Exclusive Stories

Nature’s inherent beauty is difficult to compete with even as it is so often cited as inspiration for a wide range of interior furnishings. Not only rugs and carpets call Nature muse, but fabric, wallpaper, tchotchkes, and more. And, now, as more exterior living spaces seek to ‘transfer the warmth of interior spaces to the outside world,’ how can a rug chosen to define and transform an outdoor space into a comfortable living environment compete with the natural beauty that surrounds it?

From the earliest days of the rug and carpet industry, stories have been told of itinerate rug traders traveling to far off lands at first to procure and then later to create and oversee the production of their own design work. Less often, however, is it the case that the would be carpet maker chooses to emigrate in order to pursue such endeavors. Justin Vorel is one such individual.

According to Greek mythology, the Phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated, born again each time it rises from the fiery ashes of its demise. But the ancient Greeks do not hold exclusive domain over the myth; this reincarnating winged creature exists in cultures the world over.

Belgian firm HOC-Design (pronounced as individual letters) made its North American debut during the Fall 2017 New York The Rug Show. With strong positive response during both that show and at the inaugural The Rug Show at High Point, Peter Hens, principal of the company, told Rug Insider the firm plans on returning to exhibit in the spring and ‘sees a lot of opportunity’ in the United States market.

As textural and familiar as a coarse and nubby couture tweed, as richly hued as a radiant sunset reflecting sea and shore, the perpendicular striae of this rug hint at the woven nature of textile. The placement of color conveys the appearance of age, patina, and wear as well as a hint of the unknown, hidden by static.

Carpets have been layered over wall-to-wall sisal, upon one another in aristocratic garden parties, and sprawled in Bedouin tents. They’ve been used as the top—and most beautiful—layer covering beds, laid on tabletops at a time when their rarity all but forbade use on the floor, and have now—though the look is far from de rigueur—been featured layered in countless films, television shows, and noted interiors.

A little bit nautical with its pennant-like motifs, a little North American charismatic with its braided texture, and a whole lot of Mid-Century appeal with its distinctive color palette, The Clare Collection from Feizy is a delight of modernity in more ways than simple visual appeal. Aesthetics aside, a hallmark of Mid-Century was an underlying desire for functionality, and the rugs of the Clare Collection deliver that same appeal using materials of today.

There is poetry in knots. A thread that connects us from material, to color, to form. The right rug stirs the subconscious. You almost don’t know why you love it, you just do. Rugs call to artistic souls who hunger for beauty. Jane Rohr is one such soul. As co-owner of the Scarab in Minturn, Colorado, Jane has made her life in the rug world. She’s organically intertwined art, craft, and commerce, resulting in a thriving business that commands a loyal following.