A beautiful rug can really make a room, the only trouble is knowing what to choose. Cheaper, lightweight rugs might not have enough weight to hold them in place making them dangerous rather than beautiful. So, this may be the investment end of the finishing touch spectrum. Luke Irwin believes that sometimes a rug should be almost invisible if it is doing a good job of binding all the elements of the room together into one cohesive look. Alternatively it can be used as a stand-alone feature.
There is some debate about where to position your rugs and while there is no right or wrong answer, it’s true to say that a rug in the middle of the room with nothing touching it can make the room look like a series of islands with no connection between the pieces. Anchoring one end of a rug under a sofa or chair can help bring it all together.
I once bought a huge antique rug for less than half price because it was so faded the seller couldn’t quite decide if it was worth restoring or binning. The faded bits sit under the furniture and the clumsy patching adds character. The joy of these rugs is that they don’t show the mud and the red wine stains, making them a totally practical choice for families.
One other point worth making is that if you have a rug near a window, do rotate it very few months so that it fades evenly.
All Irwin’s rugs are handmake to order but you can also work with him to create your own design. I love this monochromatic blue bell rug. You might prefer another so the link is below – you can browse at your leisure, they’re not all floral.
www.lukeirwin.com from £750 a sqm
That is a gorgeous rug – never heard of Luke Irwin before, a lovely find.