A Masculine Sense of Home

In a space that is sophisticated and minimal, eclectic and well traveled, neat and organized, and mindful of itself; a space that loves the pure essence of music and aims to capture the cleanest sound, sits the perfect braided carpet.

A unique rectangular piece that contains color, but is strengthened by black, dark browns, and neutrals brings together these elements to ground a listening room that is both soft and masculine at the same time. It’s texture, warm and full of memory, cultivates a sense of home.

Ries | Hayes Interior Design Studio really nailed it on this one.

Braided carpets are a category of rugs which are rich with history. This American cultural object of necessity has over time become an appreciated woven art form, and the search for unique and interesting period pieces is an ongoing one. Here’s some braided rugs that we find to be quite wonderful.

 

When you’re ready to find home, you know who to call.

Eclectic and Earthy in NYC

Loving on this eclectic and down to earth space from our recent install in a NYC apartment.

The feel is clean, modern, and minimal with natural textures and reflective surfaces juxtaposing dark accents and plush fabrics.

There’s something about the way that Chinese Deco carpets pair with crushed velvet couches that has a sophisticated air about it. The soft warm tones and minimal dark accents of the rug make it a perfect fit for this room. 

Love the look? Here’s some comparables for you to swoon over. 

Let us know if you love one enough to try it at home!

The Whiteley, London | Kelly Behun Studio

As seen in Wallpaper Magazine, Kelly Behun was asked to design the first model residence at The Whiteley – housed in a historic former department store near Hyde Park, London – and reimagined by Foster + Partners Architects into a project comprised of 139 apartments as well as a Six Senses hotel & spa; all a short walk from Hyde Park.

Kelly used Chinese carpets in a few of the spaces – the perfect accompaniment to her punchy and eclectic style. Bold color and reflective surfaces juxtapose soft tones and subtle textures for a cohesive space which communicates harmony through contrast.

The moody sophistication of color rich spaces connect with the peacefully cultured opposition of the living areas - a yin and yang of energies for work and life. Richly subdued colors in the artwork, the accents, and the carpets bridge the two vibes.

Ready to get bold in your home? Here’s a whole pile of comparables for you to bring that Kelly Behun look to your floor.

Contact us when you’re ready. ;)

Mid 19th Century Aubusson of the Studio-Office at L’Ermitage de Pompadour

Photo via Gourcuff Gradenigo – Arch Digest.

The studio-office at L’Ermitage de Pompadour is the Fontainebleau home of collector Charles de Noailles, French author and patron of the arts.

The office was decorated by Georges Geffroy (1903/05–1971), who is aptly described by Mitch Owens as “the most glamorous interior designer you’ve never heard of.”

Owens writes in an article in Arch Digest, “In his youth, the Paris-born Geffroy had worked in fashion, turning out hats for Paul Poiret and Redfern and designing clothes at Jean Patou. By the 1930s, though, he had begun decorating, turning out everything from suave fashion-house salons for Jean Piguet and Marcel Rochas to striking theater sets, such as a celebrated production of Sheridan’s School for Scandal, to glamorous, history-inflected rooms for celebrated socialites.”

The pictured studio gives us historical reference for the design and its uses as we present to you a matching mid 19th Century Aubusson carpet from our inventory.

Stock ID 19734
French Aubusson
10’0″ x 16’0″
circa 1840

The extremely fine woven mid-19th century French Aubusson rug was designed by Sallandrouze, who were amongst the wealthiest and most illustrious families in the carpet, rug and tapestry industry in Aubusson.

The piece is rich with silk and gilt-metal thread. An irregular lattice delineates lozenge shaped spaces and is centered on a particularly large and elaborate sub sectioned ivory motif. Each tall panel is filled with arabesques organized in a cruciform pattern. The narrow, off-white check-mark border discreetly frames the whole.

To view the rug on our website click here.

Celebrating Masterworks

It’s no secret that we love working with the spectacular Ryan Lawson, and we’re especially thrilled to see his inspired visions in an exhibition called CELEBRATING MASTERWORKS, in which Ryan uses some of our vintage and antique carpets to help build narratives around the furniture.

With Ryan’s eclectic touch, he pulls from the incredible collections of Dobrinka Salzman and Diner Gallery to curate the best of the best works by a number of artists.

Here an early 20th Century Donegal Arts & Crafts Carpet Designed by Gavin Morton brings an intense warmth that offsets the wall color perfectly.

