New Moon

John Kurtz, artist and renowned rug historian, has a love and appreciation for beautiful things, and for the way in which beautiful things are made. As a painter, he trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. For the past 40 years, he has nurtured and deepened his passion for the world of handmade rugs.

Starting out as an antique rug collector and dealer in the living room of his home, and later moving into a gallery where his business grew for 20 years, John enthusiastically searched for and found beautiful antique rugs and shared them with collectors from around the world. Early on in his career he was inspired to bring the wonderful art of rug weaving to an even larger audience. He did so with his popular PBS series Art Underfoot, which ran from 1988 to 1992 and then again on HGTV, introducing millions of viewers to the world of oriental rugs. In 1993 John began fulfilling a desire to have an outlet for his own creative process by taking his more than 20 years of experience in dealing in antique rugs to create original designs under the New Moon label.

Since the inception of New Moon in 1993, John has been uniting his dedication to the highest standards of craftsmanship and design with his commitment to socially responsible business practices. With the aid of his partners in Nepal, he not only creates a collection of rugs unequalled in quality but also a company known for social and  environmental responsibility.

Since 2004, John’s daughter Erika has guided the production and increasingly brings her design talents to the next generation of New Moon. Daughter Josephine joined the firm in 2008 and brings her Art History/Architecture background to New Moon’s design focus. Along with John’s wife Ellen as the Doyenne, New Moon is truly a family business.

New Moon has helped to create a standard of business ethics yet to be equaled in Nepal. The rugs are made with the integrity and social responsibility John was unwilling to compromise on in order to make his dream a reality.  New Moon workshops in Nepal are well-known as a world-class model for responsible business. Frequent foreign visitors, from the UN to various human-rights groups, testify to the impact New Moon has made in third-world business examples. The company’s commitment to the highest standards of working conditions is demonstrated by its long-standing and internationally-recognized commitment to fair treatment of employees and socially responsible business practices, as well as New Moon’s continued support and active participation with its workshops in Nepal.

What sets New Moon apart from other companies is the dedication to customer service. As a boutique company, it caters to clients’ needs and provides one-on-one attention. The family’s passion for the rug industry is evident in every project that they facilitate, helping their clients create the perfect complements for their homes.

New Moon offers a variety of styles from transitional to contemporary to luxury lodge inspired designs.  The extensive library of designs can be adapted to create a rug that is perfectly tailored. Have something that inspires you? New Moon can create a bespoke pattern all your own.

For more information on New Moon, visit www.newmoonrugs.com.