The second edition of COVER Connect New York drew to a close at lunchtime on Tuesday 13 September after an action packed two and a half days of business at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan. There was an incredibly positive atmosphere for the duration of the...
How do leading interior designers and architects incorporate rugs into their projects with flair? Hear from three highly successful international interior designers as they reveal their individual and practical approaches to defining a space with rugs
What can rugs bring to an interior? What is the golden rule of rug selection and at what stage of the project is it considered? Hear from three highly successful international interior designers as they reveal their love of stair runners and their individual approaches to framing zones, setting the right tone, colour contrasts and defining a space with rugs, while taking the materials, techniques, tactility, cleaning, traffic, energy flow and sustainablity into account. Also, can custom rugs be an investment and when is the right time to order custom rugs?
Vanessa Brady SBID Erinn Valencich Erinn V Design Shalini Misra Shalini Misra Ltd Kar Hwa Ho Zaha Hadid Architects
Vanessa Brady, the chair of this discussion, is an international multi-award winning interior designer, business consultant and founder of the Society of British and International Design. Her award-winning portfolio includes projects for Hard Rock Cafe, the Design Council, Unilever, the Sultan of Brunei and the King of Saudi Arabia. In 2014 she was awarded an OBE for her services to interior design and the UK economy. An inspirational speaker and spokesperson for interior design, she says: ‘Events like COVER Connect are keeping the industry rolling by providing essential engagement between quality suppliers and the world’s most amazing designers.’
Erinn Valencich, an interior designer and real estate developer, has spent over sixteen years designing for an international roster of discerning clients. Her designs have featured in Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Traditional Home, The New York Times and House Beautiful. She is known for her own collection for Baldwin Hardware, Hollywood Hills by Erinn V., and works with brands such as HGTV, NBC, The View, eBay, Oprah and The Today Show. Her desire to find interior solutions for herself and other designers inspired the founding of her furniture brand and more recently the creation of a rug collection.
Shalini Misra runs an interior design studio in London called Shalini Misra Ltd, providing luxury interiors for residential developments. Shalini Misra trained as an architect in Delhi before specialising in Urban Planning at the University of Colombia in New York. Finally, in London, she studied Virtual Reality in Architecture. In 2020 she felt it was time to share her insight and knowledge, bringing together often lesser-known suppliers who offer extraordinarily high-quality items. She describes the result, The Design Buzz, as ‘a celebration of the companies, characters and passions that bring these wonders to our homes and our lives’.
Kar-Hwa Ho, Head of Interior Architecture with Zaha Hadid Architects, first worked with Zaha Hadid in the 1980s at the beginning of the practice. During this time he worked closely with the studio founder on a number of competitions and architectural projects. After two decades in which he had executive posts with Kohn Pedersen Fox and Louis Vuitton Malletier, he re-joined ZHA in 2014 to set up and lead the new ZHA Interior Architecture cluster. His expertise in retail, commercial and residential interiors has significantly strengthened ZHA’s position in bespoke interiors, furniture and product design for both private and public projects.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Recent Articles
Deirdre Dyson
Artist rugs Heirloom quality Inspiring Design Library Golden Glints, All at Sea collection, Deirdre Dyson ‘During lockdown I was stuck on my boat for about three months. I had the sea all around me for...
COVER Curates, January 18th 2022
Launching on 18th January 2022, COVER Curates is a new way for leading handmade rug brands to present their latest collections, developments and designs to buyers worldwide online. The concept has been specifically developed in consultation with key...
COVER news report, 17 July
Obituary, John Feizy More than fifty years after Feizy Rugs first opened its doors in Dallas, the rug industry is mourning the passing of its founder, John Feizy. The fifth-generation member of his family to buy, sell and collect Oriental rugs, Feizy grew his small...
COVER 80 – The Special 20th Anniversary Edition
To mark 20 years of COVER magazine being at the centre of the rug industry, our Autumn issue will be a special COLLECTORS' EDITION. The covetable printed issue of COVER 80 will be accompanied by a FREE digital edition, available on the websites of media...
COVER Connect New York approaches
Register now for COVER Connect New York 2025! The leading trade show for high-end handmade rugs returns to the Metropolitan Pavilion and The Altman Building in Manhattan from September 13–15, 2025.With just two months to go, it is almost time to welcome more than...