An Expert Talks About Designer Rugs
We learn a lot from stories
We learn a lot from stories. Theyre the best way to make a point. And, since they show us how characters behave, were free to make our own decision.
I talked with a boutique rug owner named Andrew; he has over 15 years experience in all types of rugs from specialty area rugs to runners, padding and designer rugs. On this particular day, I asked him about designer rugs. His passion and insight were refreshing, not at all what I expected from a seasoned rug professional. Quite frankly, it gave me a whole different view of designer rugs. I thought you might like to read what he told me.
On my display, Andrew started talking, pointing to the rug display facing passersby, I put at least one designer rug that captures my attention. If it captures my eye, I figure it will appeal to a special someone too.
Well, this one day, I had hung a particularly interesting designer rug on the display. A young woman came into my place, nodded to me and headed right for that one rug. She held her baby in her arms. I watched her run her hand over the surface, caressing it, and then looking at the borders.
She knew what she wanted, I commented.
Most people do, he answered. Theyve seen the rug they want before. Its familiar to them; the way you might say hello to someone youve already met and shake their hand.
I could tell she already had a place for that rug. In her mind, the room was already designed. From what she told me later on, it was the living room and the furniture as already there.
As our conversation progressed, she told me why she was buying the rug: she and her husband had just moved to a new house and even though they kept their old furniture, the place didnt feel like home without a rug.
The curious thing was: even while she talked to me, she continued touching and admiring that rug. She was mesmerized.
What makes designer rugs attractive?
I asked Andrew that question. He paused before answering, looking off to the distance to collect his thoughts.
Im going to answer that in a sort of round-about way but youll see my point, he said after a moment.
The way I see it, each of us has a sense of design, some more than others. But the rug designer is the person who has spent his or her life cultivating that sense. He lives in a world knitted together with textures and colors and patterns and symbols, and uses all those things to create with.
When one of those creations is produced and you see it and it corresponds to something in your mind, it has an effect on you. It draws you into it, strikes a chord with you; it resonates. Its an interesting way of putting it but its almost as if you, yourself, designed it; and now its right there before you. It can help but be a part of your world; you want to take it home.
And Ill tell you something else: there could be dozens of rugs around you but only one, possibly two, will excite you.
Its nothing different than what happens in life: we meet someone for the first time and develop an instant friendship, like we know them. The other people in that place are blurred out. Well, its like that with a designer rug.
Did you know, Andrew asks, that a rug is designed around a theme? The designer has a vision and its realized in wool or silk or man-made materials. A rug, in other words, tells us a story in colors, patterns or pictures.
And a rug evokes a mood because its instilled, woven into the very fabric of the piece. Instinctively you recognize it. Instant attraction because its what youre looking for.
The rug designer can echo your mood because he feels it too. Hes human; hes felt that same feeling. Take a rug for a childs room, a babys room; he sets the mood with a whimsical or storybook design. Or he can conjure up the feeling of contemplation or concentration with a rug for the office or work space. Then theres the finishing touch to the coziness of the bedroom with a particular rug there; or the congeniality and warmth set by the right living room rug. A designer rug is the mirror image of your thoughts.
Are variety and lower prices the benefits of modern rug technology?
Absolutely, Andrew answers my question with a smile. Computerized looms offer an array of designer rugs to suit a wide range of styles and moods. Modern technology has made rug prices cheaper, including designer rugs.
In the past, because rugs were expensive, they were handed down from parent to children. But today, even within a budget, you can afford to be spontaneous. If you see the rug you want, you can afford to buy it on the spot. And if you shop online, youll save even more.
Are there Different types of shoppers?
Oh yeah, he says without hesitation. There is the shopper like the young woman I mentioned earlier. The design of the rug shes looking for is already set in her mind; all she has to do is find it.
Then theres the shopper who comes equipped with color swatches. But she also brings a sense of discovery. Shes open to new ideas as long as it matches the color schemes she has in mind. She wants to tie in the colors of the room in the rug itself, letting the rug capture and reflect the undertones of the rooms colors.
The most unique, though, is the shopper who begins her decorating with the rug first. For her, the rug is the foundation of the space; shell select the remaining furniture based on that rug.
But theres one last thing, Andrew concludes; even though shoppers are different, they have a common thread: theyre designing a harmonious space. And that space is going to be a reflection of themselves. If its done right, their home or office has unity, balance, and beauty.
by: Andrea Lo Bue
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