FIRST ROW
• 1 and 2 Alissa and Ryan of Horne (via Design*Sponge) collect vintage rugs; with their simple mid-century furnishings and amazing art collection, the overall effect is aesthetically high-brow but still warm and inviting.
• 3 In a sleek space with clean, contemporary lines, like this interior featured on Desire to Inspire, an Oriental rug can provide a contrasting note of depth and history.
• 4 and 5 In these two cozy spaces from Domino (via SFGirlByBay), the rugs bring in a color palette to draw from for the rest of the room.
SECOND ROW
• 6 Here the honey colors of the rug blend beautifully with the wood floor, creating a very modern tone-on-tone effect. Room designed by Frank Roop and featured on Decor8.
• 7 and 8 Two stunning examples of antique rugs from Living Etc. Sometimes the rugs in themselves make such a statement that the rest of the furnishings can be quite spare, evoking a contemporary feel.
And a little more Oriental rug inspiration from Apartment Therapy...
• Layered Rugs
• Paris Close-Up: An Oriental Rug in the Kitchen
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Absolutely! I love the contrast between sleek mid-century furniture and the rich complexity of an oriental rug. A good carpet will provide depth, texture, and color without becoming overly stuffy.
Persian rugs tend to be "bossy", that is they can steer decor choices rather ruthlessly if you let them. I think the best approach is to more or less ignore the colour dictates and work around the rug. I notice most of these spaces have white walls . . .
I love this mix myself, and use it in my own home.
I'm going to quibble, however, with referring to these rugs as Oriental rugs. Although I don't claim to be an expert, even to my novice collecting eye, the geometric patterns and weaving styles in those rugs put me in mind of Caucasian, Kurdish, and Turkish rugs, and if the floral rug isn't Moldovian, it sure looks it. Although the term 'Oriental' is quite vague, to me it conjures a picture of the more intricate floral motifs in Persian rugs.
Perhaps a better way to say what I mean is that calling these rugs 'Oriental' may be insufficiently precise. This look is easiest to pull off with kilims (Kurdish, Russian, Turkish, Caucasian) with geometric motifs and I think would be harder to pull off with a more classic intricate Persian rug.
agreed, matilde. the first thing that came to mind when I read this is that none of these could be properly characterized as "oriental" and that most of the ornate rugs that are becoming prevalent in modern design are kilim.
I tend to find this style of rug unattractive, regardless of the surroundings. For that reason, it generally weakens the overall look of the room for me.
I love the style and colors of this rug. The size however has me wondering what is the correct protocol for rug size and table.
Anyone?
It's quite good timing - I am just now shopping for a good old-style oriental rug! I hope to find something in Persian style, with flowery designs and medallion in the middle...
I think it adds a lot of depth, warmth and spice to a room... I've had a monochromatic rug for a while, and I just knew that it was all too blah together with other things in similar style. Then I saw a photo, similar to the ones above, and fell in love :) I first wanted to buy new one made just in style of the originals, but now I am searching through ebay in hope of finding something original, with history and soul.
It is indeed an interesting combination to have oriental rugs in modern design spaces. Another option is to use Victorian/Medici period/Renaissance designs for the tabletops. A tabletop (pietra dura on marble using semi precious stones) such as:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kashand/3322863650/in/set-72157594289201585/
or
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kashand/3322861168/in/set-72157594289201585/
can indeed liven up the space.
The best part of these photos is the variety of looks possible. Both the look of the rugs and the look achieved in each room.
I was a bit hesitant, but now I love it and used it in my living room:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/areneetay/3457114130/sizes/o/
I've posted briefly about this, too. I haven't convinced my husband yet, though. I think it would help to really warm up my white walls with the white couch but I don't want it to dictate color use in the room, either....still thinking. I like first two photos a lot.
I like this look--which is handy, since my parents have a froofy Persian-style rug they want to hand down.
I am torn. I was gung ho to get a Persian or Persian-style rug for the living room, but I haven't been able to decide if it was the right move. After finding this post, I'm tempted to say it's not a good move for me. The only example above I like is the next to the last one (the photo with the poufs) and I'm wondering if I can tolerate the rug in this photo because all other shapes and colors are pretty simple.
Maybe ChrisToronto above is right. The Persian rugs seem pretty aggressive. They also don't seem to fit in a tight space. (I really hate the rug in the second photo, the photo of the dining space. That rug is all I see!)
Matilda is right... in the old Euro-centric vernacular, "oriental" means everything east of the Mediterranean. There are big differences between the geometric rugs of eastern Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and southern Russia (the Caucasus) and the busy, floral patterns farther east. The former works with modern decor, the latter is better suited to rooms with a lot of gold leaf and crystal chandeliers, IMO.