rugs

New Dining Room Rug + Pillow + a Paris Hotel

So the Hicks rug ended up in the dining room. I decided it was too much pattern for the living room but it works well in here because there’s less going on.

This is truly one of my favorite patterns so I’m really glad I was finally able to use it somewhere in the house.

I also brought this pillow out to see how it would look in the room:

A little story about this pillow – with a laughable number of gaps due to my horrendous memory. I bought it in Paris this spring in a little shop in the Marais (I can’t remember the name) and my girlfriend who was with me bought a makeup bag (or it might have been a coin purse – I can’t remember) made out of the same fabric. The salesperson told us the pattern is based on a medieval map of Paris and indeed, it depicts some areas and streets that no longer exist. Not the Louvre which you see here. Obviously that still exists.

I had never seen this fabric before and just loved everything about it. Then, when I was back in Paris this summer, I was reading a magazine (Air France inflight I think) and saw this:

It’s an ad for Le Mathurin, a hotel in Paris, talking about its newly remodeled rooms. See the pattern on the moodboard? It looks like they used it in wallpaper form in that room in the back. Anyhoo, I thought it was an interesting connection.

While we’re talking about Le Mathruin, let me leave you with the video from their website. It’s nicely done and I quite enjoy this kind of music on a Monday morning. In fact, the hotel is so well presented, I’m going to keep it in mind for future trips. I’m also going to make it one of my Hotel Picks FROM THE RIGHT BANK.

It’s going to be another busy week around here. For all you locals, if you’re free this Thursday, come talk blogging with me at Digital Atlanta’s Design Day at ADAC. You can RSVP here or with ADAC. I also have a great book giveaway and other fun stuff coming up later in the week. But today, I’m on my way to the dentist for a new crown. Hope your week is off to a better start than mine!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

Today’s Crush: Ikea Alvine Rand Rug

I’ve been playing musical rugs. I have more rugs in storage in the basement than any reasonable person should but in my defense, I got most of them before we got two messy dogs. Since they’ve entered my life, I’m all for inexpensive rugs and who does that better than Ikea? My favorite has to be the Ikea Rand. You’ve all seen it in my old house:

Everyone and their brother has it but that’s because it just works and you can’t beat the price. I still love it but now I’m lusting after the Ikea Alvine Rand:

I think the slightly Navajo-like pattern is beyond fabulous and the gray, white and black would be perfect in my house.

So if I run into you at Ikea, you’ll know why I’m there!

Musical Rugs

Rugs are one of the things that gets moved around the most in our house. I just can’t decide which ones should go where. The rug that has stumped me the most is a large floral Aubusson type of rug that my parents gave us in their “Great Downsizing of 2010.” It looks a lot like this one in color and pattern:

(This is Kate and Andy Spade’s apartment which I love to pieces but had refrained from posting because it’s been all over the blogosphere.)

So my rug has been in the living room, the dining room, back in the living room, the bedroom and is now in the dining room again. I’m just not feeling it in there mainly because it’s pretty traditional and the dining room furniture (also received as part of the Great Downsizing) is also very traditional.

Looking at this room makes me think maybe I should try it again in the living room which is mostly gray, white, cream and black. Of course I can’t remember what I didn’t like about it there when it was there the previous two times(!) How bad is that? Please tell me I’m not the only who’s moved something around so much that they’ve lost track!

I’d like to say a big thank you to those who voted for FTRB in the 2011 Homies! If you’d like to add your vote for FTRB or any other home blogs, you can do so here. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you on Monday!

[Addendum: It seems Apartment Therapy has changed how they are taking votes this year and it’s confused some people. So . . . if you’d like to vote for FTRB (and I hope you do!), here’s what you do:

1. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the comments – it’s really long – until you get to the comment box. (You do have to register or sign in with your AT user info. It’s really simple to register if you haven’t before.)

2. Then just type in the following:

Name: From the Right Bank

URL: http://www.fromtherightbank.com

Thanks for your votes and sorry for the shameless plug(!)

