Discerning Decorators Going Back To “Things” Good… We’ve Got Them At The Decorative Fair

Taken From The FT: The Return Of Things…

… with “the decline of minimalism continuing” quoting from and according to the FT a couple of weeks ago!

“With the decline of minimalism continuing, homes dressed with “things” are increasingly in vogue. This is no time for the return of clutter, however, rather the judicious arrangement of possessions such as rugs, books and even once derided houseplants in a way that adds to a home’s contemporary but lived-in feel.”

And we continue to quote fro the FT: Some Extracts…

Rugs: Henry VIII not only collected wives during his reign as king of England. He also had a keen eye for rugs, vying with his chief adviser, the wily Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, to amass the most fabulous collection. That urge to gather rugs – as works of art rather than mere floor coverings – is now enjoying a renaissance. They can look wonderful in both modern and traditional homes and the emphasis is on quality: Jan David Winitz of the California-based Claremont Rug Company has taken on staff throughout the recession as the wealthy have started to invest more in art-level pieces from the 19th century.

Some clients, notably in the Midwest of the US, have been buying up to 50 rugs for their homes at a time – mostly for the floors but a few particularly delicate ones for use as wall hangings. With more than 20 different types of Persian rug alone, there can be different styles in every room. Some parents even create the whole decor for children’s rooms inspired by a rug. “For an ocean-front house in California we found a beautiful rug for the daughter’s room that was evocative of a field of wild flowers and was very celestial and graceful. The son’s room had one with deeper colours and geometric medallions,” Winitz says.

A number of the company’s clients constantly top up or swap pieces in a never-ending search for the best possible collection… The quality shows through in different ways, he says: “The level of beauty, the level of harmony and grace, the uniqueness of design and the unusual wide range and richness of colour … overall, the rug should sparkle like an old master painting. With natural dyes and the patina of time, the rug assumes a depth and glow as if you are looking into the colour not at it.” Winitz advises buyers to look for nuances in the shades and ebbs and flows of tone that are the result of natural dyes. Solid block colours are often suspect, suggesting mass-produced pieces.

He asserts that the best examples are Persian, Caucasian or Turkish but points out that there are many different styles even from these areas. Rugs made by the Bakhtiari tribal group, for instance, often feature flowers and delicate colours and were usually made for weddings. “They look wonderful in bedrooms or the halls of country homes, evoking what lies outside,” says Winitz. Caucasian rugs, by contrast, can have a more contemporary appeal, featuring more geometric designs with symbols such as the eight-pointed star of wisdom, the wheel of life or the zig-zag depicting running water or mountains.

“A hard-nosed businessman client of mine said he had looked at one of his rugs after a very hard day and had found it somehow comforting in times of trouble,” says Winitz. “They are so much more than ways of covering the floor.”

At the April Decorative Fair, there will be a handsome choice of carpets, rugs and textiles as well as well-chosen “things” to enjoy and to display – “judiciously” mind!