Tone on tone carpets strike a cord with us, especially those that are sunned and faded. A seemingly completely washed-out rug may appear absent of design from the light side from a distance.

However, a walk just a few steps closer to one end and the story may change. Go around from that end to one of the nearest corners, perhaps the hint of an intricately woven pattern may be slowly exposed.

Continue circling a corner to one full side, the design and tones may pop a bit more. Go all the way around another corner 180 degress from where you were, standing at the other end of the carpet, you see the full contrast and maximum depth of colors. Light is now being absorbed into the tips of the cut wool pile, and you are seeing full saturation.

If you are able to distinguish the subtle differences in faded earthen colors and pastel tones at the first corner rounded, you've probably already connected with the piece. To some, there is nothing to be seen.  In a true tone-on-tone rug, these soft, subtle differences will be detected by keen color awareness within the first few seconds. If the subtleties can be perceived that quickly, you are identifying well with the rug!

It never ceases to amaze us how shimmering gold or predominantly ivory carpet has almost completely changed based on the unique character of hand knotted rugs. A soft lemon-beige may transition into a saffron-gold. A silver grey may transition into a dark charcoal black. A few delicate faded and blanched pastels such as a pale seafoam green or soft baby blue are clearly delineated as a livelier oxidized copper, or shade of near aqua. The carpet looks like it was kissed by the sun on either side, and it is gorgeous!

Decorative carpets evoke a feeling or emotion. We select all rugs in our shop because each has a place in our decorative dreams. 

For us, a faded or blanched carpet brings us to a calming place. Rugs softened in tone have a relaxed way about them. Sometimes you just need a hint of something to get the full sense of it: Like water with a hint of lemon instead of a full-on lemonade. With a tone-on-tone carpet, you get the true sense of a color: How might a shade stretch when diluted in saturation? To what extent may pigment be drawn down before you lose the essence of the shade.

Identifying and embracing with the sensation of connecting to a shade or even adjacent shades (such as just one area of a rug) is part of the process of finding the right rug. The appreciation may just start with the love for how two colors seem to co-mingle as they buffer each other around an intricate design as outlines thin and thicken. Perhaps that identification is just in small hand-size area. It almost does not matter if the rug has a medallion or is an allover design, you may just find many areas where some field and outlines just have a harmony about them.

We look forward to introducing a few room size rugs in the upcoming weeks. These carpets draw upon the character of tone-on-tone with soft bursts of wooded browns and pastels in "sun kissed" fade.

 

David + Melissa

I chatted with an antique business owner recently and he said something that really struck me -- he said while he likes putting old rugs in his windows for display, he would never choose a traditional motif rug -- like a Sarouk or Kashan. He looked physically ill even talking about these types, for him it was tribal all the way. We each have our own tastes and preferences but I really and truly do believe that "traditional design" Persian rugs are very underrated. They can feel grandma-esque if you have the plastic covering over your couch to match but if you pair your traditional rug with modern or eclectic decor, it no longer looks so traditional or old lady but actually takes on a very cool and playful presence. A handmade rug is a work of art so it has to mix and match well with your style and other art but just as you would pick out pillows to have pops of color or interesting lines and shapes, your rug can be the perfect inspiration for a multifaceted kind of room. I read an article where they compared a classic oriental carpet to a classic Chanel suit -- they both truly never go out of style!

 

Here are my picks for awesome pairings of traditional rugs with hip and/or non super traditional decor.

 

 

\

 

Now off to decorating my own house!

 

xoxo,

Melissa

After a couple weeks of traveling all over Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama to see family, photograph a wedding, and shop for some ONH additions of course, I cannot even begin to express how good it feels to finally be home! Even though we journeyed high and low and made tons of new connections, we wound up acquiring only one new piece for the shop. But what a piece it is! While it awaits being photographed, I find myself daydreaming about it constantly. It is a unique size vintage light red Lilihan rug that is just so incredibly sweet and stunning at the same time. If we had a space for it in our home, naturally it would be belong to me but alas, it does not have a perfect spot in our dwelling and it awaits someone else falling in love with it! But needless to say this rug has gotten me thinking about the types of carpets and designs in general I am consistently attracted to. Oddly enough I like the traditional type of designs -- that of the Kerman and Sarouk rugs. I like geometric and tribal as well but I am always oohing and aahing over those dainty and feminine more traditional varieties. And red, always with the red. A good blue is always nice but man, does that red speak to me in the home. I don't if it is the bold or if all of my other decor is light and so I yearn that pop of color, but I simply cannot get enough. Seems I am not alone either as many people are drawn to adding the vibrant red to their home decor. Here's a look at some great interiors with red rugs + accents as well as my pile up of some awesome rugs with red of our own. 

 

1. 

 

 

2.

 

 4. 

5.

