"Maximalism is thriving" proclaimed The New York Times in an article bout the 2015 Kips Bay Decorator Show House. "The house .... reflect the lifestyle of today’s gazillionaires," intoned The Washington Post which was itself bought out by the super gazillionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos just a few years ago. Let us take a look at how the 10 best rooms in this $35 million 1909 mansion were made glamorous, and comfortable by designer rugs.
Here are my picks for the 6 best interiors with designer rugs in the April 2016 Elle Décor. There is quite a variety of styles and locales and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Interior Designer Spotlight with Lori Miller
Owner of Lori-Girl Creations, Long Island, NY
While working on Rikers Island as a social worker, Lori Miller started at a wall paper store during her weekends. Her boss there encouraged her to go back to school for interior design, which she did. Upon graduating she worked at a furniture store and for an interior designer. Since 2000, Lori has owned her own interior design company, has been a Best of Houzz for the past two years, appeared in House, on the cover of LIhome, in USA TODAY and more. She holds degrees in both Interior Design and Psychology and is a member of the Interior Design Society and the American Society of Interior Designers.
Join me as Lori shares her insights on decorating trends, myths about hiring an interior designer vs. doing it yourself and lots more...
In 23 Styles of Designer Rugs, Part 5 we learn why Kilim rugs and Moroccan rugs are so popular with interior designers. We derive decorating inspiration from nine stunning interiors and gain tips on where to use these rugs, the most desirable colors and patterns and buying tips.
The May 2016 issue of Architectural Digest has so many stunning rooms it was hard to pick only five best so I extended it to the eight best interiors with designer rugs. I hope you will enjoy seeing them as much as I did.
Interior Designer Spotlight with Debbie Lori Travin
Owner of DLT Interiors, New York, NY
Debbie has been immersed in design and fashion all her life. Growing up in a family in haute couture, Debbie always had an innate sense of style and a keen eye for color. Frequently she would accompany her family on business trips to Italy where she bought high end men's couture. Later while remodeling her home in New York, Debbie noticed that when her architect did house showings, people always wanted to know who the designer was. When her three kids got older, Debbie decided to study interior design at the New York School of Interior Design. Now she runs a successful interior design firm in the city.
Join me as Debbie shares her excitement in being an interior designer in New York.
Opulence and traditional decor reign supreme in the May 2016 Traditional Home and the top 6 interiors with designer rugs illustrate this very well. Designer Frank de Biasi evokes the glories of Venice and Rome in Palm Beach with custom needlepoint rugs and damask rugs. Linda Floyd contrives a thatched Cotswolds cottage in California with an Aubusson rug and designer Corey Damen Jenkins invents a sexy traditional style for a young couple with oriental rugs.
If you are planning to design a blue bedroom it is important you don't leave the selection of the rug till the end as you may find it difficult to find a blue rug that goes perfectly with the fabrics you have selected. Interior designers say that when they start with a rug it makes it much easier to find great fabrics than the other way round. They carry a sample of the rug when picking paint colors, fabrics, furniture and accessories. Designers who follow this process find the rug helps them pull together the different elements in a room into a unified whole. Certain styles of blue rugs are able to unify different styles of furniture and allow you to create an interesting mix. The 14 blue bedrooms with blue rugs in today's post are the most highly pinned on Pinterest and are from Architectural Digest, Veranda and Traditional Home. They feature the work of top interior designers and offer rich inspiration for designing tranquil and stylish blue bedrooms whether the home is by the sea or in a busy city.
Interior Designer Spotlight with Patricia McLean
Owner of Patricia McLean Interiors, Atlanta, GA
Born in Atlanta and growing up in High Point, North Carolina home of the largest furnishings trade show in the world, it was not hard for Patricia McLean to fall in love with interior design. As a child she was deeply influenced when her parents were building their house. Her mother would take her to the Otto Zenke decorating studio. At this time Otto Zenke and his brother Henry were the preeminent designers of the southeast with offices in Palm Beach, Florida, Greensboro, North Carolina, and London, England. Her mom let her help select the furniture, wallpaper, fabrics and chandelier for her room. A graduate of the University of Georgia's renowned interior design program, Patricia established her business in 1985, two years after graduating. Her offices are in Buckhead, Atlanta. She has taken an active role in supporting her alma mater. She has received awards from the university including being recognized as one of the fastest growing businesses owned by an alumnus.
Join me as Patricia explains what it means to be a true traditionalist, clears up common misconceptions about traditional style, and asserts how Atlanta's healthy economy has enhanced her business.
Here is my pick for the five best rooms in the May 2016 Elle Decor. These rooms offer wonderful inspiration for enhancing rooms with unusual designer rugs. Virginia Tupker unifies contemporary and rustic elements in an 1870's carriage house with a 19th century Dhurrie rug and Val Nikitin complements 19th century English and Chinese furniture with a Swedish flat weave rug.
