Today I want your gut reaction to a design. This time, its Gan-Rugs’ Long Sleeves Rug. From the Mangas carpet collection designed by Patricia Urquiola. Long Sleeves and its sister rugs shown here feature stripes of varied texture and color. Click on images to see more detail. Do the rugs make you feel warm and cozy all over? Tell us what you think. Read more »

Choices for Your Baby’s Room by Sherri Blum Today I am thrilled to welcome our HomeWorkshop.com Nursery and Kids Room Design Expert and Contributor, Sherri Blum. A pioneer specialist for children’s-room interior design, Sherri’s designs for celebrities, and for the baby next door. — Expectant parents are very enthusiastic about decorating their baby’s nursery. They’re busily preparing a warm, beautiful, and safe little haven for […] Read more »

There’s a trend afoot: Rugs that celebrate the handmade are making a comeback. Like lovingly pieced patchwork quilts, traditionally crafted carpets bring nostalgia and comfort to uncertain times. Hand-hooked wool, raggy braids, and woven recycled textiles—rugs your grandma would love—add a party of saturated color, and the warmth of nubby texture to your space. It’s an Etsy shopping day today—enjoy our handcrafted rug finds from […] Read more »

by Diana Durkes Today let’s work some DIY magic with our furniture and accessories makeover specialist, Contributor Diana Durkes. Diana gives “New Life to the Tossed and Found” at her blog, Fine Diving in Chicago. — Not that anybody asked me, but in my opinion, crafters are geniuses. They take often overlooked bits of things, parts big and small, and put them together in the […] Read more »

by GraceAnn Simoni Once again, today we are joined by Contributor GraceAnn Simoni, Interior Redesign and Staging Specialist and Instructor from the Chicagoland area. GraceAnn shares with us budget tips and advice for decorating with your existing furniture and accessories. — With all the hardwood, laminate, tile, cork and other eco–friendly flooring being installed in homes, I thought now would be a good time to […] Read more »

Today I want your reaction to the innovative Cut it out! rugs from UK product designer Marina Ralph. Ralph designed the 100% wool felt rugs with perforated lines for decoration, and to allow the buyer to adjust the rug’s size and shape to fit the room. Rug a little too big? Want to move it from your den to a smaller bedroom? Snip away. Does […] Read more »

NOTCOT’s story raced across the blogosphere like wildfire. You see, the folks at The Standard Grill in New York’s Standard Hotel covered their floor with a mosaic of thousands of pennies. It’s just not a common sight. I decided that rather than a straight report on The Standard’s floor, instead we should use it for inspiration for our next Challenge. Heck, we can cover things […] Read more »

Think early American homes were without vibrant color? Nope. “As odd as this may seem now, people in the 19th century were infatuated with color,” said artist Lisa Mair of Canvasworks Floorcloths. “When paint was made available in new, exciting colors, they went all out and used it wherever they could.” As part of an ongoing effort to accurately recreate the interior appearance of the […] Read more »

Big news from our friends over at FLOR, the eco-Tetris of carpets. Flor opens its first retail store tomorrow (Friday, June 19) in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood at 1873 N. Clybourn Ave. The modular carpet tile specialists, based just outside Chicago in Elmhurst, has sold its mix-and-match carpets online since the spring of 2003. Company spokesperson Gina Forst said, “North/Clybourn is a great shopping district […] Read more »

Say goodbye to bland area rugs. Break out your paints and plan a custom shag from Home Decorators Collection. The Revolution Rugs are available in 20 graphic designs, 12 yarn colors, and 28 sizes from a narrow runner to a 12-foot square. Choosing colors isn’t as simple as it should be. Home Decorator’s interface for the rugs shows only the design and separately the swatches […] Read more »