What A Difference A Floor Makes

Patra in Northern Lights by Couristan makes a stylish, forgiving dining room area rug.

Architectural Digest always has the most elegant, well designed homes. The owners of the featured homes are usually super stars in their fields and thus have super star pocket books. One will not find 'repurposed' materials in this magazine. I am struck by how the use of patterned carpet and area rugs, some made custom for the rooms, make a huge difference in a space. It's become such the trend to neutralize the floor of a room in sisal or a look alike, as if the room's foundation is an after thought or should act as a blank canvas.  I'm almost shocked to see otherwise. But what a difference it makes. Especially when everything else is neutral. In my own tiny apartment home, I recently installed (er, the husband) a very colorful striped area rug from  Couristan. I was so hesitant to go for the color, afraid of the small space becoming too busy, but after trying to work with two very neutral area rugs, the first jute and then a jute/ sisal colored wool, I went for it. The space is my dining room and with a two year old and two messy semi slack adults the floor always gathers messes of living. The wool always cleans wonderfully but who has time- or the desire- to clean one's carpet in her 'free time.' So, now the striped rug- still low profile and wool- forgives or messes until I take the time to remove them (or call our dear friend and associate, Terry Hunt who can clean carpets and rugs in a flash and he is a lovely person to boot!) And boy was I wrong about looking to busy for the room- it makes the room!

 This hand tufted  Bink & Campman area rug reminds me of Libby Sims Patrick's Dining Room featured in Novembers Better Homes and Gardens. This rug is available in 4'7 x 6'7" , 5'3" x 7'6"  , 6'7" x 9'2" and custom sizes.

Oliver Stone's Red, White and Blue NYC apartment. This custom rug makes this room.

And here's the other half of that room, scanned in from October's Architectural Digest.

 

 

 

Gloria Vanderbilt's NYC apartment featured in an October issue of New York magazine. I post this one for the absolute bravery of it. Most of us would not normally place what appears to be a blue and cream rug off of the very red space. But it is the contrast, or the irony, that makes this a fabulous choice. A sisal certainly would work, but why do that if you can do this?

Is America in Her Blue Period?

"Colorists say blue is a relaxing color. Pleasant dreams might be the end result of coloring the bedroom in shades of blue. It has a calming effect on the body: it lowers blood pressure, heart rate and respiration and in hot, humid weather has a cooling effect. Another study shows that blue in the classroom can be a good thing. Children prone to tantrums and aggressive behavior became calmer after being in a classroom painted blue. Both blind and sighted children reacted the same when placed in blue surroundings."- from HGTV's website

I'm often surprised at how much a color can effect me. Emotionally even. Does this happen to you? Each subtle shade and all of its different hues evoke emotions or memories. Color can effect me much the way a wonderful piece of music or a favorite movie does. The TV show Mad Men constantly moves me and I am often surprised by my affect after watching an episode. I think it is partly due to the dynamite design of the thing (exquisitely appropriate to the period). I know, I know. This show is much blogged about, and I am certain that I will blog in the future about Mad Men- I can't help myself. I love it. 

Blue has been an important color in Mad Men. The first Season shows Betty Draper in a very 1960's blue coat and the Draper's powder blue tufted headboard in their Master Bedroom reminds me of a bridal blue. Moody blue remains present throughout each episode, sometime it's in the background, sometimes its on a dress. In season four the new office colors are a bit younger, more modern, brighter. There is deep blue furniture outside the Don Draper's office. The fabric is almost a Mediterranean Sea blue. A perfect color for this protagonist poses as controlled and calm. But the viewer sees his moody blues.

In decor blue is easy. Non-competing. Complementary to so many other colors. A stable color that can embrace without suffocating, creating an environment where one can open up. Perhaps this is what America needs right now, stability with a side creative freedom. I am not saying I have the answers or that I would reveal them here, but the color sure is popping up as of late.-Sloane

this and the pic above are vintage House Beautiful (from website), posted via Mad Men inspiration

love this blue wool and cream silk area rug, very mid-century pattern, avail in standard sizes

Early in his career Picasso utilizes blue as a healing salve to make over wounds that a friend's death inflicts. 

Miles Davis composes subtle tonal switches in the monumental Kind of Blue.

from Vanity Fair magazine

Blue Ralph Lauren's latest fragrance, plus check out the classic American designer's blue label

 Jonathan Adler's NYC apartment from The Wall Street Journal;
this stair carpet reminds me of a David Hicks carpet we carry.

What's New This Month

We have definitely seen a turn in the design world to a more modern aesthetic. Atlanta's designers and home owners are using more transitional patterns with cleaner lines, though with some resistance for we are such a traditional market. Here are a few of the new carpet styles we've received at Moore Floor Coverings referencing trends in the geometric fashion.

Langhorne does this B/W large basket weave smartly with the gray in the background, don't ya think?

This is a new embossed large diamond trellis. My picture does not do it justice. The background is a flat weave type look. Anyway, I love this look... good for the traditional or the modern home.

A fresh Wilton pattern in subtle colors. I really should post the neutrals in this pattern, for they have a rich tobacco colorway.

A take on a well loved diamond pattern in a nubby wool. We are seeing this look quite a lot now.

