Advertisement

California Look: Rugs by Wearstler, Smith, Commune, Soleimani

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The California Look poll, Round 9: Rugs

The floor, interior designers say, is the fifth wall of a room -- one that deserves a work of art, usually in the form of a beautiful rug. Although shags offer a groovy vibe and antique rugs have always had a place in the home, the latest looks in carpets seem to get their magic from organic forms, ethnic patterns and graphic design. That’s why we’ve selected these four contemporary rugs as part of our two-week reader poll to define the California Look in 2011. Which one of these rug designs really floors you?

Advertisement

A. Tracery is an abstract carpet by Los Angeles decorator Kelly Wearstler, known for her high-voltage Hollywood glamour. Depending on how you look at the wool and silk design for the Rug Company, it appears to be a flattened floral pattern, a richly and randomly veined marble floor or ... you decide.

B. Los Angeles designer Michael S. Smith, who owns Duke & Duke Gallery and is best known as the decorator of the Obama White House, created Oslo for Mansour Modern. The folkloric print, shown in detail here, has a topstitch-patterned border that is decidedly Scandinavian. The rug also exhibits the illustrative flair of modern craft designs.

C. The Los Angeles design firm Commune, which created the ultra-hip look of the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, has teamed with Decorative Carpets on a collection of floor coverings. Among them: Letterpress, shown in detail, which references Victorian handbills and the graphic alphabet patterns of midcentury designer Alexander Girard.

D. Designed by Ben Soleimani of Mansour in Los Angeles, the Talaa rug is part of the fourth-generation rug expert’s signature line for Restoration Hardware. Made from hand-knotted mohair, it has the graphic punch of a trellis pattern with Moroccan coloring and texture.

Which rug could you picture in your living room? Voting in this category will close in three days, so share your opinions now about why your favorite captures the spirit of California design today. Winning pieces and reader comments will be featured in a forthcoming article.

Advertisement

Coming Thursday: Pet beds

ALSO:

The California Look, Round 5: Room dividers

The California Look, Round 6: Side tables

The California Look, Round 7: Outdoor chairs

The California Look, Round 8: Indoor chairs

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credits, from top: The Rug Company, Mansour Modern, Decorative Carpets, Restoration Hardware

Advertisement
Advertisement