Designer Rug Blog - Interior Design Inspiration

Bunny Williams, the chairwoman of this year’s 40th annual Kips Bay Decorator show house explained to the New York Times why visitors pay admission to visit this famous show house.. because they enjoy the “fantasy, the playfulness, the flair of artistry.”

Red and yellow are both warm colors and blue is a cool color. When used together these colors balance each other and create a satisfying composition as you will see in these 12 stunning interiors with decorative rugs by leading interior designers.

The 2012 AD100 list just came out and I was immediately taken by the imaginative decorative rugs in the interiors by Alberto Pinto who's prestigious client list includes the King of Morocco, Saudi Arabian royals, French Investment Bank owners and American captains of industry.

AD100 interior designer Scott Snyder has no peer when it comes to infusing grandeur and magnificence to interiors. He chooses majestic Aubusson rugs, colorful Needlepoint rugs and lyrical Savonnerie rugs to give his interiors a look of classic elegance and symmetry.
The Franklin Report (considered the Zagat Guide for Interior Designers) quotes Scott Snyder's clients:
"It's amazing--the rooms appear to have a grandeur and symmetry, even though they began as fairly odd shapes." reports one client. Another exclaims "The place looks so much bigger than it did when it was completely empty. We were impressed." “He is excellent at understanding the just-so Palm Beach look", concludes another
According to the Franklin Report "... Snyder has such an instinctual eye for design, he can decide the layout and general direction after just a few minutes of observation” ...”Snyder is noted by insiders as "making the most" out of New York's tight living spaces by utilizing grand mirrors and crafty color schemes to greatly enhance the perception of open space. We are told he is also amazing at melding the interior of any given home--be it in the subtropics of Southern Florida or the concrete jungle of Manhattan--into the existing landscape to create a harmonious balance'.

1. Marc-Michaels Interior Design and Mark Timothy Luxury Homes designed an 11,185 square foot spec home in Delray Beach, Florida with stunning ocean views from every room. Image courtesy Florida Design Magazine.

For the past fourteen years the French magazine Maison Côté Sud has featured gorgeous homes in Provence and in the Mediterranean region at large. It publishes the work of the most important interior designers and photographers. The pictures are always glorious and have a refreshing perspective on interior design and decorative rugs. I love their imaginative decorative rugs and choice of colors, patterns and textures.

Greek key rugs are inspired by the Greek key pattern which is among the most common motifs seen in ancient art. The greek key is also called the meander pattern, after the twisting and turning Meander river in Turkey, see below.

Geometric rugs are very fashionable today. Asmara started the trend for geometric rugs seven years ago with the introduction of the Asmara Ascot rugs and Bombay rugs.

Here are my pick of the 16 best interiors with decorative rugs in this months Design Magazines: Architectural Digest had 11, Elle Decor 3, Lonny Magazine 1, Rue Magazine 1, Traditional Home 0 and Veranda 0, House Beautiful 0.

1. Today Giorgio Armani prefers contemporary rugs in pure silk. Ten years ago he chose sisal rugs for this New York apartment. What does this tell us about future trends in decorative rugs and about Giorgio Armani evolving tastes in interior design? Here Armani is seated on a pale blue silk rug in the living room of his winter getaway near St. Moritz. Image courtesy Architectural Digest.

1. The colors on the front side of this needlepoint panel have faded in the 150 years since it was made by hand sometime between 1750 and 1800. Image courtesy Morgaine-le-fay.co.uk.

The BBC invited  20 artists to paint the Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee Pageant while standing on the Millenium Bridge over the River Thames. The cold, rainy weather forced many artists to modify their oil painting techniques while others had to abandon their work midway. Here are three of my favorite works in oil.

Julian Sands and Helena Bonham Carter in the 1985 movie "A Room with a View" . Image Courtesy Merchant Ivory Productions.