Natural-fibre statement rugs are right on trend as families in lockdown look to add colour and comfort to rooms
- Rugs are an inexpensive way to change the look of a room by adding colour, texture and comfort, and they can help define an open-plan living space
- Geometric patterns are on trend, as are rugs made using a mix of natural fibres, including Tencel from wood pulp; if microbes worry you, buy pure wool rugs
When Hong Kong went into semi-lockdown earlier this year, interior designer Aviva Duncan worried her work would dry up. Quite the opposite: confined to their homes, people wanted to make comforting changes.
As designers and their clients discussed what was to be done, there was always a request for a beautiful rug. Confined to home herself, with social engagements and kids’ ferrying duties curbed, Duncan took the opportunity to design her debut rug collection.
Rugs are the one essential piece of home decor – a perennial, rather than a trend – says the Australian-born, Hong Kong-based designer. “I’d always wanted to do a collection, and now I finally had time,” she says.
Using her existing manufacturer, Duncan put together a portfolio of five designs in her signature bold geometric prints, crafted in pure New Zealand wool. The collection, sold online, can be customised in terms of sizing.
Rugs add texture and comfort to a space, and are “a fantastic value item to change up a room”, she says. Comparing bang for buck with, say, an expensive sofa, rugs are an inexpensive way to make a room look glamorous, Duncan says. They add colour, especially to counter the drab brown parquetry flooring found in many Hong Kong homes.