News & Information

Having worked with designers for over twenty years, I can really appreciate what makes Amy Lau so special and distinctive. I wanted to start our “Designer Spotlight” with Amy because of her wonderful sensitivity to color and its role within the design process. The impression of simplicity that she achieves in putting a room together is remarkable. Read the full article, A Conversation with Amy Lau from Forms of Design.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Written by Joan Guryan
Thursday, 22 February 2007

Green (not the color) and comfort seem to be two major themes. When possible people want to design their interiors, with the environment in mind. And with all the stresses in our global world, they are looking for comfortable retreats.

We have enjoyed the muted slate blues, and chocolate browns; now begin to look for variations on this theme ginger, peacock blue, eggplant, poppy red. According to “The Color Association”, blues, greens, and, oranges will be highlighted. I am sure you have noticed these colors in the fashion industry; the interior design market usually follows. It is a little slower, since we often live with our interior design choices, longer than the clothes hanging in our closet. Begin to look for those teal,shimmery blues, and shiny greens that just might remind you of peacock feathers.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Written by David Castriota
Wednesday, 03 January 2007

Rugs meant for a business environment will meet different requirements than those for use at home. A rug in a business setting is to some extent an expression of the image that the business seeks to project, so it may require something formal, reserved, or bold and playful; it all depends. But a rug for a place of business will need to stand up to considerable traffic,so it must above all be durable.

Such commercial needs will generally be met by new rugs, but certain types of business, those that seek to project tradition and refinement may require an antique Oriental carpet. Rugs for use at home must reflect the taste of the owner, and in a very profound and personal way, since they provide a constant feature or part of one’s private environment.

But here too, there are practical considerations.I the rug is needed for insulation or to absorb sound, a thicker, perhaps more coarsely woven rug may be required. If it is primarily intended as a home furnishing, a new rug may be the right way to go. If one is a rug enthusiast, it may may be worth the added expense to look for an antique.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Written by David Castriota
Friday, 08 December 2006

One of the the more subjective aspects of judging a rug have to do with assessing its quality and its imperfections. When quality is assessed on the basis of the wool, dyes, and weaving technique, it is a fairly objective process. When the issue turns to drawing style, it becomes more of an issue of taste. The same is true with “imperfections.” Dropped knots, looseness or inconsistencies in tightness are technical imperfections. But are abrash - abrupt changes in color, sudden changes in design, or adjustments in proportion at the corners or the borders or ends of the field to be judged as imperfections, or as changes that are part of the deliberate intention of the weaver, and therefore part of her creative expression?

Some buyers may be put off by such qualities. They may prefer a workshop rug that is perfectly straight, with consistent color and design. But others will appreciate that the personality of the village weaver confronts us every time she inserts a willful twist and turn of color or pattern, or in her struggle to maintain straight proportions in a wool foundation, that that she is in a sense alive in the rug in all such variations or inconsistencies.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Written by Joan Guryan
Friday, 17 November 2006

Focus, or accent?

Is this rug the focal point of my room, or an accent? Do I want you to walk into the room and have your eye go directly to the rug. If this is the criteria, then I am buying the rug, as I would any piece of art. The quality should be fine, and the design should be unique. Your furniture should have good lines, but the fabrics you use can be neutral. When the rug is the focus, you often want to pick it first, before the fabrics.

If I am looking for a rug to bring a room together, give it warmth, enhance the existing furniture then criteria is different. This choice is no less important than the focus rug. In some ways it is the more difficult rug to pick. It must be beautiful, but soft; it must complement, or increase the beauty of the rest of the room. When I buy a rug this way, I bring large enough swatches to put next to the rug. You will usually know which rugs will definitely not work. More likely, you will find several that you think will work. The next step will be to bring them into your home; most fine rug dealers will allow you to do this for you.The quality of the rug must equal to the other furnishings in the room.

Medallion, or open field?

The medallion rug is one with a definite design in the center of the rug; it is the focal point of the rug. An open field rug has an all over pattern in the center of the rug surrounded by a border. If I am looking for a rug that is going to sit under a coffee table or dining table, or a bed, I am not interested in a medallion rug. Why cover up the most important part of the rug? Then I am more interested in an open field rug. But, I want to find one that has a great border, the area that is going to get the most attention.

Any area, where the view of the rug is unobstructed , the choice is yours. It is often a good place to use a rug with a medallion.

Where to use a great runner?

If I have a large room that has multiple purposes, I may use a runner to act as a natural divider. A runner can direct traffic flow between to adjacent rooms. I may use a very narrow runner as a table decoration.

Prayer rug?

I can see using a prayer rug, if it is in good condition, in an entry way. It is a rug that goes in one direction, drawing your guests into your home. If I find one that cannot handle a lot of traffic but is really unique, and the design is very pleasing, I can always find a place on the wall for it.

Popularity: 7% [?]