Bazaar Velvet has added seven new designs with a real urban theme, to its Abstract Collection of hand-knotted, luxury rugs. The rugs have a conspicuous storyline, which contrasts strident elements of everyday city life with remarkable craftsmanship, fine detail and soft tonal effects.

The rugs are hand-knotted in a mixture of luxurious Chinese silks and fine Tibetan wools; when blended together, they create intricate tonal effects, with the sheen of the pure silk, contrasting with the texture of the wool, to produce an additional dimension to these artworks for the floor.

Each rug is made by Nepalese artisan weavers and can take upwards of 16 weeks, given the intricate nature of the pattern.
The Abstract rugs are protected under the GoodWeave rug labelling scheme, which guarantees that no children are exploited in their making, Retail price is from around £600 m².

The Urban Life design featured, combines hard structural forms with a haze of soft grey tones, synonymous with an urban landscape, creating a camouflage effect, which is accented with vivid coloured graffiti slicing through the canvas. Reminiscent of the Abstract Expressionism artists such as W E Kooning. The design can made in bespoke colours to suit your taste.

Washed Denim presents the ever-present and classless fabric re-interpreted as a refined pattern, which is then developed further through the addition of colour, such as sizzling orange and a rich aubergine charcoal.

Other designs available in the collection are Tecton, Elan, Levantia and Espace.
Bazaar Velvet is owned by the rug specialist Christopher Mould who specialises in luxurious quality, bespoke rugs for the UK and international markets.

Bazaar Velvet Showroom - 2 New King’s Road London SW6 4SA.

Please visit the website to view Bazaar Velvet’s complete Abstract Collection of hand-knotted, luxury rugs.
Tel: +44(020) 736 9693

JML has given the term “slippery when wet” a new meaning with the launch of its new Plushy bathmat.
Using a new type of material it means that the wetter the bathmat becomes the more resistant it is. With retailers such as Asda, Homebase and Robert Dyas queuing up to stock the product it is likely to become a best seller this spring:

• Developed by the consumer brand, the bathmat uses a nitrile rubber base, often favoured by supermarkets for its resistance. Lab testing found that when wet it becomes six times more resistant, meaning you can feel totally safe and secure in your bathroom.

• It’s also really absorbent – holding up to two litres of water; it means you don’t have to worry about damp, squishy mats when you emerge from the shower.

• The deep, thick microfibres of the Plushy set it apart from others.

• It’s designed to be very soft and quick-drying. With a gorgeous, velvety feel, stepping out of the shower has never been such an indulgence.

• The tough Plushy bathmat also has a sensitive side: it’s machine washable and comes in five different colours.

Retails at £11.99 from JML online, ASDA, Homebase and Robert Dyas.

For further information about JML’s Plushy bathmat, please visit the website.

A one-stop showcase for all Vanessa’s fabrics, wallpapers, rugs and furniture, the latest brochure is an invaluable resource, packed with aspirational images and practical flat shots, as well as detailed information on all the available products - a veritable compendium!

Inspired by her love of the countryside and her rural life in the heart of the Cotswolds, Vanessa has been designing and producing enchanting fabrics and wallpapers for more than ten years:

• She currently stocks nine collections: Hand Printed (new for 2011), Meadow, Earth, Cockerel, Wildflower, Seaside, Garden, Woodland, and Sky, all designed in her relaxed signature style and understated colour palette.

• Featured here is the delightful Seaside collection. Priced at £41 per metre.

• Vanessa’s collections are responsibly sourced and produced with respect for the environment, and she uses only organic cotton.

About
Vanessa started her business on her kitchen table 10 years ago. For the first few months she worked after her 4 children (8/10/12/14 years) were tucked up and before they came down in the morning…cutting all the samples with her pinking sheers and rolling out the first orders on a table tennis table!

After some very lucky coverage in Country Living magazine and the Saturday Telegraph, followed by a Country Living Fair, business took off and she has never looked back.

To view Vanessa’s inspirational fabrics, wallpapers, rugs and furniture, please visit her new-look website.

Tel: (01285) 831437

Award winning Dutch design duo Scholten & Baijings have designed a collection for Hay.

The first items in the collection are bed linen, tea towels and two ranges of carpets. More items will be added to the collection on a regular basis.

The first items will be presented at the Maison &Objet in Paris, January 21-25 Hall 8A, Stand G1.

The collection is the result of close collaboration between designer and manufacturer:

• Over the last few years Scholten and Baijings have continuously proved that they are in a league of their own when it comes to colours and patterns.

• By mixing soft pastels, bright fluorescent colours and graphic prints they have made themselves an exceptional trademark with a unique contemporary identity and wide appeal.

Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings established their design studio in 2000 and recently received a Dutch Design Award for their tableware and was first runner up for Wallpaper’s Designer of the Year.

