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.

When Jackie Kennedy famously restored the White House in the early 1960s with legendary designer Sister Parish, she picked STARK designs for the dining room and the Oval Office too. Sixty years later, Tory Burch chose a STARK carpet to grace the entryway of her Hamptons home. Again and again, decade after decade, style icons like David Hicks, Mario Buatta, and Bunny Williams have all made the same choice, selecting STARK to lay the foundation for their most important rooms.

Arthur and Nadia passed their knowledge and their devotion to fine craftsmanship—along with control of the company—on to their sons, John and Steven Stark, who joined the family business in the 1970s. They turned a small company with two showrooms into a powerhouse with 20 showrooms, its own weaving mill, and partnerships with artisans around the world. While under their direction, the company also acquired Old World Weavers and its seven textile brands from legendary style icon Iris Apfel.

The third generation of Starks arrived in the 2000s. Ashley Stark, now the Creative Director, and Chad Stark, CEO have brought a new energy and a fresh perspective while maintaining that same deep and abiding love for the company shared by previous generations. The pair has modernized the company through technology and innovation, built a substantial social media following, and taken it in exciting new design directions. They also oversaw the merger of the textile division with Scalamandré, the venerable fabric house.

For the current generation of Starks now running the company, everything has changed and yet nothing has changed. We’re as proud today of our gorgeous designs and as protective of the integrity of our products as Arthur and Nadia were back in 1938. Through it all—expansion, acquisitions, industry changes, generational shifts—we’ve been here, ensuring the STARK reputation lives on and lives up. Flip open the pages of any decorating book or shelter magazine—Elle Décor, Architectural Digest, LUXE—and you’ll see it: a gorgeous room with a STARK carpet at its heart. That’s our heritage. That’s STARK.