Great Looks inspired by the Great Gatsby  

The release of one of the movies for 2013 has resulted in a revived interest in the clothes and décor of the decadent 1920s.

The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald’s opulent tale highlighting the garish society of the roaring twenties, has seen us enthralled, not just by the storyline, but also with the hairstyles, costumes and interior design of the period.

This was an exciting decade for fashion and as is often the case, revolutionary fashion is often reflected in the home too.  As women showed their ankles for the first time and bobbed their hair, interior design styles such as Bauhaus was making an impact and art deco became the new style for the sophisticated.

In the home, flooring is likely to have been polished parquet or lino in the black and white chequerboard design.  These would then be overlaid with large rugs, often circular, which would become the focus of the room, and help zone areas of interest.

FrithRugs offers a dazzling array of circular rugs featuring modern as well as traditional design. Our handmade round rugs can be custom-made to your exact specifications, making these even more adaptable to your own home and 1920s design.

 

 

The traditional was making way for a new style of geometric and angular shapes. This

black and cream geometric rug design is perfect for anyone looking to recreate that look in their own home and it sits well with the chrome and glass which was replacing walnut and rosewood.

Balck and white also complements the new images of cruise liners and skyscrapers which ousted the gothic ornate bust and sombre family prints.  Accessories were kept to a minimum with one or two very strong pieces rather than the clutter so beloved of the Victorians. 

Safaris and travel to exotic destinations were also popular and so people were keen to inject some exotic touches from their travels into their home.  This Leopard Animal Print Indian Rug design suggests the thrill of the hunt and would have been used with other animal ornaments and art.

 

So to summarise:  1920s style is a look that still works well today and it’s easy to recreate it in your own home with a minimal, clean look and just a couple of well-chosen accessories such as a geometric or circular rug, glass furniture, metallic artwork and plain walls. 

 

 

Vibrance rugs for people who love colour!

According to research by Crown Paint we Brits are worried about using colour in our home, preferring neutral colours on our walls and black and grey in our wardrobes.

At FrithRugs, we sell thousands of rugs every year and we know that many of our customers, young and old, enjoy quite a bit of colour in their rooms.  In fact, that’s one of the reasons why we designed an exclusive collection of bright, bold rugs.  The Ella Claire Vibrance range is only available at FrithRugs and it has been especially commissioned to celebrate colour!

Sales of the Vibrance collection have always been brisk proving that we Brits are not afraid of introducing a splash of colour to our homes.  However, using these rugs does come with a word of caution – when you have a rug as bright as these in a room, it is wise to keep other colours to a minimum.

Orange -  a great colour in the home, thanks it its warm, vibrant tones which we associate with the sun. If you select one of these glorious rugs, opt for either warm browns or yellows on the walls with soft furnishings in paler tones of orange or even red.

 

 

Pink - does not have to girlie.  In fact shades of shocking pink can be found in every room in the house these days, including the kitchen and bathroom.  We love these pink rugs which are perfect for the lounge or bedroom.  Black and grey are great complements to dark and shocking pinks while silver, cream and pale blue or yellow are best with baby pink.



 

 

Wow - if any more proof were needed about our desire to be daring, take a look at these multi coloured rugs – though you may need to wear sunglasses for a minute!  If you love to make a statement you are certainly doing so with one of these beauties.  With so much colour in one home accessory just select one of the featured colours you like best and then highlight it with a couple of other items in the room.  Don’t go mad though!



 

So there you have it.  Conclusive proof that Britain is not a drab and colourless nation – we are not scared of colour.  Bring it on!

 

 

 

 

Use floral rugs to welcome the new Spring season

The arrival of a new season is an invitation to change your room and nothing says Spring more than fresh flowers - and this year one of the biggest interior design trends just happens to be all things floral.

 

This includes big, bold, botanical prints and small, subtle, spring patterns – from modern, abstract designs to vintage favourites – if you want to give any room in your house a fresh look for the new season – treat yourself to a bouquet with a difference.

 

A clever way to think about decorating with florals is to imagine you are putting together a real flower arrangement.  Choose your main colour scheme, and then add in a complementary colour and of course some foliage. 

Now let’s translate that idea to decorating your room with florals.  We are not suggesting you totally redesign your living room, remember this is about refreshing a room, so whatever you main colour is – stick with that. 

