Cherish Toronto: rugs

Showing posts with label rugs. Show all posts

Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Great Canadian Outdoors

I grew up in the Kawarthas, just outside of Peterborough. My family never spent summer weekends at the cottage because we lived in cottage country all year 'round. Our house overlooked Chemong Lake and we had a good sized back yard with a set of swings, a vegetable garden and stone barbeque that my Dad made.

View of Chemong Lake from our house, circa 1971.

Fast forward about 40 years. Now I'm living life as a city girl with a 4' x 10' balcony as my own personal slice of the outdoors. Not bad, considering this balcony is almost 25% bigger than my previous one. There are several parks nearby with plenty of room to roam, but some mornings I just want to step outside wearing pj's and with a cup of coffee in hand.

Here on the new balcony, I'm using the same ceramic garden stool, yellow urns and woven chairs that I had at the old place (you can see posts about the old balcony here & here), but there are some new additions. This year I invested in a strand of lights, an inexpensive rug and some real greenery.

I picked up two dwarf globe cedars at Home Depot this spring and planted them in the yellow urns. They seem to get just the right amount of moisture from Mother Nature's regular watering ;) The yellow rug is from HomeSense and it ties in perfectly with the colour palette.

I love the string of outdoor lights! Their warm glow gives the balcony so much ambiance in the evening hours. Inviting, isn't it?

So, how do you enjoy the Great Canadian Outdoors?

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Rug Rehab

Once I started looking at rugs, learning about how they were made and the effort goes into creating a hand knotted pattern, I became a bit of an addict. Rugs truly are an art form which I have come to appreciate, but it's gotten to the point where I have to be cut off from purchasing any more. I bought my last rug a few weeks ago - a 2'x3' wool Hamadan which I found at Karakashian Rug Gallery at Bay & Yorkville. At $125, it was such a good deal that I just couldn't resist and the gentlemen at the store were so nice that I was more than happy to make a purchase. Karakashian will be closing soon, so if you're looking for a rug at a great price, it's worth paying them a visit!!

After deciding that the size of the ebay rug was fine to use at the front door I needed to find one for in front of the kitchen sink, and this pretty in pink little number was just right for the space. Such a beauty!!

In comparison, these Hamadan rugs from Ikea are lovely, but these are a bit smaller and not as unique. In a stunning turn of events, at $149, they're actually more expensive than the rug from Karakashian.

Gotta run - I'm off to rug rehab ;-)

Friday, February 1, 2013

Purchasing a Rug on Ebay

Have any of you ever purchased a vintage rug online? While scanning ebay listings a few weeks ago, I fell in love with a little rug that I thought would be perfect either at the front entrance or in the kitchen. I wasn't too sure about ordering without seeing the rug in person, but the ebay seller had over 6,000 sales and 100% feedback, so I decided to take the chance. It was totally worth the risk - the rug is sooooo pretty!!

Don't you just love the colours? A navy blue field, a coral medallion and a green inner border - such a gorgeous combination. I decided to use the rug in front of the sink in the kitchen, since it felt just a bit too small at the entrance. The experience of buying a rug on ebay was completely painless, so I may try it again in the future ;-)

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Finding the PERFECT Rug...

...Mission Impossible?

I've been seeking the perfect rug for several months now. Everywhere. Auctions, estate sales, antique markets and consignment shops, and all to no avail. The Sarouk rug below is my favourite, but at $3200 it's out of my price range :-(

The criteria:

Size must be approximately 6'x9' to fit the living room.
Colours must be vibrant, preferably with a dose of coral.
Pattern should not have a traditional center medallion.

Here are a few contenders which I've found on ebay that are close, but not quite:

Very interesting, but too much teal...

Beautiful, but too pale...

Love the artwork, but again, the colour is just too soft...

This Bijar is fab, but just a bit too small and too green...

The most frustrating part is that without choosing a rug, I can't select a paint colour for the campaign dresser that will serve as the entertainment unit in the living room. The search continues!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Rug LOVE

Hold the presses!! I just opened the latest issue of LonnyMag and saw this stunning rug.

Orange! Pink! WANT!!!!

That is all.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Missing In Auction

Sorry I went missing for a bit there, folks. I had intended to write up a couple of posts on the weekend, but then I got distracted by sleeping, cleaning, shopping, brunching...all kinds of fun stuff!! And just when I was ready to sit down at the computer...bam!...I decided to run off to Empire Auctions to do a little bidding. There was a stunning collection of silk rugs on the auction block this past weekend, and I thought maybe I could snatch up a bargain. Well...let's just say that when the opening bids are above my maximum, "bargain" is not the right word, but I did manage to snag one rug in my price range.

I present to you lot #558, a 4'x6' handwoven all silk rug with Kashan motif. I liked this one because it is predominantly navy, and I'm hoping to use it in the office area of the new condo. It will look great next to the gallery wall, which I'm planning to paint a dramatic navy blue.

Such a blend of colours!

A cream border with soft blue & butter yellow
corners lead into a navy blue field.

The central medallion represents a floral motif.
I see my favourite flower, the dahlia, in this pattern.

If you're in the market for a fabulous rug, but don't have an auction house near you, an ebay search often turns up some great options.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

What's in a Rug?

Now that the time has come to start considering a rug purchase, I realize that I know very little about the genre. The value of a rug is determined by many contributing factors such as how it's made, where it's made, and what it's made from. If you ask me, the most important component is the prettiness factor ;-)

Rug Pretty!!

Instagram photo by Pamela Graham for Cherish Toronto

I love the colours in the hand knotted, synthetic silk Kashmir runner above. This rug is a serious contender for the front entry hall.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

ERA Rug Design Competition

ERA is an acronym for Evolution in Rug Artistry. This year, a competition was launched by Weavers Art to showcase Canadian design talent while promoting ethical carpet and rug production. The top 10 rugs were presented at the Interior Design Show by media sponsor Azure, and a silent auction was held. All proceeds from the auction will go to DAREarts, a local charity providing art education to at risk children.

New @ge Rug
Kenneth Ho
Inspired by the idea of how people are connected by the use of technology.

Ditdah Rug
Fishbol Design Atelier & Narae Kim
White and orange circles replace the dots and dashes of Morse code.

Calacatta
Fleur-de-Lis Design
Wool and silk combine to resemble rich veins of Calacatta marble.

Zipper Rug
Jennifer Fong
Inspired by the concepts of interaction and modularity,
particularly due to the trend of small space living.

Une Affaire De Coeur
Katherine Morley
Here the fleur-de-lis and the maple leaf are harmonious.

Roncesvalles
3rd Uncle Design
The design evokes a sense of place.

Tartan
Clayton Budd of 64th and Queen
A bold & graphic reinterpretation of the classic tartan.

The Jazzy Rug
Roy Banse
Based on the graphic eye exam chart, but with a musical connection.

Lake Ontario
Joy Charbonneau & Ed Zec
The detailed bathymetric form of Lake Ontario.

Bone
Alison Milne Design
A combination of nature and fine art.

Congratulations to the successful silent auction bidders who were able to take home a piece of Canadian art and design (and then walk all over it)!!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Design Details: Area Rugs

Yesterday I wrote about inspirational jumping off points, using an elaborate & colourful vase as an example. Another great method to finding a great colour scheme is to work from the ground up, using an area rug or carpet as a starting point. There are literally thousands to choose from, in a wide variety of colours, prints and textures.

Let's jump right in!! As you browse the photos, notice how the rug is used as a jumping off point to create a colour palette or design scheme for the room.

Here are some fabulous examples of area rugs from Pottery Barn: