This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of Architectural Digest
A beautifully crafted Oriental rug by Doris Leslie Blau never goes out of style and can be surprisingly versatile in all kinds of homes. With thousands of options in terms of color, fabric, scale, and style, there’s an Oriental rug out there for every space, whether you’re looking to accent an opulent English-inspired library or a sleek modern living room. When it comes to designing with Oriental rugs, follow these tips: Go monochromatic or neutral with the room’s remaining decor; match furniture to the colors of the rug; and don’t be afraid of mixing patterns. Here are 29 rooms from the AD archives to inspire your next rug purchase.
At an upstate New York home renovated by architect John I. Meyer Jr. and design firm McAlpine, the groin-vaulted library’s Directoire-style desk by Roubini Casa is grouped with Louis XVI–style chairs by Niermann Weeks, Biedermeier armchairs, and a carpet by Marc Phillips Decorative Rugs; the bookcases with gilded capitals were custom made, and the curtains are of a Loro Piana wool.
In the master bath of designer Laura Santos’s Manhattan townhouse, a Marc Newson–designed chair by Cappellini sits beside a Boffi tub; the curtains are of a Kravet linen, and the rug is from Woven Accents.
A Walton Ford painting spans one wall of the living room at an upstate New York farmhouse designed by architect Gil Schafer; the lamps are by Vaughan, the Gustavian chairs are from Evergreen Antiques, and the circa-1880s Sultanabad rug is from Beauvais Carpets.
Embellishing one end of the living room of Ralph Lauren’s Bedford, New York, home are a Victorian cut-glass chandelier, a George II gilt-wood mirror, and a 16th-century Flemish tapestry; the carpets are 17th- and 18th-century Persian.
A Roy Lichtenstein painting in the living room of a Manhattan apartment designed by Stephen Sills is bookended by bronze Charles Paris lamps atop 1940s Jansen tables. A leaflike bronze coupe by Hervé Van der Straeten from Maison Gerard is displayed on the cocktail table; the circa-1900 Amritsar rug is from Beauvais Carpets.
A pair of portraits by Charles Webster Hawthorne flank the early-19th-century marble mantelpiece in the living room of Marc Jacobs president Robert Duffy’s Manhattan townhouse; the Art Deco club chair in the foreground is from Maison Gerard, and the antique Khorassan rug is from Stark Carpet.
Mario Buatta converted a “theatrical” Fifth Avenue maisonette—once the home of interior design legend Sister Parish—into a soothing, romantic residence. The white sofa fabric by Brunschwig & Fils and blush curtains complement the colors in the living room’s large carpet.
This dramatic library in a New York apartment is governed by bold colors and opposing patterns, with glazed cobalt blue walls by Natasha Bergreen and Liza Cousins. Art Deco–style chaises and green-blue Clarence House curtains pair well with the floor covering.
In the master bedroom of a couple’s châteauesque villa in the Southwest, designer Peter Marino custom made the bed linens, recamier, night tables, and oval side table. The neutral tones of the rug complement the draping on the neoclassical bed from Italy.
At an estate in Rapidan, Virginia, decorated by Tino Zervudachi, a botanical-themed bedroom is home to an antique Persian carpet. The ceiling’s floral motif was inspired by a Mughal painting.
Comfortable sofas and chairs are mixed with European antiques in the great room of a lakefront home in Seattle. “The owners chose all of the pieces themselves,” designer Axel Vervoordt says. “Every corner is used.” The carpet is by Mansour.
Crisp furnishings and cool neutrals, like the large rug, are the theme at this Tudor Revival home in Washington, D.C. Designer Darryl Carter conceived the sofas, the cocktail table is attributed to Jansen, and a Renaissance Revival armchair stands alongside an antique French daybed.
Continuing with the neutral theme, the library in the same home features a William IV–style sofa by Lee Stanton Antiques and a Gothic-style oak table grouped with an 18th-century English wing chair.
At this Washington, D.C., house decorated by Stephen Shadley, the wood-paneled walls in the English-inspired library are glazed a deep red, and a complementary Persian rug, circa 1885, covers the floor. A Louis XV gilt mirror is above the mantel, and the armchairs were reupholstered with a circa-1800 Flemish tapestry.
The entryway of this William W. Stubbs–designed Houston home exudes European sensibility with a rococo-style giltwood mirror, a painted demilune console table, and a pair of acanthus-leaf Louis XV sconces, all contrasted by two red-and-blue Oriental carpets.
Inside the oldest house in Washington, D.C., designer Mariette Himes Gomez furnished the library with an exquisite carpet from Doris Leslie Blau, a top Oriental rug dealer for decorators and antiquarians alike.
The living room of a New York City townhouse marries a bold series of Josef Albers silkscreens with a subdued carpet from FJ Hakimian.
A Tabriz vintage rug, also from Doris Leslie Blau, enlivens the living room of a Chicago penthouse designed by Michael S. Smith.
This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of Architectural Digest