One of the quickest, easiest and most cost effective way to transform a room is to introduce new soft furnishings and so the trick is to decide which complementary colours you want to introduce by changing your accessories – cushions, throws, curtains and rugs.  We suggest introducing just one or two colours or shades at the most, because we’re also going to add the foliage – in other words a dash of green – it is Spring after all.

 

Large floral rugs

Let’s start with looking at some large floral rugs – we’re talking big, botanical blooms here and if you like select these flower rugs then they will take centre stage with the other soft furnishings providing more of a supporting role.   

 

 

Country garden

FrithRugs have numerous flower rugs for sale and if you prefer your floral arrangements to be more subtle then we recommend these floral wool rugs which have a cottage garden feel and so would really work well in a traditional home.

 

 

Don’t forget the foliage

And remember Spring is all about nature and you can’t really beat Spring greens.  Green is the perfect colour to help you bring the outside in as it is one of nature’s most abundant colours and introduces a rejuvenating and welcoming feel in any room.  One of our favourite colour combinations for this new season is green and white.  

          

 

We hope our floral rugs provide the inspiration needed to indulge the passion we have of bringing the outdoors in and so help to blur the boundary between house and garden.   Share your images and ideas with us here or @frithrugs.  

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An Oriental rug is the perfect starting point for your Asian style room

As the UK’s largest retailer of Oriental rugs and carpets we know that Asian style continues to be a major influence in British homes.  This week is Chinese New Year (February 10^th) and so what better way to celebrate than transforming a room in your home into a peaceful retreat.

Simplicity and elegance are the bywords for developing a chinoiserie style in the home.  Remember, with this home decorating idea you are trying to create a look that is peaceful and relaxing and so it is really important to choose your pieces very carefully.

The Chinese love striking, bold colours like red (which symbolises good fortune and joy), green (for health and harmony) and black (which correspond to water, and is a neutral color).  Black and white together is used often as they represent yin and yang – the interconnection of opposites.

As a good starting point, invest in a large Oriental rug which will be the focal point for the room.  You can use the colours found in the rug to help you co-ordinate other accessories, but first you have to choose the rug itself.

You may decide on a bold Chinese rug dragon design but if you have a dramatic pattern like this don’t overdo it elsewhere.

                                                 

 

There are more subtle designs available which still have an obvious Chinese influence and these can be used to blend and tone the rest of the room.

                                                 

 

Or what about a going for gold? You can find rugs with elaborate gold patterns which would not look out of place in an Emperor’s palace.  If this is your choice go easy on the rest of the room’s pieces. 

Other Asian pieces will include fabrics which may be bamboo patterns or solid blocks of colour.   Lamps made of wood or bamboo will enhance the mood and a bamboo screen or dividers made from rice paper may be useful to help zone the room.

While you should not go overboard on other items you can still add a few well-chosen vases or some Chinese calligraphy wall art.

The resulting space should be the perfect place for you to chill out and fall into a meditative state of total relaxation.  And if you want to go one step further and balance the energies in your room -- you can also apply feng shui principles. But that’s another story…….

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Animal prints help you go wild at home!

Using animal print in the home has always been popular and with the launch of BBC One’s latest David Attenborough masterpiece – Africa, we’ve decided to share our ideas about how best to incorporate animal prints into your interior design scheme.

Classic prints include leopard, tiger, zebra, giraffe and cheetah and you should ensure you select your favourite print, such as leopard and stick with that.  Don’t, for example, use a leopard throw with a tiger rug.   In fact the one golden rule about using these prints is to use sparingly!  Less is definitely more as too much and your room can go from sophisticated to tacky very quickly.  

One of the easiest ways to introduce animal print is with the introduction of a rug.  This animal print area rug can be your main focus with just a few other items around the room – such as a couple of cushions or some discerning pieces such as a vase or lamp.

The great things about animal print rugs is that they work well in any room – including the dining room, bedroom, home office and even in a bathroom. This is because they are really versatile and sit well in both a modern and traditional environment as either the focus of a room or as an accent rug.

There are lots of animal print home accessories available including wallpapers – but again use sparingly.  One wall, probably the smallest in the room, is enough to make a statement.  If you have got a tiger wall, ensure the other walls are light and plain.

