Flooring

edited by Karen D. Singh -- Interior Design, 7/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Norguet Nouveau

Patrick Norguet has already scored a place in the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art and boasts blue-chip corporate clients such as Renault and Jean Paul Gaultier. This Designer Carpets line shows why. Claudine, with its oval white outlines on an orange ground, and Module, a take on the circle-in-a-square theme, will satisfy your taste for graphic design. Meanwhile, the scissoring colored lines of Swing—available in lime, tomato, and chocolate—might whet your appetite all over again. The hand-tufted wool rugs come in four standard sizes, plus custom ones. Dig in! 6 Palmstrasse, 79539 Lorrach, Germany; 49-7-621-162-261-0; designercarpets.com. circle 348

Danskina

Rugs from this shop are intended as much for the eye as for the foot. Knot, a loose weave that looks like bootlaces, is handwoven polypropylene. Dune's undulating rows of felt stand out in white, red, and six other bold shades. The soft shag of Lino is hand-tufted from linen, in one of 24 colors. Papyra, a wool-paper blend, comes in 12 colors. P.O. Box 2106, 1000 CC Amsterdam, Netherlands; 31-20-419-85-86; danskina.com. circle 349

Pachamama

Escudo, Planet, and Viking handmade leather tiles have leather studs, too—and the feel ranges from minimal-modern to ancient. Harvest and Dedalus Fango, on the other hand, are unambiguously ethnic. All measure approximately 6 inches square. 1-ZI Via Quinta Strada, 36071 Arzignano (Vicenza), Italy; 39-0444-451514; pacha-mama.net. circle 350

Garden of the Senses

Whether she's making jewelry or rugs, Rosemary Hallgarten is all about tactility. The Peruvian line, for instance, includes Rivulet, a scrumptious double-pile shag weave in gold on red, and Crocodile Pink, an animal pattern in an alpaca-wool blend. Then there's the refined Tibetan line, featuring Falling Leaf in coral and gold silk relief over wheat-colored wool. Available as runners, too. 1 Simms Street, 250, San Rafael, CA 94901; 415-456-2588; rosemaryhallgarten.com. circle 351

Tibetano

Resembling a painter's daubs on canvas, Shahram Nazar and Heidy Garay's impressionistic, tonal Wizard shimmers with Indian silk accents on a Tibetan wool ground. Available in sand as well as slate and ruby. 1 Grand Avenue, Englewood, NJ 07631; 800-995-5784; tibetano.com. circle 352

Rug Company

Giddyap, pardner. It's a retro ride when 1970's pop meets the Old West in Cowhide Flower Multi, part of the Contemporary collection. The leather rug also comes in all-white and all-brown. Available in 6-by-9-foot, 7-by-10-foot, 9-by-12-foot, or custom sizes. 8202 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046; 323-653-0303; therugcompany.info. circle 353

LG Floors

Get back to nature—sort of. Naturelife Rustic durable vinyl flooring, available in a 6-foot width on 50-yard rolls, mimics aged hardwood floors, minus the intensive care. Antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-fuss but definitely pro-designer. Innovision Flooring, 18 Sidney Circle, Kenilworth, NJ 07033; 888-291-9903; lgflooring.com. circle 354

Chilewich

Create a crazy quilt with Plynyl, 18-inch-square woven-vinyl tiles backed by heavy-duty vinyl. Big Stripes, Small Stripes, and Basketweave patterns are available in earthy shades of hay, graphite, tobacco, and linen. 44 East 32nd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016; 212-679-9204; plynyl.com. circle 355

Brintons

Texture adds interest to Polka, a grid of dots, while Adagio is a medium-scale sawtooth pattern. Both wool-nylon blends are commercial-grade carpets from the Performing Art series, and both come in custom natural colorways. Building 200, Suite 200, 1000 Cobb Place Boulevard, Kennesaw, GA 30144; 678-594-9300; brintonsusa.com. circle 356

