COVER’s favourite rug designs of 2021

COVER staff select their favourite rugs from the last 4 issues of the magazine. What do you think of their choices?

As 2021 draws to a close, we return to the COVER tradition of choosing our favourite rugs from the past 12 months. Every year I ask the COVER staff to choose their favourite rug from the last 4 issues and we normally publish the results in the Winter issue. I think it is good to know which rugs the COVER staff covet, to understand what a broad range of opinions our small office of 10 people contains. This year our selected rugs are appearing online, where we have more space to express ourselves. Each choice is attributed to the person who chose it and they explain their decision. It is interesting to see what the people I work with all year chose as their ‘best’. Often it’s a big surprise. Due to the pandemic, our team has not been visiting shows so of course if we had seen the rugs in person we may have chosen differently, such is the nature of judging digitally. This is about the design that speaks to each of us. Unsurprisingly, colour is a big factor in our choices. For me it is virtually impossible to choose just one so I cheated and turned the ten best into the thirteen greatest.

Lucy Upward, COVER Editor

Library of Forms, Knots Rugs x Brian Coleman, chosen by David Young, Sales & Marketing Director ‘I really like how Knots Rugs translate designs in their collaborations. Many collaborations feel a bit flat but theirs—particularly these rugs with Brian Coleman—seem to still retain a texture and feel luxurious at the same time. I think the transformation into a rug actually enhances the design.’

Caspian Kuma in Persimmon, Samad, chosen by Malin Lonnberg, Senior Editor ‘For me this is a particularly successful combination of a traditional pattern and a contemporary colourway.’

Tiger rug, Rug & Kilim, chosen by Rachel Meek, Assistant Editor ‘With satisfyingly rich colours, this abstract design (the least figurative design from Rug & Kilim’s Tiger collection) appears like a painted landscape or swirling water, while still channeling tiger power. The stylised mountain and clouds at the edges add a spiritual dimension, being reminiscent of miniature painting, and harking back to the idea of yoga practitioners seated in meditation upon tiger skin rugs.’

I Feel Love Green, Henry Holland x Floor_Story, chosen by Katie Welch, Digital and Social Media Editor ‘The rug that speaks to me most must be I Feel Love Green by Henry Holland for Floor_Story. The simple green and white colour combination of that ‘melting’ design is so fantastic, and I love the bold “I FEEL LOVE” statement!’

Black Hole, Daniel Malik x Designer Rugs (Interior by Seagar Design), chosen by Kannitha Mairaing, Design & Production ‘With the year we had, I wish this rug was a porthole so I can just jump here and pop up somewhere I want to be…haha. The real reason is that this design is visually intriguing.’

Chromarama I, Kukka, chosen by Radostina Dobreva, Design & Production ‘I really like the vibe from the colours and the combination of geometric shapes. It makes me want to jump!’

Sea Monkeys, Fun & Games collection, Kyle and Kath, chosen by Ben Evans, Executive Editor ‘I’ve often talked about the remarkable versatility of handwoven rugs, and that this ability to reflect and adapt to contemporary environment is what has made this medium such a constant companion in homes through millennia. The rugs in Kyle and Kath collection, Fun and Games, shows this in the more immediate manner in the way that the rug has become a vehicle for visual memory, one that can be shared amongst a generation. As Kyle Clarkson also points out the dot of the original comic strip printed on cheap paper are perfectly translated to the knotted pile of a rug, converting the trash imagery into a long-lasting heirloom…a shared memory turning into a physical legacy.’

An Ode to the Past, Atelier Leda, chosen by Raquel Diaz-Downey, Ad & Events Sales ‘I am very attracted to the clean lines and wonderful positive colour combination without the colours being too intrusive or harsh. It is a rug that inspires the space that I would ideally like to inhabit.’

Rug from the Pearl collection, Art Resources, chosen by David Philips, Ad & Events Sales ‘This is the kind of rug I would definitely buy for myself. The colours are vibrant and the design is really pleasing.’

Tentation Douce Aerial, Jan Kath, Otti, Studio Child x Floor_Story, Ombra, Muller Van Severen x cc-tapis, Omi, Yinka Ilori, chosen by Lucy Upward, Editor ‘Ok I totally cheated and chose four, it is impossible to choose just one. Editor’s prerogative. To put it simply and briefly, I think the serene mood of the wool and silk green Ombra rug by Muller Van Severen for cc-tapis is where I want to be. Studio Child’s Otti simple yet complex design for Floor Story, which featured on the cover of COVER 62, has a similar calming effect and is just really aesthetically pleasing. In contrast I have a soft spot for the prettiness and decadence of Savonnerie carpets so the colours and the contemporary edge that Jan Kath brings to this Tentation Douce Aerial design is just really delicious and uplifting. Talking of uplifting, since I saw Yinka Ilori’s Omi rug last spring, I have just loved it. It simply makes me happy. For me it’s been an Ombra, Otti, Omi kind of year with some sweet temptation thrown in.’