Icons of Denmark is a newly established company, designed to be a sales conduit for top Danish manufacturers of furniture and interior accessories, with promotional and sales activities over the whole of Great Britain and Ireland.
They promote and sell the company’s business partners brands and represent them as their agents in this country.

For further information about Icons of Denmark, please visit the website.

Channel 4 presenter and architect George Clarke has joined Fun on the Floor’s panel of experts to help people make the most of carpet. George, who presents Channel 4’s The Restoration Man and The Home Show, has joined the panel as Design Expert.

Fun on the Floor has been working with George and trend forecaster Victoria Redshaw, to identify the key interior trends for the next year. From the decadent drama of ‘Ballet Russe’ to the poptastic Miami-inspired mayhem of ‘Feelgood Factor’, everyone can find a look they love and be inspired to experiment with colour, pattern and texture at home.

George Clarke, Fun on the Floor’s Design Expert, says: “I’m really excited about joining Fun on the Floor. I’m passionate about helping people turn their home into a place, which meets their family’s needs and is somewhere they love spending time.

“I’m a big fan of carpet and I don’t believe we all make the most of carpet. Carpet is warm, easy to care for and hygienic. It absorbs sound and keeps the heat in. And there is a huge variety of textures, colours and styles that can completely transform a room.

“Instead of thinking about your flooring and then the décor, consider the floor as part of the décor. A bold coloured, striped, patterned or beautifully textured carpet can be an integral part of a room’s scheme and can dramatically change the way the room looks.”

• Visitors to Fun on the Floor’s website can ask the Expert Panel any questions about carpet and receive a personal reply.
• There’s also a downloadable voucher for VIP service at a Fun on the Floor retailer.
• With interior design ideas and practical advice on everything from planning and fitting, there’s a wealth of style inspiration for using carpet.
• A new carpet can be delivered and your home transformed, in as little time as 5-7 days from time of purchase.
• All of the retailers on www.funonthefloor.com offer a free measuring service and will fit in around your schedule. Not only that but carpet can be fitted a lot quicker than the time it takes to re-paint a room, with an average sized room completed in under 2 hours.

About Fun on the Floor.

In 2008 a collective of carpet manufacturers, distributors and retailers joined forces to create a major generic marketing campaign under the banner of ‘Fun on the Floor’. The campaign aims to get the nation embracing the attributes of carpet.

The website is an interactive resource for anyone interested in learning more about the transformation that carpet can bring to a room – whether home owners, home improvers, retailers or media - with further details about the campaign, informative top tips and style advice from the expert panel.

Why not visit this innovative and inspiring website for more information on all aspects of carpet products and design?

The Fired Earth summer sale runs from June 19 to July 17 and they are offering up to 25% off selected wall and floor tiles, kitchens and bathroom and even 50% off special purchase and discontinued tiles.

Kitchens

• Fired Earth’s kitchens are handcrafted from the highest quality, responsibly sourced materials and work well in contemporary and traditional spaces.
• Now is a great time to think about updating yours, as there’s 15% off all freestanding and fitted kitchens - including the new fitted Bastide (in our picture) and Moderne collections by Charles Smallbone - and rising to 25% off if you spend more than £10,000. (Offer excludes worktops and appliances for fitted kitchens.)

Tiles

• Fired Earth is well known for its collection of stunning wall and floor tiles and there’s never been a better time to buy them - with up to 25% off selected tiles from the hugely popular Tile Basics collection; in fact, you can now buy tiles from just 27p each, as the Architecture tiles have been reduced by 25%.

Bathrooms

• From truly chic wet rooms through to the most romantic bathrooms imaginable, Fired Earth has pieces to suit every taste. The summer sale offers savings of up to 25% off a huge range of products.
• For example there’s 25% off Bastide bathrooms, including the Washstand 1170 - reduced from £2,495 to £1,871.25.
• There’s also 25% off the Bastide dual control shower and accessories, which are reduced from £1,565 to £1,173.75.

Plus there’s also 15% off selected wood flooring, all Lloyd Loom furniture and hand-woven rugs.

For more information on sale products and prices, please visit the Fired Earth website.

Tel: (0845) 366 0400

For over two and a half thousand years, the nomadic peoples of the remote Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan, have created dazzling wool rugs called Shyrdaks; they have a tough flattened felt base sewn with geometric patterns.

Felt is the first company to import these works of art direct from Kyrgyzstan to Britain:

Made outdoors by tribal women, each rug takes a master cutter and her team of makers between 10 and 20 days to complete.

Fashion colours may come and go, but neutrals are always just right….

Alongside its dizzyingly vibrant colour-ways, Felt always offers an inspiring collection of neutrals… made using only the naturally occurring colours in the sheep wool, without dyes or treatments.

Ranging from browns and greys through to cream, they form infinitely subtle and beautiful backdrops for elegant interiors.

The patterns combine ancient symbols to tell stories of life in the Mountains of Heaven; each of Felt’s shyrdaks comes with a full explanation of the symbols used and the unique story they tell.

