Interior designer Camilla Fraser recently approached us with a rug design. Her Cape Town-based clients are involved in both fashion and food and love to entertain in their large Art Deco style home. The task at hand is to update the living rooms of their family home. The wool rug that Camilla designed is about 3m x 4m in size and will be used in the formal sitting room which leads into the library.
Camilla shared a few of her thoughts on the project.
What is the project brief? The brief for the project is to update the living rooms of a family home. There are specific needs such as incorporating special pieces and antiques already in the home, providing lots of options when entertaining and creating more storage for a growing book collection.
Where is the residence? Oranjezicht, Cape Town
Give us a description of the client? The wife is in the fashion – and the husband in the food industry. Both love entertaining family and friends. So the house is never empty. Their style is both classical and flamboyant characterised with always fresh farm roses in large silver jugs, damask sofas, French armchairs covered in natural linen and a hint of leopard print.
Describe the architecture of the residence and explain how this influences your ideas for the interior? It is a large house built in the Art Deco era of the 1920’s and 1930’s. This style is typified with decorative plasters work, elongated proportions and grand statements, such as the double volume entrance hall and exterior pillars which go from the floor level to eves of the roof. This influences my design for the interior to create a mood of glamour, to play with proportion in a bold way but still to keep the design classical and light.
What mood do you want to create for the sitting room? The mood needs to be formal yet relaxed. Understated luxury is important. Using natural linens, soft gilt furniture, foxed mirrors, light tones and classic patterns of Ralph Lauren paisleys and navy mattress ticking stripes will help set the mood.
Give us some background on the design of the rug as well as the colour usage? The design is inspired by a 1940’s American interior designer Dorothy Draper, who designed a theater and hotel in Brazil, The Quitandinha. Her trade mark style was tropical opulence, bold colours, white Baroque plaster work and checker board floors. This reminded me of the house. I was inspired by one particular floor design with magnificent scrolls in white marble and midnight blue hues. This design was then re-sketched to work with the layout of the room. The colours will be a tonal mix of greys and naturals to complement the soft furniture, with a bold use of blue.
Camilla’s answers can be a helpful guide to creating your own rug design. Here are a few pointers and questions for you to consider when thinking about your new rug.
- Where will you use the rug?
- What mood do you want to create?
- What size is the room?
- What shape would you like your rug to be?
For more information read our previous posts on what to consider when designing your own rug in our Challenges and Advice section.