Los Angeles interior designer Madeline Stuart has expanded the realm of her ventures with the introduction of a contemporary rug collection for Aga John.
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Trained as an artist, Stuart developed a taste for decorating interiors while working with her mother, an interior designer, and ten years ago she started her own firm. Since then she has continually sought to explore different avenues for her own designs, recently launching a line of furniture manufactured by James Jennings and inspired by the streamlined look of early-20th century European design.
Stuart's silk-and-wool rugs for Aga John are hand-woven in Tibet. The natural vegetable dyes used to color the threads produce slightly uneven shading throughout the rug. Stuart appreciates the variation in texture and color found in the rugs, considering the minor inconsistencies as evidence of the art of craftsmanship. "I like to show a human hand in the process," she says.
Her palette is a blend of "rich, yet subdued" yellowish greens, mauves, light browns and grays. The designer views these colors as a practical alternative to beige, and she envisions her rugs as playing a "neutral role" and contributing to the harmony of a space. For Stuart, whose interiors tend to be airy and spare, the collection is about subtlety in design, color and texture. Utilizing simple motifs, such as the recognizable Greek key or a basic botanical pattern, she has successfully combined traditional design elements and materials with a contemporary spin.
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May 2012
