Contemporary Rugs

Book excerpt: Although rugs woven in the classical style are still popular, it is the new wave of contemporary rug designers from the last ten years who are making news in the style and design magazines. Contemporary Rugs: Art and Design, by leading British rug designers Christopher Farr and Matthew Bourne, and Fiona Leslie of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is the first book to explore the very best modern rug design from around the world. Some of the most renowned names in modern art and design, from Picasso to Frank Lloyd Wright, have at some point in their careers turned their hand to rug design. Today, designers such as Romeo Gigli, Kate Blee, Ou Baholyodin and Rifat Ozbek are pushing the medium to its limits with an often vibrant play of pattern and texture; these designers are creating both chic tone-setters for a room and unique works of art. The book begins by looking at the evolution of rug design over the last 100 years, before displaying the work of over 50 contemporary international designers. With an illustrated technical glossary and an invaluable international directory of sources, Contemporary Rugs: Art and Design provides simply the most encyclopaedic and authoritative reference available on the subject. Contemporary Rugs: Art and Design is a beautifully illustrated and timely presentation, indispensable to designers, collectors, fashion and art students, galleries, auction houses, architects, artists, and anyone interested in textile design.