Bentley Prince Street

City Center owes its richness to Antron's Brilliance nylon. Piece-dyed for this particular carpet, the fibers lend themselves to virtually any construction. Plus, the hollow filaments help hide dirt. Brilliant! 14641 East Don Julian Road, City of Industry, CA 91746; 800-423-4709; bentleyprincestreet.com. circle 357

Madeline Weinrib Atelier

An elegantly simple floral carpet, Endless was commissioned by the Art Production Fund. Made of industrial-grade nylon, the 12-foot-wide roll can be cut and bound to size or installed wall-to-wall. Choose between blue-and-olive or black-and-white. ABC Carpet & Home, 888 Broadway, New York, NY 10003; 212-473-3000; madelineweinrib.com. circle 358

Vicki Simon

The Depths series translates the ink sketches of naive artist Tate Cohrs into high-pile, felted wool—a two-tone palette enhances the designs' startling quality. Angry Fish measures 4 feet square; Food Chain is 3 by 5 feet. 442 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94102; 800-400-6636; rugsbyvickisimon.com. circle 359

Amorim Industrial Solutions

AcoustiCork underlayment not only eliminates the sound of those tap dancers upstairs but also boasts the thinnest profile and lowest installed cost per square foot among sound-control products for hard-surface flooring. Add cork's inherent greenness, and what's not to love? 26112 110th Street, Trevor, WI 53179; 800-255-2675; acousticork.com. circle 360

Rug Star

Jürgen Dahlmanns cites Malibu's "lucent ambience" and "beach colors" as sources for the pinks and oranges in his California collection. But he felt free to mix his Pacific Rim references: Witness the Asian dragon of No. 1 CopperStrawberry, made of Tibetan wool and silk. 4 Mulackstrasse, 10119 Berlin, Germany; 49-30-666-683-15; rugstar.com. circle 361

Top Floor UK

Esti Barnes's Enigma draws on the mystique of city nights and neon lights. As with all her rugs, texture features prominently. The tangle of fuchsia, orange, and melon lines gets extra oomph from a beveled pile. Available in any color or size. 411-413 The Chambers, Chelsea Harbour Design Centre, London SW10 0XF, U.K.; 44-20-7795-3333; topfloorrugs.com. circle 362

Michaelian & Kohlberg

Meet me at the casbah. The Marrakech collection's intricately hand-knotted carpets marry both pile and soumak flat-weaving techniques. Arcade's yellow and orange silk highlights contrast with wool in saturated red. Standard dimensions are 8 by 10 feet. Custom sizes offered. 225 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022; 212-431-9009; michaelian.com. circle 363

Peddada

With raised circles and ovals that create "islands" in the pile, the Tex-Mix line's Isles makes for cheerful and tactile modernism. Shown in emerald green and Chicago gray, at 6 by 9 feet. Custom dimensions and colors available. 508 East Lincoln Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018; 847-298-3611; peddada.com. circle 364

TibetSydney

Diki Ongmo and Tim Linkins's rugs are inspired by Ongmo's Tibetan homeland. They're handwoven by artisans in Kathmandu, with custom colors and sizes shipped in eight to 12 weeks. Timeless, a raised floral, suggests grandmother's damask—with an edge. 22 Queen Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2025, Australia; 612-9363-2588; tibetsydney.com. circle 365

Loophouse

A series of custom hand-tufted wool rugs, Enchanted Garden blooms just in time for high summer. Abstract lily pads float above the asymmetrical curves of Suiren. (That's Japanese for water lily.) Designtex, 200 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014; 800-221-1540; loophouse.com. circle 366

Mafi

This eco-friendly Austrian company's line of heat-treated woods has grown with the introduction of two-layer plank flooring in oak, ash, and maple. Chemical lacquers are verboten. Instead, the wood is finished with renewable linseed-based oils, which harden the wood and allow it to breathe. Aah! P.O. Box 6944, Suite 100, Avon, CO 81620; 888-623-4872; mafiusa.com. circle 367

Woven Accents

A pattern based on a medieval Celtic ornament, Shannon is the ninth design in a collection of custom mixed-textured carpets: Knotted-pile and soumak weaving techniques create a 3-D effect. Produced in both standard and custom sizes, in any color combination. 525 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048; 800-222-7847; wovenonline.com. circle 368

