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.
Headquartered in a grand 17th century Paris townhouse, Pinto and his 70 team members devise some of the world’s most luxurious interiors and adorn them with highly imaginative decorative rugs.
Alberto Pinto was born in Casablanca to Argentine parents of Italian and French descent. He was educated in Paris and worked as a photographer in New York which got him interested in interior design. His work displays a striking mix of cultural influences and ranges from the highly contemporary to Orientalist fantasy.
1. An Arabian Palace in Riyadh. The casual observer could be forgiven for mistaking the blue and white rug for a traditional oriental rug when in fact it is a custom decorative rug designed especially for this regal drawing room. The decorative rug’s border echoes the scalloped navy blue border at the top of the wall. The large navy cartouches scattered all over the rug are an orientalist fantasy – an example of the self confident le style Pinto. Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
2. Living Room in Alberto Pinto’s Rio de Janeiro Retreat. The high texture of the natural fiber decorative rug provides the perfect backdrop for the contoured white sofa designed by Pinto and the sleek curving coffee table. The leopard skin pillows are made from recycled 1950’s fur coats bought at auction from Drouot in Paris. The Marc Quin painting adds bold color. Image courtesy Architectural Digest.
3. Bedroom in Alberto Pinto’s Rio de Janeiro Retreat. The strie patterned natural fiber decorative rug balances the ornate arabesque pattern of the bedspread and resonates with the grey and white stripes on the headboard. Image courtesy Architectural Digest.
4. A Cariocan Moderne Living Room. A Moroccan coffee table and a coral sofa with an orientalist silhouette sit on a French Art Deco rug with giant curving leaves. Moroccan chandeliers hang from a geometric patterned ceiling. Image courtesy Architectural Digest.
5. A Suite in Cairo. This room reminds me of scenes of 1940’s Cairo in the movie The English Patient. The orientalist painting, sphinx and antique ink pots give this living room an exotic air but a closer examination reveals many contemporary furnishings such as the white decorative rug and the white sofa with sinuous contours, a hallmark of le style Pinto. Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
6. Living Room of an Apartment in Geneva. The modern profiles of the sofa, chairs and walls are mixed with a coffee table with Japanese style legs and a decorative rug with grooved lines resembling hieroglyphic patterns. Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
7. Living Room of a Home in Southampton, New York. A cobalt blue and white geometric rug with a repeating diamond pattern holds together a wide assortment of furnishings from many different cultures. The white upholstered chairs are in the signature Pinto style . Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
8. A Traditional Home in Tangier. An intricately patterned French Aubusson rugs holds together a mix of eastern and western furniture and accessories under Moroccan arches and columns. Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
9. A Living Room in an Apartment in Monaco. The large decorative rug is custom made in the Art Deco style with large brown parasol shaped leaves. Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
10. Bedroom in a Home in Athens. The large blue concentric squares echo the Minoan Labyrinth. The rug has an interesting texture- the blue bands have a higher pile height compared to the white background. It is interesting to speculate if this rug promotes high quality REM sleep and good dreams. Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
11. Living Room in a Home in Athens. Art Deco Furniture sits on a contemporary decorative rug in the Art Deco style . Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
12. A Vacation Ranch in Santa Fe. The step pattern in the contemporary white decorative rug is reminiscent of the step pyramids common to ancient Mayan, Aztec and Egyptian cultures. The step pattern is formed with pile of different heights which adds textural interest to the rug. The ornate lamps and tables are mixed with contemporary sofas and chairs. Image courtesy Alberto Pinto.
