Latitude Collection from Armadillo & Co.

Kilim Weave - Nomad in Fern Multi-colour

I love a good floor rug and I have mentioned on here before, Australian brand Armadillo & Co rugs tick all my boxes. High quality, sustainable materials, aesthetically pleasing, offer a bespoke service for designers and good business ethics. Now they are to release several exciting projects in February, including a range of rugs that you can see here called the Latitude Collection. You like? I do.
The new collection is inspired by the founders' (Sally Pottharst and Jodie Fried) love of intrepid world travel and these traditional kilim weaves have been reinterpreted with vibrant colours. The rugs are handcrafted from Argentinian wool and use a unique dye method called 'Abrash' - “It’s a specialised and ancient dying process that results in softly muted background colour with subtle shading that welcomes inconsistencies in hue and saturation,” co-founder Sally explains. “It’s not flat colour and then they are hand washed which make the colours all fade a bit and work into each other. It is really lovely.” Sounds good to me.
I order my Armadillo & Co rugs from The Ivy House in Auckland - give the lovely Annie a call if you want to find out more.

Kilim Weave - Pilgrim in Teal/Walnut/Gunmetal



Kilim Weave - Caravan in Peony Multi-colour

Kilim Weave - Caravan in Cerise Multi-colour

Armadillo & Co Junior Collection

Nest Weave - Awning Stripe in Celadon/Natural and made in hemp.

I had the pleasure of being introduced to Armadillo & Co rugs last week. While I was already aware of this range and had recommended these rugs to several clients, it wasn't until last week where I met with Jackie, state manager for New Zealand and parts of Australia, that I really 'got' Armadillo & Co. I am now a fan.

There are three main collections - Junior, Earth and Designer (there are more collections on the way next year - I managed to squeeze a few secrets out of Jackie!) and all rugs are woven from sustainable natural fibres, mainly hemp or New Zealand wool, by artisans in India.

Armadillo & Co was founded four years ago by friends Jodie Fried and Sally Pottharst and this company has gone from strength to strength within a short time. What I like is the philosophy of Armadillo & Co - they believe in combining aesthetics with ethics, so every rug embraces Fair Trade practices and all purchases benefit the local schools in the weavers' villages. "We aim for our rugs to lie lightly on this earth." Top marks.

Here are some rugs from the Junior collection - beautifully styled from the Armadillo & Co catalogues.

 

Flower Weave - Daisy

Flower Weave - Marigold

Stratum Weave - Carnival Stripe in Pirate/Eggshell made in wool.

Stratum Weave - Carnival Stripe in Frog/Eggshell

Photographs via Armadillo & Co.

Geo Rug from Let Liv

I love this graphic Scandinaivan inspired rug available from Let Liv. It's called the Geo rug and will be available at end of August - find out more here.
Photograph via Let Liv.

Pappelina Rugs

The new black and white stripe Pappelina rug now located at my front door.

Over the weekend I was gifted a fantastic present from a friend in thanks for assisting her during her recent house renovations.
This is a Pappelina rug from Sweden and it fits perfectly at my front door. Designed by Lina Rickardsson, Pappelina stands for high quality, simple and functional design. The rugs are woven in traditional techniques at a weaving mill in Dalarna, however instead of linen, cotton or wool, they are made with plastic and PVC. This rug is soft underfoot and does not slip. It is washable, reversible and durable. And Rickardsson's simple and graphic designs completes the package.
Photographs by Charlotte Minty.

Comfortable Scandinavian Apartment

Here is a stylish and comfortable Scandinavian apartment that I came across on Facebook today and it was getting a lot of love from all around. It's a great mix of crisp whites, rich rugs, great lights and cool furnishings - another cool Scandi apartment.

Photographs by Mikael Creative via Ecletic Interiors.

Yellow and White Striped Rug? Yes Please.

I think this Draper Stripe Citrine Rug from Dwell Studio would look pretty damn good at my place. Just so refreshing. Yellow always look amazing with grey and white which my house has a lot of. Oh, to dream...
Photograph via Dwell Studio.

Fabulous Rugs from Loom



Old Yarn Kilim (using recycled yarn unravelled from old kilims)




Dhoku Kilim (this rug has been hand woven from organic wool using a kilim technique)




Old Yarn rug



Vintage Overdyed Kilim



Vintage overdyed Kilim



Old Yarn Kilim Denizli

I have admired the rugs from Loom, Australia from afar for some time - thay have a great range of  rugs with unique colours and patterns. The Loom rugs break away from the traditional rug mould by using clever techniques like overdying vintage rugs in intense modern colours and using recycled yarn ('Old Yarn') that have been unravelled from vintage kilims and handwoven into new rugs. The old yarn brings to the new rug the softness of colour and tone that only comes with age. Lovely.
Photographs via Loom.

Kilim Rugs



Kilim ottoman in a Loz Feliz home, California.



Kilim stair runner in a Hollywood home, California.

After checking out Ace Hotel in Palm Springs in my previous posting, I noticed Commune's consistent use of kilims, not only in the hotel, but also in their other interior work. As seen above, Commune has transformed the kilims into a stair runner and as an ottoman.

Kilims are flat tapestry woven rugs produced from various countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, North Africa, Turkey and the Balkans - and they come in various patterns, designs and colours. I think they have been well used in the examples above - they bring a sense of worldliness and create a soft contrast to the modern and classic interiors.

Photographs via Commune.