Decorating & Design

November 16, 2015

5 Tips On How To Buy The Right Rug

To Jürgen Dahlmanns, contemporary carpet designer and founder of the Berlin-based brand Rug Star, a rug is never just a rug. “It’s the most liberal form of creating a space within a space without erecting obstacles,” he says. After completing his architecture degree, Jürgen’s life changed when he visited Nepal at the age of 23 and stumbled upon a beautiful Tibetan rug. After years of studying the art of hand-crafted rugs, Jürgen established Rug Stars in 2002. Since then, he’s opened retail stores in Germany and Beijing and sold his designs to numerous outposts around the world, including Weavers Art in Toronto. We sat down with the rug expert to get his advice on how to purchase the perfect rug.

Q: What is the benefit of purchasing a high quality, hand-knotted rug?

A: “People buy a lot of viscose carpets, and cotton can’t age. But if you have a wool or silk carpet, the carpet gets nicer when you walk on it, because it creates a second layer of patina.”

Dining Room Rug

Q: What are some rules to follow when decorating with rugs?

A: “You can use rugs to create architecture within an interior. Other pieces of furniture don’t have the ability to define space like rugs do. To create a dining room, for example, all you need to do is put a rug under a dining table to make it feel like a separate space.”

Q: What’s your advice for choosing a rug that’s the right size for your space?

A: “If you put a big carpet in a small room, the room appears bigger. A tiny thing in a tiny rooms gives off the impression that everything is tiny. Putting a big thing in a small room is rich.”

Q: There’s a lot of color in your designs. What are your tips for decorating with colorful rugs?

A: “Colorful carpets can create a special atmosphere within a space. It’s all about contrast, so sometimes, I’ll do a dark rug, such as Vintage persian rugs, in a light corner, or a bright rug in a small space.”

Living Room Rug

Q: What’s a sign of a good quality rug?

A: “I always think the way a carpet is able to reflect fear, light and emotion determines its quality. If a carpet is able to reflect the changing atmosphere around it, and looks beautiful in both the morning and in the evening, in the summer and in the winter, then it must be a really good carpet.”

Author: Adena Leigh
Source:

Rug Stars