Content 06 Introduction 10 Arty 31 How to 32 Tactiles 55 How to 56 INTERVIEW Koen Vanmechelen 60 Colour 81 How to 82 Outdoor 103 How to 104 INTERVIEW Francq Colors 108 Patterns 127 How to 128 Shapes and sizes 151 How to 152 INTERVIEW Muller Van Severen 156 Traditional & transitional 177 How to 178 Floral 201 How to 202 INTERVIEW Bazaar Velvet 206 Credits
Floral
It is a sad truth that floral and botanical rugs are still too often thought of only as the favourite floor covering of old ladies in cosy cottages. Hence, many people decide that this theme is not suitable for the airy, modern living spaces of today. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Floral and botanical rugs come in an endless variety – from delicately feminine to bold and graphic, from cutting-edge contemporary to timelessly traditional.
Let’s start with the most light-hearted collections of summery carpets that bring a warm, exotic feel to your home. The simplest pieces are made of jute, hemp or cotton and give your room a relaxing holiday vibe, particularly if you combine them with simple whitewood or wicker furniture and accessories in natural colours. If the atmosphere that you are looking for is more that of a quirky, chic boutique hotel, you can opt for tropical prints of flowers, leaves or even animals. In doing so, you are inviting nature into your home, along with all the free and magical creatures that live there. Combined with rich colours, luxurious materials like velvet and silk and even a touch of gold, you can really walk on the wild side.
If the above ideas are too capricious for you, you can delve into the world of abstract, arty rugs, where you will also find floral and botanical themes, often with large flowers or leaves, in the most striking colours. If your house is light and modern, and decorated mainly in understated hues, a vibrant carpet can become the centrepiece of the room and add a touch of personality.
Last but not least, you find a lot of botanical themes in the collections of traditional and transitional rugs. Traditional floral rugs carry within them the rich and varied histories of regions and peoples all over the world, from the Caucasus to India. They are an amalgam of styles and handicrafts developed over the centuries. Transitional rugs are inspired by these carpets and mix their symbols with contemporary elements. Combine them with vintage fifties and sixties furniture for a retro look, a chesterfield seat and a well-filled bookcase for that English club feeling or a robust wooden sofa and sideboard if you prefer the simple life.
Finally, if you are looking for a surprise effect, experimenting with form might be the way to go. Why stick to the traditional rectangular form when today’s technology allows the craziest shapes to be created? With the botanical theme, the inspirations are endless: animal shapes, leaves, flower buds, branches … take your pick and amaze your guests!
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Arty
↑ Apparenc e by Belgian designer Xavier Lust for Nodus creates an optical illusion. Seen from one side it is reminiscent of ancient rusticated floors, while from the other side it looks like a perforated surface.
↗ Time for some fun on the floor. The Squiggle rugs are a creation of a small Swedish-American design company Okey Studio. Squiggle rugs manage to be arty, funky, funny and cosy, all at the same time. Take a look at Okey Studio’s Instagram account (@Okejstudio) to see all variations of Squiggles and the way they cheer up room after room.
77 Colour
Hilde Francq Francq Colors
‘The more digital our world becomes, the more we will appreciate the soft touch of a carpet.’
Hilde Francq, the eminence blonde of Belgian trend watchers, knows like no other how to detect colours, materials, textures, patterns and shapes for your interior. For this she travels around the world, together with her team from trend studio Francq Colors – from London and Copenhagen, via Berlin and Milan, to New York and Tokyo. Her mission is anything but guesswork, because Francq states that a lot of interior trends find their origin in sociological phenomena. The COVID crisis, the anxieties of Generation Z and the advance of digitisation have not gone unnoticed in interior design circles. As an archaeologist of the future, Francq predicted, among other things, the revival of tactile and colourful carpets, long before they came on the scene. In the interview here, Francq also explains why tactiles and colours are becoming ever more important.
WWW.FRANCQCOLORS.BE
105 Interview
→ Carpet Slinkie is a design by Patricia Urquiola for cc-tapis, hand-knotted in Nepal and a study of colours and shades, translated into organic shapes. Placed in full sight, it adds a joyous, fun accent to a room.
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How to
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know whether your carpet is the right size
If you have found the carpet of your dreams but you are not sure whether it is the right size, you can lay newspapers on the spot where the carpet will be placed. This will give you a visual impression of how big the carpet needs to be.
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determine the right shape for your carpet
The shape of your furniture will be a decisive factor. A sofa with rounded corners or a curved shape will go well with a softly shaped rug. If your furnishings are dominated by straight lines, then you could choose a geometric shape or jagged edges for your carpet.
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make your eye-catcher shine
The best place for your bold personal statement is in the centre of the room, as the main decoration. Combine it with white walls and curtains to make it the absolute focus of attention.
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