kpvxl To Jürgen Dahlmanns, contemporary carpet designer and founder of the Berlin-based brand Rug Star, a rug is never just a rug. “It’s the most liberal form of creating a space within a space without erecting obstacles,” he says. After completing his architecture degree, Jürgen’s life changed when he checked out Nepal at the age of 23 and stumbled upon a beautiful Tibetan rug. After years of studying the art of hand-crafted rugs, Jürgen well established Rug stars in 2002. considering that then, he’s opened retail stores in Germany and Beijing and sold his designs to many outposts around the world, including Weavers Art in Toronto. We sat down with the rug expert to get his recommendations on how to purchase the best rug.
Q: What is the benefit of purchasing a high quality, hand-knotted rug?
A: “People get a lot of viscose carpets, and cotton can’t age. but if you have a wool or silk carpet, the carpet gets nicer when you walk on it, because it creates a second layer of patina.”
Q: What are some policies to follow when decorating with rugs?
A: “You can use rugs to create architecture within an interior. other pieces of furniture don’t have the ability to define space like rugs do. To create a dining room, for example, all you need to do is put a rug under a dining table to make it feel like a separate space.”
Q: What’s your recommendations for choosing a rug that’s the ideal size for your space?
A: “If you put a big carpet in a small room, the room appears bigger. A tiny thing in a tiny rooms gives off the impression that everything is tiny. putting a big thing in a small room is rich.”
Q: There’s a lot of color in your designs. What are your ideas for decorating with colorful rugs?
A: “Colorful carpets can create a special atmosphere within a space. It’s all about contrast, so sometimes, I’ll do a dark rug, such as vintage persian rugs, in a light corner, or a bright rug in a small space.”
Q: What’s a sign of a good quality rug?
A: “I always think the way a carpet is able to reflect fear, light and emotion figures out its quality. If a carpet is able to reflect the changing atmosphere around it, and looks beautiful in both the morning and in the evening, in the summer and in the winter, then it need to be a really good carpet.”