Bespoke Rugs To Design Around
Floor dressings, such as carpets, area rugs & runners ofter go overlooked when a homeowner or designer begins the process to design a space. While rugs can add warmth to a space & be a great source of color, they can also define a space - acting as a space defining element within a large room. I'll even go one step further and say that rugs can play such an important roll i a space that they're one element that designers & home owners should focus their designs around.
Bespoke carpets offer a great opportunity to do just this. I spoke with carpet designer & proprietor Deirdre Dyson, about her London based bespoke carpet business. Her contemporary hand made carpets are made from fine silk & pure wool. Each of her designs is selected by or designed especially for her client's specifications, including their choice from over 2,000 colors, and are suited for both residential and commercial environments.
Deirdre, you trained as a fine artist; how did you become involved in carpets & rugs?
By chance I was asked to design a collection of contemporary carpets and became passionate about the whole process. I began working as a designer and partner in this business and then continued by myself in 2000. The challenges are much the same as painting but using a different medium. I treat designs as I would a painting and try to create a free feel to designs even if a repeat is needed due to size.
Where do you turn to for your design ideas & what are your inspirations?
Often ideas evolve from previous work and this is why I love working to a theme. Ideas do come from anywhere and sometimes in the middle of the night, so it is difficult to define. Sometimes just one color sets off a train of thought.
I aim to be classic / Contemporary as the carpets are the best quality and must span time. They can be abstract or figurative and never traditional unless specifically commissioned.
Tell us about your 2014 collection.
For the 2014 collection, which I launched in January, my inspiration was drawn from a collection of colorful stones, shells & coral that I found in the South Sea Islands. The collection is called 'Designs from the Seashore'. I tried to include grading in the technique using silk to give a watercolor effect.
What can we anticipate to see from your 2015 collection?
The 2015 carpet collection is quite a departure from recent themes but involves more subtle grading comprising of nine fresh designs, which interplay linear and graphic forms. The result is both striking and modern. This exquisite hand knotted collection was technically the most challenging to date and although the designs look simple, the intricacy of work involved by our crafts people in Nepal is outstanding.
The new collection will be shown for the first time at Maison et Objet Paris from the 23-27th of January 2015.
