kenneth Alpert for the Kips Bay Designer Show House in 1997, as featured in Architectural Digest.

A contemporary staircase carpeted in Leopard Rose, the iconic pattern still gracing modern interiors today.

DAVID HICKS

In the 1960s, iconic British designer David Hicks rebelled against stuffy English country style and put pattern on the floor—and himself on the map. The move completely revolutionized flooring, and his groovy geometrics came to define the era, while he went on to design carpets for Windsor Castle and the Prince of Wales. The power contained in his prints is especially evident in the unforgettable scenes of the hotel hallways in The Shining, shot in late 1979. Equally powerful, more modern installations by designers like Gideon Mendelson and Steven Gambrel. His octagons and hexagons are now considered classics, and they’re only found at STARK.

INSPIRED BY THE BEST

DESIGNER COLLABORATIONS

Designers are naturally drawn to quality because they know it shows their creations to fine effect. Thanks to our attention to detail, our sourcing of the highest quality materials, and our access to the most skilled artisans, we get to collaborate with amazing people. Check out our current work with some of the best names in the business.

MISSONI HOME

Stark is the only company trusted to faithfully translate the iconic Italian fashion house’s vibrant colors and bold patterns for the floor. The artisans who meticulously craft Missoni’s zigzagging stripes and eye-popping op-art patterns make it possible to bring the fizz and thrill of the runway home.

JEFFREY BILHUBER

As trendsetting as his legendary clients (Anna Wintour, David Bowie, and Elsa Peretti to name a few), Jeffrey Bilhuber knows how to make a scene. Using his singular, masterful approach to interior design, he created a collection for STARK that’s vibrant and colorful and luxuriously woven with 100% wilton wool. It’s designed to be layered for a color story that’s as unique as you are.

STARK STUDIO RUGS X RUG STAR

A maverick who burst on the scene with a collection of daring art rugs in the aughts, Berlin-based designer Jürgen Dahlmann creates vivid canvases out of hand-knotted wool and silk. Made by artisans in India, the current collection is inspired by desert and urban landscapes.

significant spaces

UNFORGETTABLE ROOMS

From The White House…to your house. STARK has graced the floors of some of the most important and architecturally significant spaces in the world, from royal homes and historic castles to state capitols and national landmarks. Still, we think the most important place in the world is your own home. Make it unforgettable with STARK.

STARK DESIGNS

QUALITY & CRAFTSMANSHIP 

STARK designs are unquestionably gorgeous, but their real mark of beauty lies in their quality. From sourcing the finest materials and highest quality dyes to using traditional looms, STARK ensures the most exacting standards are used in every step of the rug-making process.  

And we seek out the most skilled artisans in places like India and Nepal where traditional rug-making techniques run deep, passed on from family member to family member and perfected over generations. The result is heirloom-quality rugs that ensure your investment can also be passed on from generation to generation.  

OUR TRADE FAMILY