Kasthall

Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg takes a trip to Kongo. Whispering of Africa, these hand-tufted rugs owe their shimmer to a combination of wool and flax in varying pile heights. Dimensions are about 5 1/2 by 8 feet. 969 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022; 212-421-0220; kasthall.com. circle 369

Porro

SoHo, an abstract map of New York's downtown district, belongs to a fittingly fashionable collection by Interior Design Hall of Fame member Piero Lissoni. To produce the rugs, Sardinian craftsmen hand-loom virgin wool from local sheep. 35 Via per Cantù, 22060 Montesolaro, Italy; 39-031-780237; porro.com. circle 370

Patterson, Flynn & Martin

A driving vacation in Ireland inspired designer Matthew Patrick Smyth—and Cashel is the result. The wool rug's Aubusson weave combines with a hand-knotted cut pile to recall the intricate metalwork of the Emerald Isle's patterned gates to secret gardens. Comes in three colorways. 12 West 57th Street, Suite 704, New York, NY 10019; 212-333-5353; matthewsmyth.com. circle 371

Marc Phillips Decorative Rugs

Moderne oozes up-to-the-minute chic—despite the line's pedigree in Afghanistan, where carpets are an ancient art. Whether they boast symmetrical wavy lines or organic circles, the more than 50 designs available are all woven from Ghazni wool. 979 Third Avenue, Suite 211, New York, NY 10022; 212-752-4275; marcphillipsrugs.com. circle 372

Studio11

Baby paisleys in khaki shower over the black ground of Cashmere. Handcrafted in Nepal from pure wool, at 60 knots per square inch, the rug can be ordered in almost any dimension or color imaginable. Denis Colomb Lifestyle, 1711 Sargent Place, Los Angeles, CA 90026; 213-250-1711; deniscolomb.com. circle 373

Fall in Line

Take your lead from Van Der Hurd Studio's lighthearted 20-piece Follow the Drops collection. The round Playful Pearls, available in custom sizes, calls to mind children's beads strewn over a nursery floor. Dew Drops's widely spaced streams of silk drops and tiny circles lend sparkle to a ground of New Zealand wool. The solid icy-gray ground of Ribbed brings serenity; the only accents are a gray border with gold piping. Four Leaf Clover introduces structure while still keeping with the collection's predominant misty palette of blue and green. Lovely. 260 Fifth Avenue, Suite 11S, New York, NY 10001; 212-213-6541; vanderhurdstudio.com. circle 374

Columbia Commercial Flooring

A new division of this forest-products company has launched a line of flooring, and, well, we're floored. The engineered hardwoods—oak, maple, pecan, and exotic African species—are available in a variety of handsome hand-sculpted planks. For solid planks, select from three different widths including 3/4-inch oak, maple, and hickory or special 5/8-inch bamboo. 100 Maxine Road, Danville, VA 24541; 888-549-0599; specifycolumbia.com. circle 375

Galbraith & Paul

Having mastered lighting and textiles, this manufacturer ventures into rugs with nine designs, including Branch. An abstraction of natural forms in hand-tufted New Zealand wool and silk, the pattern riffs on the interplay of positive and negative space. Colorways and sizes are custom. 116 Shurs Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19127; 215-508-0800; galbraithandpaul.com. circle 376

Space Downtown

Swedish fashion illustrator Liselotte Watkins brings her eye for pop to the world of custom rugs. Her hand-loomed wool Lucretia has bright red-and-tawny shag-adelic whorls. Dottie features—you guessed it—a grid of dots in varying shades of brown. 276 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001; 212-352-9968; spacedowntown.com. circle 377

Johnsonite

Gone are the days of pulling off chunks of wall with a damaged base, then having to patch the hole. The rePlace demountable base system forgoes adhesives—instead, it slides on a track. This elegant solution is available in three profiles. 16910 Munn Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023; 800-899-8916; johnsonite.com. circle 378