(Photos: The Selby)

Ultimate Wish List Item: Beni Ouarain Rug

elledecor1

The second item on what I call my Ultimate Wish List is a Beni Ouarain rug. (If you missed it, my first item is here.) Beni Ourain are a tribe from the Atlas Mountains and you can read more about them and their weaving tradition here and here.

elledecor3

I have been coveting one of these for some time but given their white background and hefty price tag, I would have a heart attack every time my dogs got near it. (They seem to find a way to get their paws muddy at every turn.)

kranzbach

Here are two rooms I posted before with one of these rugs. I still love them both:

Picture 56

highroad2

Until I figure out a solution for the muddy paws, I think it’ll just have to stay on the List.

highroad

So what’s on your wish list?

(Photos: 1-2.Elle Decor 3.Das Kranzbach 4.Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 5-6.High Road House)

There’s Zebra Stripes Then There’s Zebra AND Stripes

I know there’s intense debate about the zebra rug and even though it’s totally ubiquitous now, I have to say I’m still pretty fond of it. Ours was a housewarming gift from my parents and my only wish is that they hadn’t spent so much on it. You can get these suckers for so much less now! Anyhoo, in one of my rearrangement moods, I wanted to see what the zebra would look like over the striped rug we recently got. 

DSC_0184

What do you think? Too much?

Stripe Happy

I’ve always loved stripes – I tend to wear a lot of it – and my current obsession is striped rugs:

picture-3

gasl_amanda_peet_02 gasl_stripes_15

I love the flowered border on this one:

def74e087e4d5e75d31ccf249e9e4c0d_shot_09_024

It’s not that I need another rug at the moment but I’m always on the lookout for cool rugs because I like to switch them out when the mood strikes or, more likely, when they’ve taken all the abuse they can from the dogs. This is why rugs are another thing I don’t want to spend too much money on. Rugs are just not going to have a long life at our house. For that reason and because I love black and white stripes, the Ikea Stockholm Rand rug is very appealing to me:

charliesdesigndiary charlies

You can never go wrong with black and white stripes in my opinion. Doesn’t it look great in this house? 

(Photos: 1.Floto+Warner 2&3.Domino 4.Sarah Kaye 5.via Charlie’s Design Diary)

Bookmark and Share

Shagalicious

dsc_5062

So after two weekends of rug shopping, we went with the shag.  With two dogs, any light color rug is a questionable choice but ever since we brought the pups home, our attitude is (almost) everything can be replaced.  I have to say the shag feels great underfoot and the dogs are really digging it. (You can see one of them sacked out on it by the table.)  It’s amazing how much a rug can do to pull a room together.  

I also decided to hang our small painting collection in a grouping above the couch.  They were in separate rooms before but I think it has much more impact this way.  

Next up in the living room: hanging the big ass tv on the wall.  With that, the living room may be finished.  As much as anything is finished around here . . .

Still Rug Shopping

I’m getting closer to finding a rug that could substitute for the Orla Kiely rug I haven’t been able to get my hands on. 

picture-3

picture-2(anthropologie.com)
 

yellowrug3(designpublic.com)

yellowrug1(angelaadams.com)

Unfortunately, the last one only comes in a 2′ x 3′ size.  I really like it though so I’m tempted to get it for another part of the house.

I’m also really drawn to shag rugs right now so I’m considering going another way with something like this:

picture-11(crateandbarrel.com)

Off the topic: isn’t the sofa a lovely shade of blue?

Rugs from Orla Kiely and the Rug Company

I’ve been in love with all things Orla Kiely for a while now.  I own an embarrassing number of her bags and I just can’t get enough of her signature stem print.  I’m currently in the market for a new rug for the living room so I completely freaked out when I saw this:

(photo: orlakiely.co.uk)

After I calmed down, I realized that as much as I love this pattern, I don’t necessarily want this much going on in a rug. And then I came across this:

(photo: orlakiely.co.uk)

Now this is the perfect rug – the color is just what I’ve been looking for and the pattern is fun without being too busy.  And of course, it’s also by Orla Kiely.  The only problem is that I can’t seem to find it for sale anywhere.  So I keep looking . . .

The Rug Company is making the most beautiful rugs these days. The one I love most is by another one of my favorite designers, Vivienne Westwood:

(photo: therugcompany.info)

The colors wouldn’t work in my living room but I think it’s just gorgeous. I’m sure that my current obsession with London has something to do with it.

I think this one by Paul Smith would work best:

(photo: therugcompany.info)

but I think I’d still prefer a mustard/yellow shade to so much color so the search continues . . .