Well, my picture has this sample doing The Wave... an 80's dance move for a modern look. This is undyed wool. A trend slow to catch on in the Atlanta area but if you have a green minded client something like this is just the ticket baby!

 Thanks for visiting and your interest in Moore Floor Covering. xo- Sloane

Moore Showroom Snap Shots

The Gallery at Moore Floor Coverings

 Here are a few random photographs of the store. Many of these sample displays have already changed, however because new samples arrive daily here at Moore Floor Coverings. Happy browsing! -Sloane

Gorgeous colors made with a cool fusion bonded application.

 

 These lovey little pockets are wool and abaca from The Natural Carpet Company's made to order collection.

Custom colored and patterned area rugs are a big part of what we do here at Moore Floor Coverings. 

"Flat Weaves" are carpets that are very low profile and read a lot like a sisal but are smoother. Available mostly in wool, linen and a few polypropylene or olefin options.

Thanks so much for visiting. Come again soon!

Expand Your Sisal Horizons

Sisal in Large Bouclé- in stock at Moore Floor Coverings, can be cut to any size

I love this room. Here is a great example of the new Marrakech!

There is something about natural materials that resonant with us humans. I started in the wool carpet business working with my father more fourteen years ago and have been a proponent for natural fibers ever since.  I love sisal, seasgrass, jute and I love love love abacca (although, we don't have a ton of orders for the latter - saving my comments on this 'issue' for another post) and, as always, WOOL. We love sisal because of all the wonderful patterns and colors it's available in and seagrass is soooo affordable and very stain resistant due to the fact that it's a reed. Sisal is made out of the Agavé cactus and is porous but very strong and flexible and can be woven in to all sorts of creative patterns and comes in wonderful shades and colors. For the longest time there has been a very popular diamond pattern that designers love and for good reason, it's beautiful and diamond patterns tend to be very transitional and, therefor, good for various types of decor. Plus, this pattern comes in the "seagrass color" which has a mix of warm and cool tone fibers and a darker color running through out which makes it a more 'forgiving' sisal. It's perfect for living rooms, dining rooms, and the foyer. Now we are starting to see a new 'wave' (excuse the pun, per Marrakech) of sisal patterns in the Atlanta market that are great in place of the ever-so-popular diamond sisal pattern.

Mountain grass(hemp grass) in a baby basket weave (cute!)

Seagrass in 4 over 4 basket weave, one of our most popular weaves of natural fiber selections.

Sisal in Marrakech

Seagrass in Herringbone





These fibers are perfect for area rugs but can also be installed wall-to-wall. 

And Now From Abroad...

One of our new and one of the loveliest F.Schumacher carpets. A washed ikat perfect for today's quieter lifestyles.

The American carpet company, Langhorne, introduces this vibrant Flame Stitch pattern, Scott Chevron in collaboration with Alex Papachristidis.

Here, we have the real deal. An ancient ikat. I love the vibrant hues!

Unless one lives under Rock City (the Southern phenom- the 1950's destination extraordinaire),  it's impossible not to notice the recent influence on design here in the West from Central Asia, the Middle East, China and India. From out of these culturally rich countries we've received the deep soulful color of Indigo, the all over Flame Stitch pattern of ikat, and I love the history of traders traveling The Silk Road swapping rugs and other textiles at the end of their journeys.

The bold patterns and colors from the Italian design house, Missoni, have always reminded me of the intense hues achieved from the natural dyes that saturate this 19th century ikat (pictured above) preserved in the Smithsonian.We love our Missoni Carpets like this cool stripe a mix of wide and narrow.

We have received beautiful Schumacher samples recently that definitely take a suggestion from these iconic pattern styles and softened with colors created for our market.

John Robshaw has a lovely description of indigo and the technique of block printing on his web site:
"It's so simple and natural. You touch a woodblock to wet clay and then to the fabric. After the clay dries, you dip the cloth into the indigo vat and the clay stays on. One dip gives the fabric a sky-blue color, two dips and it deepens to cobalt, three dips and its a saturated midnight blue. Then the fabric is laid out to dry in the sun and later the clay is washed off. The dyer says the indigo vats are like a mistress because they need constant attention. I was completely fascinated by the dyeing and printing processes, as well as how the finished product is used. Textiles become intimate companions in daily life, whether as a pillow, bedcover or sarong."
I love to fill my work and living environments with color and pattern. It's a mental adventure to far away lands exotic and foreign... a tribute to those who have traveled the road of life before myself and were inspired to create from the natural world around them. Bon voyage!

An Ancient Tradition

Our Harouian Rugs sales rep, Bob Ball, dropped by Moore Floor Coverings yesterday. He shared with us his photographs from his recent trip to Nepal, and he was lovely enough to allow us to post several images on the blog. And happy traveling...

I love this image above.The natural colors of wool appeal to me (we have wonderful un-dyed wool carpet in many textures & patterns!), but when wool fibers are hand dyed in the ancient traditions using vegetable and mineral dyes, the colors are stunning! An obvious pairing.

This Cherry Blossom in Celadon is running line in standard sizes and also comes in red. 

The light in this photo inspires.

I wonder where this custom beauty is scheduled to land? I can just picture the room.