Period Curtains?

[Nigel Watts]

Sorry, but I don't think these bright traditional rugs work except in their own right as the main feature.

I know my house is not Alnwick Castle, but..

?

I have a better pic of the carpet in a magazine. Colours are pink, mustard, olive green, pale blue, cream and chocolate.

I am sure what you suggest would work, but I am not yet convinced I cant introduce some more colours in the carpet. In my oil portraits there are chocolates, pink, a blue grey... any possibilities along these lines do you think?

 

[Moo]

Just a thought -
I remember, years ago, helping a friend to choose rugs for her London house. Like yours, they weren't going to be cheap, so the supplier arranged for a selection to be delivered to the house so that she could make a final choice in situ.
A shop like Liberty's would possibly be willing to do the same, even if it meant you paying for all of them on a sale-or-return basis.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Nigel, if you have time I would recommend that you trawl the Auction Rooms for an antique rug. Most of the Auction Houses have a specialist rug sale at some point or another. Failing that, look in the weekly salerooms.

There are some very good finds to be had and they will be well faded. New rugs take for ever to fade.

 

[Jill]

Nigel, are you intending on purchasing another rug to have in addition to those shown already in the room? Or as a replacement? If it were one rug like that in the photo of Alnwick Castle then it could be nice but I am seeing it i am afraid to say as a rather cluttered room, I admit I have no proper understanding of the style of your house but as a first impression it would be a too much for me.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Jocelyn is right about the fadedness of antique rugs and the ones in Liberty's are beautifully faded; I've never seen any finer rugs - not in Marrakesh or Agra, or any antique shop. Again I think the screen and the photo don't do any justice to that Liberty's rug, or Nigel's room for that matter. He has already told me beofre that the ceiling in reality appears a lot less white than it appears here. It's so hard to give colour advice over the Internet, and what to one person is rich interest and sumptuousness to another is visual clutter.

I'm trying hard to see why the patterned rug looks so beautiful in the castle and why I don't think a heavily patterned carpet would look right in Nigel's drawing room. I think it's partly that the room there is huge, partly that the green of the wallpaper is mirrored in all those chairs (obscuring a lot of the carpet, and leading the eye away from it), and partly that the curtains are not in the shot. The balance achieved between the ceiling and all the gilt frames is also very good, you'd go in that room and just gaze up at the ceiling and not even notice the carpet.

I think you shoudln't decide on what to do until your chaise is done, and the idea of borrowing a load of rugs is a brilliant one.

If anyone has pulled off the look of a heavily patterned rug, patterned wallpaper and different coloured curtains I'd appreciate knowing how it was achieved!

 

[Nigel Watts]

Nigel, are you intending on purchasing another rug to have in addition to those shown already in the room? Or as a replacement? If it were one rug like that in the photo of Alnwick Castle then it could be nice but I am seeing it i am afraid to say as a rather cluttered room, I admit I have no proper understanding of the style of your house but as a first impression it would be a too much for me.

The three rugs currently in the room are ones we have had for a long time - the middle one is pure silk and a wedding present, but getting a bit worn now. They will get moved to other parts of the house. My thought is that a single large carpet will help to unify the room. The green upholstered chair with the balloon back will go when our early 19th C chaise longue (upholstered in yellow to echo the curtains) is finished. The two early 19th C bergere chairs and the Victorian sofa are all upholstered in the same leather, as are the seats of the four Regency rosewood dining chairs we use in that room. I have ordered a matching pair of table lamps and intend to fit them with shades made of the curtain material. All these things I hope will create more unity.

 

[Jill]

That sounds good, and as long as you are able to use the other rugs elsewhere all the better. As Joce says wait for the chaise to be finished, and if you are able to try a rug before you buy you will know for yourself when it is positioned with all of your other items. If you are unsure about it then walk away, you will eventually find something that has the wow factor - saying that I think the curtains already have that.

 

[LadyArowana]

The carpet you looked at is a nice piece, but I am not convinced it's exactly "the one" for the space. Your room is quite a refined design and so a 'city' carpet might be a better fit than a 'tribal' piece. I would suggest looking at something from Tabriz or Isfahan, nearly always wool on a cotton base, sometimes with silk highlights, they also have the advantage of being less heavy on the red/ orange/ blue colour combo.


Picture is a Tabriz, and apart from the Mahi design a round central medallion is common. An Isfahan with a green background is not impossible.

