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Design Dilemma: Painterly Rugs Are A New Trend Underfoot

There’s a trend underfoot, quite literally, for 2015. “Painterly” rugs, which look like they might have been splashed on a canvas by Monet, Pollock or Picasso, are all the rage. What does painterly look like? Take a look:

The rugs both above and below are Marc Phillips gems. The reason they look like paintings is that they were actually created by painters. The Marc Phillips Artistry Edition rugs, for example, were created by Jo-Anne Preston, a painter, calligrapher and carpet designer holding a B.A. and an M.A. in Fine Arts and Art History. Marc Phillips regularly collaborates with well-known artists such as Shepard Fairey, RETNA   and Jamie Bush. The rug below is Splash Supreme 3 in wool and silk in All Natural.

Along the same painterly lines are Christopher Wool’s New Linen 8 hand-knotted rug in silk which resembles a charcoal drawing or a print rather than a rug:

And below, another rug by This Moment is abstract and deliciously vivid. It’s hand-knotted of Tibetan wool and Chinese silk by artist Amy Helfand.

Finally, there’s the River Basin hand-knotted rug in silk by Organic Looms.

Are you attracted by the loose, free-wheeling brush-stroke feeling of many of these rugs? How can you make them work in your own home?

• Let the rug be the focal point. When you’ve got a beautifully vivid rug, there’s no point in piling on too many other patterns in other textiles in the room. Let the rug hold all the attention by keeping curtains, upholstery and pillows in solid colors that complement the rug.
• If you do add pattern in other textiles, vary the scale. If you have a rug with a very wide and loose pattern, choose pillows and upholstery that are smaller in scale.
• Feel free to pare down. Maybe you can get away with a little less furniture, just so you can better behold the beauty of your rug.
• Keep your artwork in mind. Your rug should complement your artwork, not fight with it.

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The Kimono Dyer’s House

Fumihiko Sano studio PHENOMENON  has come up with an innovative solution for their client, a woman who needs space to dye kimonos, and she wanted a sense of security for her suburban Tokyo live/work home.

So the architects designed a house within a house.
It has a stainless steel mesh wrapped over a steel framework that surrounds the house at the perimeter of the lot.

The steel is as light as air and shimmers as the wind causes it to billow in and out.

The shape of this barricade of exterior framing of the airspace around and over and above the house can be better seen at night.

Within this improbable enclosure the Kimono Dyer makes her cozy home.

The main floor houses the spacious studio workroom where she dyes the kimonos.

Next to this workspace is the kitchen.

Upstairs, on the second floor, there is the Tatami room, and the bathroom.

In traditional-style Japanese homes a Tatami room is used for sleeping or meditating. The tatami mat is rolled up and placed under the raised floor when not in use. But in this house, there are three bedrooms in addition to this Tatami room meditating space.

But all around the house there is this shimmering view… a very unique home.

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Resort-Like Dream Home in Mallorca

This luxury villa with breathtaking sea views can be found in Port Andratx, on Majorca, Spain.

An outdoor sink bench for barbecuing is solid stone.

The warm tones of the terracotta roof tiles pick up the earthy palette from the local rocks.

The house is in the traditions of the region.

The stunning pool overlooking the sea is the height of luxury.

There is a gorgeous bathtub for a blissful soak.

And at day’s end, a good night’s sleep can be had here.

A dream home – and all yours for $4.9 million, natch.

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The Squeaky Clean Glass House by a Lake

An intriguing box of glass centers the House at a Lake by Belgian studio BBSC Architects.

Sited in mol, Belgium, the house has a cool clear clarity.

Two stories of glazing bring a light airy feeling into the space.

This house feels as if it is outdoors.

It is the effect of the sunlight and the shadows of the slim tree branches unobstructed through the giant windows.

Sunlight is interupted by the enormous fireplace that stretches to the ceiling two floors up.

Above the large open living space is a cozy movie room.

From here one can see the water outside from a great height.

A grey weathered wood deck contrasts with the high glass walls.

The Glass House by the Lake is the epitome of freshness.

Even the fire pit looks clean.

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Beautifully Restored Old Country House in Spain

The classical proportions of antiquity inform the design of this lovely old Spanish Country House.

The sense of proportion is derived from the classical architecture of ancient Rome.

The plan shows that the modular design is nearly all courtyard.

At just 15 kilometers from the sea, it has a Mediterranean flavor.

It is set on 1,200 acres of hunting reserve land in the Sierra de Aitana, north of the province of Alicante.

The old country house has been restored and enlarged for use and enjoyment of the owning family and their guests.

The comfort of the old building continues through time.

From the outside, the old beauty is retained.

Yet inside, it is subtly modernized and made useful for this large extended family groups to enjoy.

The design is by the architect, down to the smallest detail.

The existing buildings have the original natural stone cladding, while the new construction has been coated with white cement mortar.

This way, the new white cement columns and porches are not trying to ape the old stone structure but complement it.

But the new is modular and organized on a grid, like the plan.

The second floor is devoted exclusively to games and includes a large communal bedroom for nine children.

On this upper floor, a wide open loft style kitchen makes the most radical departure from the poky little spaces of the past.

The very charming restoration is by Hernández Arquitectos in Alicante, Spain.