6 Ways to Rock the Rug in 2018

Tjena, hur är läget?! Is there something you feel you're always lacking in your home? For me, it's rugs! I just never seem to have enough of them. But after my visit to DOMOTEX (the leading trade fair for floor coverings) last weekend, I feel inspired to make it a whole lot more cosy around here. The stands were teeming with the most incredible floor coverings. Think beautiful art, super tactile textures (handwoven, wool and silk mix anyone?) and an abundance of colour. Fellow bloggers - Holly from Decor8, Igor from Happy Interiors blog and Urban Jungle Bloggers, Agata from Passion Shake, Stefan from Trend Stefan, Desiree from Vogesparis and Mette from Monsterscircus and I took to the stage to discuss the latest trends to rock the rug world in 2018.

Here's the low down (get it?!)...

1. Traditional, beautifully handcrafted rugs with a contemporary touch

2. Show stopper rugs that steal the spotlight (to rock the look keep the rest of the room relatively minimalist and calm, picking out one or two key colours only).

Green Body + Green Home

3. Rugs that break the mould - think outside the box and go for unusual shaped rugs to make a feature!

4. It's all in the layers: the perfectly imperfect look where rugs in different colours, patterns and textures overlap to max out the cosiness.

El Ramla Hamra (check out their beautiful Etsy shop here).

5. Vintage / hard wearing: think sustainable and opt for second hand or invest in a hardwearing piece that will stand the test of time and can be enjoyed by generations to come.

6. Some rugs are just way too spectacular to be walked on - which is why I'm loving the idea of hanging on them on the wall. Think 'super-size' macrame wall hangings (add a little texture and colour too) rug art or simple carpets in off-whites.

The good news? This definitely leaves scope for all our beloved Moroccan rugs  - I'm loving colourful Berber rugs and Kilims in particular.  Is there any trend you love the idea of?

If so perhaps these rugs I spotted might help...

Mariantonia Urru 

Driven by a strong passion for the vast variety of weaving techniques and traditional motifs, Mariantonia Urru, is based in Samugheo and creates pieces using common traditional methods, such as pibiones and litzos, as well as rediscovering old techniques like un in dente and aramu. 

I put the cushions to the test (for a while...) and yep, they're as comfortable as they look! I see they're available here (just saying....).

 

I'd have stayed there all day, had there not been a blogger tour to attend to and other stands to visit such as...

Rug Star

Rug Star's founder Jürgen Dahlmanns told us about how his award winning rug company combine his two abiding passions: Tibetan rugs and contemporary design.

Rug Star

DOMOTEX

Hossein Rezvani

Quite possibly the most tactile rugs I've ever encountered, Hossein Rezvani is the only brand to offer contemporary rugs made in Isfhan, Iran with up to 1 million knots per square metre!

Despite looking like we're listening, Igor, myself and Stefan (from l to r) were actually dreaming about kicking off our shoes and walking around on these beauties bare foot!

Tisca Rugs

If you saw my post the other day, you'll know I'm already a big fan of Tisca rugs. Not only do they look lush, Tisca's unique hand-woven rugs are hard-wearing, durable and reversible.  I so need one of these in my life!

Picture: TISCA AUSTRIA

Aaaaah. so beautiful. The questions is, do I go subtle or bold? I think you know the answer to that one! Did anything catch your eye?

Before I head off  I'd like to say a huge thanks to the team at DOMOTEX (Timo and Lars I'm looking at you!) for a wonderful time and also to Holly Becker for an amazing job presenting and moderating our panel discussions and taking us on a fab tour of the fair and Hannover (what a great city! see Agata's guide here).

Have a great start to the week!