Dear Stephen,
I work in the area rug and carpet industry, and it feels like every other day I’m getting a call from a recruiter
—or, just as often, directly from a company’s HR department—about a sales opportunity.
Where I work now, we produce high-end custom and bespoke carpets and rugs, designed in collaboration with interior
designers and architects for residential, hospitality, aviation, and marine projects. We compete with companies such as Edward Fields/Tai Ping, The Rug Company, ABC Carpet, Stark, Golran, Kasthall, Nanimarquina, Limited Edition, GAN, and Royal Thai.
When I first joined the company, luxury residential was the primary focus of our business. While it remains an
important part of what we do, it’s no longer the only market we serve.
The work is surprisingly technical. There are multiple construction methods, including hand-knotted, hand-tufted,
flatwoven, and Axminster woven rugs. Then there are the fibers, from wool and silk to viscose and countless blends. Pricing matters, of course, but our clients are usually far more interested in creating something unique—and as you know, designers love bespoke
products.
I genuinely love this business. Many of my friends work throughout the interiors industry selling furniture, lighting,
textiles, wallcoverings, and other products, and they’re constantly complaining about their jobs. Meanwhile, I earn an excellent living, work with beautiful products, collaborate with talented designers, and never feel like I’m selling a commodity.
I often see you advising people who want to pivot their careers within the interiors industry, and I don’t think
floor covering gets enough attention. Sometimes I feel like people walk all over us—no pun intended.
So my question is this: Why are recruiters always calling people in the carpet and rug business, and do you believe
carpet and area rug sales has quietly become one of the best careers in the interiors industry?
Signed,
Rugs to Riches
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Dear Rugs to Riches,
You’re not imagining things. After recruiting in virtually every product category within the interiors industry
for more than four decades, I’ve learned that some of the best career opportunities are often the ones people overlook. Carpet and area rugs are certainly one of them. We recruit across virtually every segment of the industry, and very few sectors are as active
today as floor covering. There’s constant movement, exceptional demand, and a relatively small pool of experienced professionals—which makes experienced salespeople incredibly valuable.
Many of the companies you mentioned are organizations we actively recruit from, and several have also been clients
over the years. They’re outstanding companies with exceptional salespeople, which is exactly why competitors are constantly trying to hire their talent. Floor covering has quietly become one of the most competitive recruiting markets in the interiors industry.
Here’s something that surprises people outside the business. Some of the highest-paid salespeople we recruit are
not selling furniture at all—they’re selling carpet and rugs. Why? Because they aren’t simply selling products. They’re selling design, craftsmanship, customization, technical expertise, and long-term relationships. When someone earns the trust of leading
interior designers, architects, hospitality firms, and dealers, that person becomes incredibly valuable in the marketplace.
What also sets this industry apart is the level of technical knowledge required to be truly successful. Salespeople
need to understand hand-knotted, hand-tufted, flatwoven, and Axminster woven constructions, along with fibers such as wool, silk, viscose, and blended materials. Beyond that, they need to speak confidently about pile height, density, gauge, backing systems,
finishing techniques, durability, performance characteristics, and manufacturing processes. Those are just some of the fundamentals.
As recruiters, we had to become fluent in that language ourselves in order to recruit for these companies. I’ve
often joked that recruiting in the rug business felt like earning a master’s degree in carpets. The learning curve is real, and it’s one of the reasons experienced professionals command such a premium in today’s market.
Compensation can be exceptional, and one reason recruiters seem so active in this sector is simple:
there’s constant movement. Recruiters don’t create turnover; they just witness it every day. Salespeople move because competitors are willing to invest in relationships, experience, and access to established designer and architectural accounts. When someone
develops a strong book of business, the market notices.
I’ll probably upset a few people by saying this, but I believe carpet and area rug sales is one of the most overlooked
careers in the interiors industry. Furniture tends to receive the most attention because it’s more visible. Meanwhile, some of the most rewarding careers, strongest client relationships, and highest-earning opportunities exist in floor covering. Most people
simply don’t realize it until they’re part of the industry.
If I could offer one piece of advice to executives hiring within floor covering, it would be this: stop insisting
that every salesperson come from one of your direct competitors. That’s one of the biggest hiring mistakes I see. You can teach construction methods, fibers, manufacturing techniques, and product knowledge. It’s much harder to teach curiosity, emotional
intelligence, work ethic, integrity, and the ability to build lasting relationships with the design community. Those qualities are what ultimately produce outstanding salespeople.
Ironically, that narrow hiring philosophy is also one of the reasons many sales positions remain open far too long.
As I often remind clients, every month a territory sits vacant represents revenue that can never be recovered. Companies that stay open-minded about adjacent industries often discover exceptional talent they otherwise would have overlooked.
So, to answer your question: yes, I believe carpet and area rug sales has quietly become one of the best careers
in the interiors industry. It’s intellectually challenging, creatively rewarding, financially attractive, and built around long-term relationships. If you’re considering a career in interiors, don’t overlook floor covering simply because furniture receives
more attention. Some of the happiest, most successful, and highest-paid salespeople I know have built remarkable careers in this business.
Now I’d like to turn the question over to our readers. If you’ve worked in both furniture and floor covering, or
recruited for either, which has provided the better career opportunity—and why? I’d love to hear your perspective.
Signed,
Stephen