People are astonished when I tell them that a 9'x12' Asmara Needlepoint rug is made up of 1.5 million individual hand made stitches (1,555,200 to be exact). The only people who are not surprised are needlepoint hobbyists who know how much time it takes to complete just a few inches of Petit-point let alone a large room size rug with millions of stitches and hundreds of colors! So today we pull back the curtains and reveal how needlepoint rugs are made at London's famous Royal School of Needlework and at the Asmara Needlepoint Studio.
Interior Designer Spotlight with Jennifer Ribek
Owner of Jennifer Ribek Interior Design, Jupiter, FL
Jennifer Ribek has been featured in Veranda, House, Design Times, Palm Beach Cottages & Gardens, Luxe Interiors and was named Best ofHOUZZ 2015 & 2016 for Design and Service. Jennifer was born on Long Island, New York, received a degree in interior design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, worked as an interior designer/kitchen designer on Long Island for ten years and then moved to Florida with her husband Richard.
Join me as Jennifer gives us the inside scoop on designer rugs, luxury interiors, and on satisfying a client...
The May 2016 House Beautiful has some exceptional seaside houses and the 5 five best rooms with designer rugs all have water views. Gary McBournie's Nantucket cottage breaks from the expected blue and white color scheme by pairing vibrant blues with oranges and corals in the living room and chartreuse and apple green in the library and dining room. Kathryn M. Ireland creates a serene low-key atmosphere in a historic Cape Cod house that once belonged to Bunny Mellon. Finally, Summer Thornton designs a serene home in Naples, Florida.
Nantucket is Martha's Vineyard's smaller neighbor to the west and is the island from where Melville’s fictional 19th century whale ship The Pequod sailed out in search of Moby Dick. Today it is an elite resort for those who prefer a quieter pace in a historical New England small town with spectacular ocean views.
I have assembled the 10 most stylish blue and white Nantucket interiors each with a fabulous blue decorative rug for you to enjoyment and inspiration.
Interior Designer Spotlight with Janice Dietz
Owner of The Consulting House, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Janice Dietz is an award winning interior designer with an architectural background who's been featured on HGTV and was named Best of HOUZZ 2016, 2015, & 2014. Janice has a long history of curating and purchasing museum quality art combined with business experience as executive of Fortune 500 companies.
Join me as Janice shares her insights on how HGTV has changed client expectations, how interior designers are making better use of design technology and finding sources for more unique rugs, furniture, art, and fabrics...
Here are my picks for Architectural Digest's 10 best blue bedrooms with blue rugs. The rooms are arranged according to the number of times they were pinned on Pinterest, starting with the most pinned.
Architect Spotlight with Patrick Ahearn FAIA
Owner of Patrick Ahearn Architect LLC, Boston and Edgartown, Massachusetts
Patrick Ahearn needs no introduction if you live on Martha's Vineyard or anywhere else in the world where they love classic New England architecture that has been updated for modern lifestyles. Patrick's portfolio of exquisite award-winning homes is endless. His impact on Martha's Vineyard has been profound with hundreds of beautifully designed homes and his enthusiastic engagement with the island's community. Patrick has won multiple Bulfinch and PRISM Awards, last year he was the selected architect for HGTV's Dream Home 2015, and is shortlisted for six International Design & Architecture 2016 Awards.
Join me as Patrick shares insights on designing numerous Bulfinch Award and PRISM Award winning houses in Martha's Vineyard and takes us on a tour of one of his recent favorite houses...
Aubusson rugs ancient patterns have a timeless appeal. It might surprise you to learn that these rugs are as much at home in a rustic country interior as in a glamorous English country house, a French château or an Italian villa. Aubusson rugs were originally created in the 18th century for the French nobility. The patterns of these rugs are a combination of architectural notifs from classical Greece and Rome and French floral motifs. Aubusson rugs have a flat-woven texture which gives them a clean, almost contemporary look. The seven chic rooms in today's post illustrate several different ways of decorating with Aubusson rugs.
Interior Designer Spotlight with Bruce Bierman
Owner of Bruce Bierman Design Inc., New York, NY
Bruce Bierman was inducted to the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 2000, and has been featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, House & Garden, House Beautiful, Interior Design, and The New York Times Magazine. Bruce has earned double degrees in architecture and fine arts from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). The prestigious Franklin Report gives Bruce their highest five star rating and quotes these three client comments and more — "I have used many well-known designers over the years, and I felt that Bruce was the only one committed to the project and our family for the long haul." "Bruce is a very special person—mature, calm and generous. I am happy to say that he is now a friend." "I am a very opinionated client. I interviewed 30 people for this job, and I will definitely go back to Bruce for the next one."
Join me as Bruce Bierman shares how he started, the advice he would give to to a beginning decorator, the importance of listening to clients closely, the pleasure of working on second, third and fourth homes, and why he doesn't get flustered...