The “Turkey red” Oushak based design eschews borders, and the whole effect is that of a centered, but not overtly medallion, layout. The color palette is narrow, including red, cream and black. One could see it as a Turkish village yastik (cushion cover) blown up to vast room-size. The weave is quite coarse and the carpets were intended for a middle class clientele, going with wallpaper, furnishings and accessories. They were marketed primarily through Liberty of London.  The carpets in this design, as most of Donegals were, came in various colorways, and there are examples with cream and dark blue grounds.

Unlike Oushaks which were produced in quantity, Donegal carpets were woven in smaller numbers and have always been relatively uncommon.

Stock ID 24303
Irish Donegal
11’4” x 16’8”
circa 1900

https://antiquerugstudio.com/donegal-arts-crafts/24303

In this ensemble a 1950s Swedish Rya grounds the space with its modern rendition of pictorial tradition that is more than two centuries old.

The relatively shaggy pile is arranged in an oval ecru lattice creating pumpkin yellow – orange reserves, forming a background for stick figures of peasants wielding pitchforks, baskets, staves and slings for seeding. Some could be construed as ancient military figures with shields.

The pictorial tradition in Scandinavian Rya and Rollakan pile and flat-weave, rugs and carpets is more than two centuries old, and in fact probably had an origin back in Mediaeval times.

Stock ID 19728
Swedish Rya
6’6” x 9’9”
circa 1950

https://antiquerugstudio.com/rya/19728

The open light rose field of this 1930s Austrian Art Nouveau Vienna Werkstätte carpet is bounded by a narrow stripe of alternating squares and rectangles. The general effect is minimal yet colorful. The carpet does not have a design in competition with the art and other furnishings, but it easily holds its own in any context.

Stock ID 19280
Austrian Art Deco
9’4” x 13’6”
circa 1930

https://antiquerugstudio.com/art-deco-european/19280

This space features a mid 20th century Ecuadorian carpet designed by Olga Fisch which is an abstracted and minimalist design in neutral tones – inspired by the Nazca Lines of Peru.

The “Nazca Lines” are ancient Peruvian, but they have inspired the drawing on this Moderne New World carpet. The vast majority of Ecuadorian carpets display active, schematic human figures and animals, generally in dark tones contrasting with cream, borderless grounds. This is the only known carpet by this designer executed in a totally abstract, minimalist manner.

Stock ID 24599
Ecuadorian
12’4” x 17’3”
circa 1960

https://antiquerugstudio.com/ecuadorian-/24599

We hope you’ve been inspired by these lovely and eclectic views, and will contact us when you’re ready to act on your inspiration.

Bedroom at Château de Montpoupon

Montpoupon is a fortified castle destroyed during the hundred years war, and rebuilt during the Renaissance by the Prie family. The chateau has been inhabited by the same family since 1857.

An open window illuminates the interior’s history and creates its own atmospheric lighting in this little bedroom.

The dark wood and navy carpet combined exude a moody vibe – which is amplified by the light of the single window.

The space features a NW Persian carpet with an all over boteh design, which is quite incredible to find a pair for – and it just so happens that we have exactly that in our inventory.

Navy combined with softer blues and neutrals make this traditional design a strong, yet easy going choice.

Here’s the goods to make you feel like the King of your own castle:

Stock ID 20-10012

NW Persian

7’0″ x 11’6″

circa 1850

Check out some detail images to better view the nuances of this mid 19th century masterpiece. The subtle ahbrash of color within the rug is such a compelling feature.

View this carpet on our website, or contact us to see it in person!

Antique Indian Sampler Mat

25670

Indian Sampler Mat

Northern India, possibly Lahore

2.0 x 3.10

C. 1930

All  cotton foundation, with approx. 180 asymmetric (Persian) wool knots per square inch

Sampler mats were created for several different purposes: to store patterns; for the weavers to consult when making larger carpets; and for the ultimate client to approve the weave, color way and pattern before a larger carpet is woven.

Indian samplers are quite rare, and they usually function as both weaver guides and pattern reservoirs. This sampler, incorporating a snippet of the ogival red leaf lattice field, with a section of a yellow ochre border with cypresses, trees and upright flowering plants, has not been taken from a Mughal period pashmina pile, silk foundation, ultra-fine weave but from an illustration of one. A fragmentary piece is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ex-Altman collection. These fragments are from a long and narrow carpet with a weave of about 1250 knots per square inch. They were first published with an illustration in Sarre and Trenkwald, Old Oriental Carpets, vol. II, 1926-1929. So, the sampler mat cannot be older than about 1930.

