I fell in love with interior design because of the plethora of incredible colors, textures, lighting, art, furniture and so much more that opened up before me! What beautiful spaces could be created with the right materials! The research and the actual search for the perfect pieces to pull a room together is a challenge I adore. Each client has a need (or needs) that we as designers are trying to solve and no client has the exact same challenge in their space. Therefore, every day is a new adventure of discovery. You also throw in the budget and you get a new set of challenges! As I have discovered more and more fabulous product, I quickly realized that most people aren’t aware of the availability of these beautiful products. I would therefore, like to expose you to some of my favorite temptations.
I first became interested in interior design when I met my husband’s aunt. She owned an oriental rug shop in Mountain Brook Village in Birmingham, Alabama. We would visit her often and she would romance us with stories about the design elements and their meanings, dyes used, and the regions or mostly present day Iran, Iraq and Turkey in which they came. Each rug practically tells a story; the experts can tell where the rug came from based on the dyes used, the knot, the symbols and even the size. She took the time to train me one summer and took me to market in Atlanta. I remember when me and my husband bought our first Heriz. We told her the size and colors we wanted and the perfect rug showed up on our doorstep. We have had this same rug in three different houses and it works beautifully wherever we put it. The Heriz is more geometric and works with contemporary furnishings very well.
One thing about buying an Orienal rug is that you should fall in love with it because it will last you forever; it truly is art on the floor. Also, one thing you will notice is that the antique rugs usually have more open fields and the vegetable dyes used in the 19th century are softer than the chemical dyes used post WWII. One rug that has become very popular in the past ten years has been the Oushak. The Oushak is usually a larger, fatter weave in more subtle colors. Sometimes Oushaks have vibrant colors, but the ones that are so sought after now are very muted. Since the Oushak has such a fat weave, do not put it in a high traffic area or it will wear quickly.
In the years that went by I was also introduced to newer rugs made in areas of Tibet by the finest wools and silks. Most of these rugs are very luxurious and contemporary. They can be made in any size with several color choices and pile heights. A few of my favorite lines are Tufenkian, Lapchi, Tamarian and Odegard and Angela Adams. They can customize a rug for you in any color, size or with your logo. Enjoy these images!
Rugs can add so much personality to a home. They can add warmth, sound control, color and texture. Also notice the different levels of pile..so much fun! Add a rug to your home and make a statement! Let the rug be an inspiration piece to design the entire room around and it will pull together beautifully!