1. Photo from noctomic.com 2. Photo from RugRag.com 3. Photo from lonny.com 4. Photo from noctomic.com 5. Photo from lonny.com

 

 

I especially love how red can fit in with so many different home styles. It is versatile yet bold. Here's to a colorful week with lots of cozy time in your homes!

 

xoxo,

Melissa

Home is where the food is? For those of us who enjoy looking through home design blogs or flipping through decorating books and magazines for hours on end while we try to dream up our own perfect additions and creations, we have all seen the oriental rug in a kitchen look. It is one I am still not completely sold on because while I LOVE the aesthetic, a kitchen (at least say, my kitchen) is known for getting a bit well, gross. What happens in the sink should stay in the sink but that is a best laid plan and at least in my busy sink moments of trying to do things while my baby calls for something else from his high chair, I find that the floor in front of the sink can take quite a beating (hello spills, splatters, and breaks) and some rugs do not seem like good candidates for taking this kind of abuse. Okay, I am being a bit dramatic. But I love rugs. And again while I LOVE the look of the antique oriental rug being next to the sink in the kitchen, I think it should be a very well-thought out move. If you are not constantly cooking and cleaning after cooking, I think the situation is much less risky. Only you know all of your kitchen habits and behaviors and only you can know if having a nice rug down will be something that will be worth the aesthetic boost in a very comforting place of the home. If you are thinking the look and the lifestyle of having an oriental rug down in the kitchen is definitely for you, I highly recommend this montage on stylecarrot.com as it completely lends itself to the ultimate inspiration with a wide array of types displayed. Below are my top two favorite kitchens mentioned in the post and my ONH picks for sourcing rugs just like the ones featured!

 1. Runners for elongated kitchen. 

 

2. Area rug size in the middle of the kitchen. I am in love with the Elle photograph below of Ginnifer Goodwin in her kitchen with a lovely antique rug underneath her feet. Her kitchen looks modern and subdued, but most importantly   a mixture of stylish and cozy. I usually gravitate towards a bright, white type of kitchen but I love how sleek this one is and I feel like the rug is rather unexpected but adds the homey feel. Immediately reminded me of a couple pieces we have that I love and I had to share them!

 

That's it for this week -- hope everyone is enjoying the weekend in their rug-more or rug-less kitchens! xoxo, Melissa

1. Light throw rugs. Whether you are into the tribal rug or just lightly colored rug look, a little minimalistic type of carpet can truly make a space feel welcoming and comfortable. Worn rugs, blanched in color, or simple in design rugs, we have many to choose from but these little Turkish rugs are my favorite for this type of neutral look.

2. Pillows and more pillows! Tribal and neutral would be my pick to match this look!

3. Sketch art next to colorful art. Love it! A light simple drawing next to something that packs a punch of color.

4. Child's chair with character. Just kind of fun in any kind of space is an antique or vintage child's chair. It is small enough that you don't have to commit to it and a big enough of a decor staple that you can put something on it or have it be a focal point of the room.

xoxo, Melissa

Decorating a bathroom can definitely be a challenge because less is really more in most cases so items need to be very carefully picked and placed. One concept I absolutely love for a bathroom is use of a vintage rug. If you have a small bathroom, a cotton rag rug would be great instead of a bath mat because you can wash it and if you have a larger bathroom or a guest bathroom that lends itself to feeling more like an actual room, I highly recommend giving a vintage or antique Persian rug a consideration. The photo below from a Domino magazine featured a modern meets vintage bathroom is the perfect example of an airy, clean and dynamic bathroom that feels like somewhere you'd want to hang out after a long day's work, and guess what, you guessed it -- it has an antique Persian rug. Unique and interesting, love it! 

 1. Vintage or Antique Oriental Rug. Okay, so I can't completely tell from the super small portion of it in the frame if it is indeed my favorite type of Persian rug -- Kerman -- but it certainly reminds me of the type and we happen to have two very close matches in our shop. And my love affair with Kerman rugs will certainly live on -- now to hoping that one day we have a spacious enough bathroom to put one in because if it were up to me we would have one in every room!

2. Beveled Glass Mirror. Whether new or old, mirrors are pretty much the norm in a bathroom but having a round mirror that is beveled glass adds a little something special to the look if you ask me -- an old world charm. A lot of mirrors made today are not beveled and so that extra dimension that pretty much all old mirrors have is just lost. This mirror we have in the shop is one I have always thought would look fantastic hanging up instead of being used as a stand and check out that bevel....ooh la la!

 

3. A lovely plant in a vase. It seems a bit unlikely to find a plant in the bathroom but I love the concept. Nature is soothing and it is such a lovely way to spruce up any kind of room. And of course when you are sitting in your bubble bath, you can look over to see something else thriving. It has positive energy! While we don't carry plants in our shop, we do carry some vases. I always find milk glass to be incredibly timeless and think the ultra white vase would look just beautiful in a bathroom.

That's it for this sourcing series but stay tuned for our next one which will focus on home offices! I hope everyone has a peaceful and wonderful weekend! xoxo, Melissa