Animal prints can be a safe bet for people who are a little nervous about interior design as the prints themselves set the theme. Thanks to their bold design which has been perfectly selected by Mother Nature herself, once you introduce a few animal prints, people will automatically assume you have design flair!

The BBC Africa crew spent four years making this outstanding series – but we’ve shopped around to find a few classic pieces that should transform your home a lot quicker.   Browse the internet yourself to find your wild side.  RugsAnimal prints help you go wild at home below are available from www.frithrugs.co.uk

 

 

 

 

Home for Christmas

The sight of a well-dressed Christmas tree in a window - or festive lights around a porch -can lift our spirits at this time of year when the sky is always dark and it’s cold enough to numb your fingers and toes.

And so there’s nothing quite like stepping out of the dark and into a nice warm home.  It’s an even nicer feeling when that home is all dressed up for Christmas - and these days the well-dressed Christmas home has numerous themes to choose from.  We’ve picked some of our favourites.

Traditional

The traditional Christmas home will feature lots of seasonal colours including of course, plenty of red.  Red is the forever festive colour always associated with this time of year. Red baubles, red tinsel, red crackers and party hats – the traditional home will be awash with red in all of its various shades.

If you want to pick up the traditional theme in your home furnishings it’s relatively easy to give your home a quick traditional Christmas makeover simply by adding some red accessories such as rugs, cushions and throws.



Rugs from www.frithrugs.co.uk

 

 

Natural Christmas

Going back to nature at this time of year is becoming more popular as people reject the ‘shop bought’ decorations in favour of quite literally, home grown alternatives. 

Naturally a real Christmas tree is a must but instead of using tinsel and baubles the ‘naturalist’ will opt for pine cones, mistletoe, holly and berries to dress it and the room.  Instead of fairly lights, lots of candles will provide the twinkle and handmade decorations like good old fashioned paper chains and oranges with cloves will add to the mood.

If you’re looking for a natural look, then your home furnishings should be more subtle and shades of green should be the main focus.

 

Rugs from www.frithrugs.co.uk



Go Scandinavian

If you want minimal then take your inspiration from our European neighbours in Scandinavia. They’ve always been able to create warm winter homes while still keeping lines clean and colours minimal. Recently, all things Scandinavian has proven a popular trend here.

Your décor needs to be a palette of neutrals featuring cream walls, blonde wooden furniture and pale wood floors. The Scandinavian Christmas look features several key pieces throughout the room from the lightly dressed real Christmas tree to wooden hearts, large candles, and perhaps a string of silver lights across the hearth. If you do want to introduce a dash of colour, it’s literally just that – a dash. Perhaps a red candle, a green wreath or even a blue table runner. Keep the soft furnishings light and add in a luxurious long pile shaggy rug to complete the Scandinavian mood.

Shaggy rugs from www.frithrugs.co.uk

            

 

 

 

 

 

                   

1920s Downton Style

Our followers can't get enough of our Downton design ideas and this time we're looking at 1920s Downton Abbey which has resulted in a revived interest in the clothes and décor of the decadent roaring 20s.

This is post war Europe, a time to forget the horrors of the past and look to a bright future.  It’s the time when interior design as a profession really came into being as the royals, the rich and the extravagant hired creative and often over the top personalities to design their homes.

Bauhaus was making an impact and art deco became the new style for the sophisticated.

The traditional had to make way for a new style of geometric and angular shapes.  Chrome and glass replaced walnut and rosewood, while contemporary images of cruise liners and skyscrapers ousted the gothic ornate bust and sombre family prints.

Safaris and travel to exotic destinations were also popular and so people were keen to inject some exotic touches from the travels into their home.

Flooring would have probably been polished parquet or lino in the black and white chequerboard design.  These would then be overlaid with large rugs, often circular, featuring a geometric or abstract pattern.

Walls would have been quite plain and glossy and metallic fabrics would complement the chrome and glass furniture.  Accessories were kept to a minimum with one or two very strong pieces rather than the clutter so beloved of the Victorians.

It’s a look that still works well today and it’s easy to recreate it in your own home.  Here are some of our favourite pieces:

 

 

1. Chair from www.made.com
2. Art deco rug from www.frithrugs.co.uk
3. Cushion from www.dupenny.com
4. 1920s mirror from www.mirrorworld.co.uk
5. statue from www.artdecoexpress.co.uk
6. Circular rug from www.frithrugs.co.uk