Shyrdaks look magnificent in both contemporary and traditional interiors, whether used on the floor or as wall hangings.

Most of Felt’s rugs were made in the last two years.
There is also a permanent selection of vintage rugs dating back across the last 50 years. Prices from £300.

Felt have also created a range of beautiful cushions,working with their rug makers in Kyrgyzstan;. soft, warm and equally at home in contemporary or traditional interiors.

Made from the same superior-quality hand-made 100% wool felt as Felt’s rugs, the cushions and super-generous floor cushions are soft, beautiful and hard-wearing.

• Cushions: 50cm x 50cm Price: £120 each / £200 a pair.

• Floor cushions: 90cm x 90cm Price: £330 each / £580 pair.

Rugs can also be commissioned to order based on patterns in the collection.

Viewings by appointment at Felt’s London showroom in SW12.

Visit the Felt website to view the colourful collection of patterns available.

Tel: (020) 8772 0358

Established in 1991 by Bill Hill and Peter Auckland, Hill & Co offer their customers a luxurious range of traditional and contemporary rugs.

With both directors having previously worked for Vigo Carpet Gallery in London (one of the world’s foremost antique carpet galleries), they have gone on to create their own unique range of rugs for the broader market; now with a customer friendly online store.

The Hill & Co in-house design team offers a customization service, enabling customers to choose their own unique designs, from an extensive library [available online], with the option of recolouring or resizing the design to their individual requirements.

For the more adventurous customer, the company offers a bespoke design service, with the customer working with the design team to bring their own ideas to life.

Hill & Co pride themselves on providing a beautifully designed, hand crafted rugs that you won’t find anywhere else on the high street, at a surprisingly affordable price.

Pictured here is the Rangoli rug measuring 1.83m x 1.22m. 6′ 0” x 4′ 0”.
Priced at £290.

The full range spans designs from contemporary, European and designer ranges, as well as Oriental, traditional, antique-look, flat woven and embroidered collections.

The rugs, sourced predominantly in India, are made under stringent controls regarding both quality control and child labour, with Hill & Co taking part in supporting local communities in the country through “Care & Fair” - an organization that campaigns against illegal child labour in the carpet producing areas of India, Nepal and Pakistan.

Customers can view or purchase a rug from these collections, by logging on to the Hill & Co website, or visiting the showroom in Chessington, Surrey.

Tel: (020) 8391 1777

Deborah Rolt Rugs have been producing hand made tapestry rugs for 25 years.

Each Arraiolos inspired tapestry rug is hand made using the traditional long-armed cross-stitch which has made these rugs famous for over 700 years.

Historically they were made in Arraiolos, a central Portuguese town, and used as wall hangings and floor coverings; they are still made by a family run firm today.

Rugs can now be designed for a particular scheme – colours, patterns and sizes changed to meet specific designs.

Deborah Rolt Rugs work closely with interior designers or directly with clients so that each rug is custom made.

Featured here is an exclusive hand made tapestry rug, stitched in pure new 100% wool and using natural dyes.
Design E14 Lusaka-multiple images, showing different backgrounds.
Priced From £635 for a 90cm x 150cm.

Deborah Rolt Rugs are constantly updating their designs, so that they are in line with modern styles and colour trends.

There is currently a selection of stock rugs on sale at up to 50% off selected rugs.

Deborah Rolt Rugs is at 66 Howards Lane, Putney, London, SW15 6QD.

Visit the Deborah Rolt Rugs website to view the superb and timeless rug collections.
www.deborahroltrugs.co.uk
Tel: (020) 8780 5288

Freek up your life! Freek outdoor carpets offer the possibility of colours textures and fun for outdoor spaces.

Limited edition striped rugs along with bright, bold and funky mono colours, extend the modern interior into the garden, roof terrace, or around the pool:

• The carpets are made of polyethylene and nylon yarns and have a pile height of 30 mm.

• FREEK has 2.250 grams fibres per square meter and a total weight of 3.865 grams per square meter

• Good water permeability and outstanding U.V. stability make this carpet heavy duty and perfect for outdoor use.

An attractive range of colours to choose from:

Colours of Imagination: -Mellow Yellow -Juicy Orange -Fresh Lime Green -Azure Blue -Sparkling Lavender and Pink Candy.

Colours of the Elements: -Pearl White -Oxygen Silver -Lava Grey- Truffle Brown and Amaretto Satin.

Sizes:

The carpets are available in a range of sizes from -1,5 x 1,5 meter to -2,0 x 4,0 meter and bespoke sizes: on request.

FREEK carpets can be used for whatever you feel like, but to give you some inspiration:

Under your lounge sets -Under garden furniture -On your roof terrace or balcony -Bath rooms -Living rooms -Outdoor kitchens and all other places that need a little freak out FREEK.

Available online from Encompass Furniture:

Web: http://www.encompassco.com
Tel: (02392) 410045

Web: http://www.freek.nl