In general a city carpet will use a greater number of colours than something less fine, I can't tell what the piece in the example dining room is, but from the size it would have to be a sophisticated workshop, which is why I think it is sympathetic in the location. Even though it isn't the same colour as the walls/ pictures it likely has elements of those colours incorporated.

Another option might be a Chobi/ Ziegler design, less fine, but again less of the red/ blue colour way. My recent computer file cleansing has robbed me of a picture of one you might like, but google and you will find! I also think that Liberty tend to be relatively expensive. Happy hunting.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oooh nice rug, and lovely expertful description.

 

[Nigel Watts]

The carpet you looked at is a nice piece, but I am not convinced it's exactly "the one" for the space.

Thanks Lady A. I have now come to the same conclusion thanks to an amazing photomontage kindly assembled by Moo

a 'city' carpet might be a better fit than a 'tribal' piece. I would suggest looking at something from Tabriz or Isfahan, nearly always wool on a cotton base, sometimes with silk highlights, they also have the advantage of being less heavy on the red/ orange/ blue colour combo.

I have always been rather intimdated by these city carpets, not least on account of the price, but having said that antique tribal pieces can be just as pricey. I think your argument about what would suit the room could be spot on though.

Do you have any suggestions where I should look for one other than Liberty? Buying at auction could be an option I guess, but knowing the right price to pay will require some research. I am a little mistrustful of carpet dealers (many are Kashmiri, like my wife, and she would be the first to admit that they can be rather too sharp).

The Alnwick carpet is in a western design (Interiors October 09 edition has a good picture) recently commissioned from Bamford of Powys who had it made by hand with over a million knots. According to the article the poor Duchess "was working to a budget so had to make tough decisions".
Compromising on the carpet does not seem to have been one..

 

[LadyArowana]

I have sent you a PM. Others may enjoy the link to some carpet porn, http://www.theorientalist.com/index.html I have no vested interest, it just carries a good selection and has a nice website, they are not UK based though. Typically places price high and then offer 'special sales' , discounts, whatever, it is usually a marketing excercise to convince you that you have a bargain.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Lady A thank you for that website, it is very interesting, and I agree with your comments and it's very useful to know some of the names of the rug types and their characteristics.

 

[Moo]

For the man who can woodgrain, run cornices and make elaborate curtains as well as hold down a full-time job, I'm surprised you've not considered making the rug yourself, Nigel.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Actually I did once think about making a rug and bought a book on the subject.

I have concluded that buying at auction is the answer and that I should look out for something like this:

 

[Schoolmarm]

Beautiful.

 

[Moo]

I still think you're being a bit feeble, Nigel. After all, you'll need little more than a loom, some yarn, and bit of persistence. You can copy the pattern from your photograph and subtly change the colours to suit your colour-scheme.

 

[JoceAndChris]

That green rug would be so much better for your overall scheme - hope you can find something similar.

 

[Nigel Watts]

This is coming up for auction in a couple of weeks (about 12 feet long):

Cant quite tell how green it is. Colours might work for my living room but I'm not so sure about the design.

At the same auction is this, which I rather fancy for my blue bedroom (13 feet long):

I could pick up the pinks or apricots in some new silk curtians, do the cornice in a bicoloured scheme of dusty pink and blue, tone down the wall blue a bit (or find some suitable chinoisserie wallpaper).... I really am sounding like a girl now - better get a checkup!

My current bedroom carpet by the way is a fine example of how not to buy things. I saw it (a large modern but not very fine Persian)at a sale and bought it on the spot for my living room only to discover it was too large and the only place it would fit was the bedroom, where the colours are all wrong.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Lovely rugs, both!! The colours of the first one are so much better for your current scheme than what you have at present. Paisley? Isn't that very 19th C, and therefore suitable?

I am just learning about the specifics of pattern, what acanthus is, what a trefoil is, and when these things were used- it's so complicated. So don't go by what I say.

That blue rug would be a splendid starting point for a new bedroom scheme too - but mustn't tempt you, there's nothing wrong with the existing bedroom furnishings!

 

[Nigel Watts]

Work in progress on second pair, for back of the room. Curtain has been interlined and lined with all three layers lock stitched together, a stiff buckram heading has been sewn in and eleven pleats formed by stitching through the heading:

The next stage is to form the french pleats. First one has been done. The hooks are hand stitched on behind.