Today, we’re looking at statement rugs, and how they can help guide your home decor ideas.
Earlier this year, I attended a one-day course on the principles of eclectic interior design. One of the other participants explained her reason for attending.
Namely, that she and her husband were decorating their new home, and her particular difficulty was that they had a very large open-plan living space. They also had one very, very large rug which they had found on their travels and fallen in love with. Other than that the space was a blank canvas, and she wasn’t sure how to proceed.
Our tutor for the day thought that this “problem” was actually a great one to have, and provided the perfect starting point. Because a pro decorator’s trick is actually to use one or more elements of a large statement piece, such as a rug, sofa, or painting/print to guide choices for the rest of the room scheme. So that could be the style, colour, or design – which element you decide to focus on is up to you.
Having recently discovered the wonderful rugs of Sonya Winner, and seen the new designs by the high priest of “happy chic” Jonathan Adler for The Rug Company, I thought I’d pull together a collection of statement rugs that would be perfect starting points for contemporary room schemes.
In fact, in his book “Happy Chic Colors”
“When decorating a room, always pick the rug first and match paints and fabrics to it.”
Using a large, basic, central item as a starting point is much more practical than decorating a whole room and then trying to find, dor example a sofa to go with the wallpaper. Or a rug to match the paint colour or curtains.
So, I’ve started with several bold designs, some in super-bright colour combinations and others in more muted shades for a softer palette. I also found some modern re-workings of the classic striped rug and to finish we have striking geometric, graphic and monochrome designs. Which illustrate superbly that just one or two colours plus clean lines can add real drama. Enjoy!
Bold and bright: top image is the Rainbow rug by Sonya Winner, above left is Harlequin by Jonathan Adler for the Rug Company, above right is Ikea’s Stockholm Figur. Below is the wonderful Merida rug designed by Casa Estudio for Made.com.
More bold colours, but in more muted shades: below is Prism, again by Sonya Winner, then below left Scope by SCP and on the right Harlequins Bella Stripe rug from John Lewis, also shown in a room setting.
Classic stripes can be brought up to date with the inclusion of detail and motif within the stripes. Immediately below are two rugs by Margo Selby (read more about this pioneering textile designer here): left, in luxurious silk available direct from www.margoselby.co.uk; right, one of her designs for Habitat’s Bloomsbury range.
Above left is Missoni’s vibrant Longavi rug from Amara Living and right, the Mountain Spot Kilim Rug by Donna Wilson.
Simple graphic designs, striking geometrics and monochrome colourways create strong impact, so balance this out by using small amounts of equally bold accents throughout the room.
Below, Verner Panton round rug in grey from mydeco.com.
Above left is Stockholm Rand by Ikea and right, the Grid rug by Habitat.
Below left Gandia Blasco Catania Red and White Kilim Rug designed by Sandra Figuero, and right Geometric Triangles Black and White, both from Heal’s.
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