Bentley Prince Street’s E-commerce manager, Valerie Bennett, discusses her company’s line of area rugs with interior designer Lois Campbell during the recent CA Boom Design Show in Santa Monica. The company offers customers the opportunity to design and purchase rugs online choosing from various style and colorways.


At a time when many makers of residential flooring are eyeing the commercial market, Bentley Prince Street is taking a different approach. The company, which is based in City of Industry, Calif., was on hand at a recent design show in Santa Monica to promote bps rugs, a line of upscale area rugs that are designed to expand flooring options for the home.

An overview of the CA Boom Design Show, which was held recently in a hangar converted into an exhibit space at the Santa Monica Airport. Floor covering manufacturers were among the exhibitors eager to draw attention from the designers and architects on hand. 

“This is a whole new audience for us so we’re trying to reach designers because they tend to understand the quality we are offering,” said the company’s E-commerce manager, Valerie Bennett, while greeting showgoers at the CA Boom design show. “As a company, we have been very focused on the commercial market. That is an area that places a premium on durability and performance as well as texture and color. It is really an education process but we are very pleased with the response thus far.”

Bennett noted the company’s Southern California location is also proving to be an advantage. Designers in the region who are increasingly focused on “green” concepts in interior design are looking beyond how a product is manufactured and considering how far it must travel. “We tell them they have no need to go elsewhere; they can get what they want and stay local,” she said. “That minimizes the transportation impact of the products. When you reduce the shipping distance you reduce the impact on the environment. People are really picking up on that here.”

Bentley Prince Street’s exhibit was devoted to promoting its bps rugs. The line of area rugs is aimed at both commercial and residential customers.

She added that the company’s focus on commercial carpet is an advantage particularly as LEED certification expands into the residential market. “We know the importance of LEED on the commercial s side and we know the importance of making a design statement. I think that is why we have been so well received here.” (For more information, visitwww.bentleyprincestreetrugs.comorwww.bentleyprincestreet.com) -Al Stewart