There are some serious and pompous rugs out there. And there are people who like them. The ones we see here, however, are the opposite of serious. The rugs called Mangas (engl. Sleeves), created by the Italian designer Patricia Urquoia for Gandia Blanco, were inspired by knit things – scarfs, mittens, sweaters… The casual warmth of these pieces is irresistible. No wonder when Mangas collection was introduced to public two years ago, it became an instant hit. So much so – the company extended the rug family, and even added series of poufs to the same line. Warm, understated and simply adorable…
This modern take on an ancient tradition was made by two French designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for the Spanish brand Nani Marquina. The Losanges collection was created by combining 13 colors through the geometrical rhombus shape. All rugs are handmade by the craftsmen of Northern Pakistan. The material itself, the Afghan wool, was also spun by hand, which allowed for some unique tones to be highlighted. And we can see that these rugs are all about color… This is what the Bouroullec brothers say about their creation: ‘We have always been captivated by the traditional Persian rug, especially by the very old kilim savoir-faire which we see as a delicate mix of rusticity and fineness… This subtly random technique makes each lozenge slightly different and each rug, a unique piece.’
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec with Nani Marquina during the Maison & Objet 2011 in Paris.