The pile is regular sheep wool rather than fine pashmina goat. The sampler was used in a factory to create a full-sized carpet.  Given that it is incomplete  in both field and border, there were probably additional samplers with other parts of the design. The colors are, however, modern close approximations of the original.

As to where and by whom the sampler was made. Lahore is the first possibility. This has always been a carpet trading and weaving center. Thus, the rug could have been ordered from any one of the local shops. The sampler was made in a very professional atelier which had access to an extensive design library, one having the Sarre and Trenckwald set. Oriental Carpet Manufacturers (O.C.M) was active in India beginning in the first quarter of the 20^th century and had an excellent library and skilled designers. They had a specialized factory in Mirzapur weaving fine carpets, and this sampler could have used these.  OCM did not market their carpets and it is difficult to assign any extant pieces to them, but since they were by far the largest carpet manufacturer, it is quite possible that this piece is one of theirs. Historicizing Mughal-style carpets, copied from illustrations in Sarre and Trenkwald , and from Hendley, Carpets in the Jaipur Palaces, 1905-6, were available in the Interwar Period,  OCM possessed them in their extensive library, and we have seen other Mughal-style pieces of finer weave that successfully reproduce the originals. This sampler allows us to complete the fragmentary original.

To view this sampler on our website, click here.

*Written by Dr. Peter Saunders.

Rug Swap Fun

Here’s a fun space in London with one of our stunning and punchy antique Chinese Art Deco carpets.

We absolutely adore this space, but, just for fun…
Let’s switch it up and try some other options from our inventory on for size and see how it alters the look.

Everyone’s taste, and interior style is different, and a completely different look can be achieved by simply swapping the rug that grounds your space. Which one of these alternatives is your favorite look?

Whether your look is casual, colorful, formal, or eclectic, we’ve got that something that will be the perfect accompaniment under foot. Check our inventory or let us get a search started for you today.

Pantone Color of the Year 2021 Inspiration

After such an intense year in 2020, we couldn’t be more excited to accept the statement made by Pantone regarding the pairing of two colors as the color of the year for 2021:

“PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating, two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another, best express the mood for Pantone Color of the Year 2021. Practical and rock solid but at the same time warming and optimistic, the union of PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating is one of strength and positivity. It is a story of color that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly.”

Not only do we agree 100% with the idea of encouraging solidity and optimism, but we look forward to working with designers in expressing these colors and feelings in exciting ways. As such, we have put together a little bit of antique carpet inspiration based on this wonderful combination of hues.

Illuminating

Ultimate Gray

We hope you find this little vision board useful, and encourage you to touch base about any of the carpets you see here, or to do a search for something else.

Here’s to a solid and optimistic year ahead!

#19647 Khotan | As Seen in Rooms With a View

Rug #: 19647

Type: Khotan

Origin: China

Size: 4’8″ x 7’7″

Circa: 1920

When George Marshall Peters of Pamela Bankers office asked if we would be interested in participating in their Rooms  With a View show space we were delighted. The vignette that George had planned out was influenced by a recent trip to Asia, and included a piece of art from his own collection.  The painting contained delicate cranes upon a golden ground, with a rice paper feel, which strongly influenced the rest of the design – and screamed to be accompanied by a soft toned Asian carpet.

With a small (approximately 8′ square) floorplan, wallpaper samples, photos of the furniture, and the feeling of the central art piece in mind, George and I began our search.  Though we pulled a few other options out that could have worked, it was clear that a warm, traditional Chinese piece was the best way to go for the space he imagined.

Photo via MANUFOTO

While George had originally nixed this Khotan as an option due to it’s size, Ramin and I knew it was a great match for the look he was going for.  Many designers will rule out perfectly fitted rugs based on architectural lines drawn on paper, rather than trying the rug in the space.  Upon sight of this carpet though, George agreed to see if it would fit, without making the room feel cramped.

Photo via MANUFOTO

Though the Khotan does fit wall to wall, the vignette was a huge success, each element falling into place beautifully – the carpet really completing the conversation between the other components of the room.  The golden neutral tones of the rug were woven in beautifully with the naturally textured wallpaper and golden collectables placed about, the earthy browns complimenting the darkness of the floor and furniture, and the subtle geometry pulling in the small geometric art elements that George used in perfecting the details of this space.

Additional spaces designed by others can be seen on Quintessence blog.
*written by Katrina Mauro