Carpet Diem! Find the perfect carpet for your living room
I have a small confession to make.
For many years I have not been a huge fan of carpets. I had problems with some types of fibers and I preferred not to have carpets at home.
Then a new generation of carpets came, my problems with fibers got better too and … well… now I’m considering to buy a carpet for my own living room (my mother wouldn’t believe what I’m writing. I think she is going to read this sentence twice)!
It seems I’m in good company in this quest for the perfect carpet as some days ago when I asked on Instagram what would you like to see more of from the blog you answered «carpets». Your wish has been granted so… Carpet Diem!
To help you figure out what is the perfect carpet for your living room I’ve made a selection of the designs I think have style to spare and are consciously produced. Some of them are handmade using traditional techniques while some others are the results of experimentation with unusual materials.
I hope you’ll find this selection both useful and beautiful. I’ll wait to know what to do think about this article and if you have other brands to recommend let me know: I’m always on the hunt for interesting designs!
Carpet Diem! Gradient brushstrokes and geometric patches
Ushering the carpet parade it’s a brand I’ve been following for many years now: CC-Tapis. I think you’ll love as much as I do their take on the ancient art of tapestry. They made an antique art contemporary and fresh and it doesn’t matter with how many different designers they collaborate, you will always recognize one of the CC-Tapis creations.
Two of their latest collections captured my interest: the Patcha collection designed by Patricia Urquiola and the Stroke collection designed by Sabine Marcelis. Two very talented women for two distinctive styles but both exploring the meaning of gestures and ‘investigate how the simple movement of hands and tools can lead their creative process‘ (these collections are part of a broader project called ‘Gestures’).
What you’ll love in Patricia Urquiola’s new carpets is the eclectic style and the joyful character they have. Overlapping and assembling stripes in different colors, from burgundy to mint green, Patricia Urquiola designed a happy rug that reuses and upcycle discarded wool. For these carpets, sustainable dyeing techniques are used. The speckled technicolor stripes are created by using left-over silk and surplus wool from previous rugs.
The stroke collection by Sabine Marcelis are brushstrokes of paint made carpets. As if the living room would be a blank canvas to paint with woven wool. ‘Each rug features a gradient of color saturation and pile height, mirroring the three-dimensionality and irregular pigment of a stroke of paint‘.
Carpet Diem! Calling all floral pattern lovers
The first time I wrote about one of the carpets produced by Nanimarquina was 2016. The article’s title was «Nature before design» and I asked four designers and artists: ‘would you be able to connect the word nature to a particular form?’
At that time their Quill collection by Nao Tamura fit perfectly my question: the carpets were inspired by feathers and leaves, both natural elements. This collection is still one of my favorites but today I want to show you the Flora collection designed by artist Santi Moix.
The work of Santi Moix has been transferred to the carpets in the most reliable way possible. The colors are amazing and as in nature, no two shapes are alike in this small collection of 3 different models. And I’m not only referring to the biomorphic flowers that decorate the carpets’ surface but also to the very shape of them.
A carpet is the soul of the apartment
Edgar Allan Poe
Carpet Diem! Chunky, hand-tufted humorous rugs
Textile designers Anne Louise Rasmussen and Maja Marie Halling (aka Röd Studio) create humorous and playful carpets you can use both on the floor and as a tapestry. Carpets and rugs are handmade in Copenhagen where the studio is based.
What I find particularly interesting is their choice to use unconventional fibers like horse and goat hair that create a more three-dimensional effect. Rugs are hand-tufted, which means the wool is punched through the backing using a tool called a tufting gun. Röd Studio is a very recent find but couldn’t miss the carpet parade!
Carpet diem! Color-blocked carpets
If you’ve been reading the blog for a while now, you certainly know that I love many products from HAY. Among their carpets, I selected a couple from the well-known ‘color carpet family’. This is Scholten & Baijings’s first rug collection for HAY in 100% New Zealand wool (with 100% cotton backing).
Each carpet has a distinctive color scheme that sets a different atmosphere in the room. I’ve always loved Scholten & Baijing’s ability to play with pastels and pops of neon hues. Don’t you agree?
Carpet Diem! Irregular-shaped and trendy carpets
Carpets are great to add color and character to your home (read more about home textiles and easy ways to add color to your home here). Some of the carpets in this selection can be also hung to the wall as a tapestry.
Carpets are great because their decorative power lies not only in the colors but also in their textures and shapes. Have you ever considered an irregular carpet for your living room? Rug’Society Mermaid rug, for example, has an irregular yet organic shape with a symmetrical pattern. Inspired by the feminine representation of the sea, it’s a beautiful and elegant piece made in botanical silk and lurex.
Carpets set the mood of a room. And the Terrazzo rug here below is a proof of what I’m stating. Similar color shades but a completely different look if compared to the Mermaid rug. The typical Italian flooring composite (made of small pieces of scraps scattered in the concrete) reminds of Summer houses and brings warmth to any space. Terrazzo nuances are all inspired by nature, which is why this is a trend that it’s going to last.
Ain’t easy to make a selection: there are so many beautiful designs!
The carpets I selected for this roundup are the ones I’m currently coveting. If you like what you read and want to see more inspiring shopping lists let me know in the comments below: I would write a new roundup to feed the craving for beautiful carpets.
Cover photo: Patcha collection by Patricia Urquiola for CC-Tapis. Phot courtesy of CC-Tapis
