Child's Play

I don't have children, but when I do, you can guarantee they'll know their interiors inside out.

It's something that my parents instilled in me (along with being able to spell, good manners etc) a long time ago - in fact being brought up in a house where the folks always seemed to be decorating is probably why I ended up being an interiors journalist.

They trusted my judgement too: at the tender age of eight, I informed them the tiles they had chosen for the new kitchen were "yucky" and they were duly pulled from the walls...

Nowadays, our tastes are a little different although the one thing we always seem to agree on is paint colour.

Let's face it, there's a lot of kid's stuff around that is "yucky" - cartoon character wallpaper really gets my goat as does cutesy patterns and the ridiculous pink is for girls, blue is for boys rule.

So, it's great to find there are interiors companies out there doing right by budding interior designers.

Take The Great Little Trading Company for instance (available at Furnish), have got their finger on the pulse when it comes to little ones.

I simply adore the Union Jack rug (essential for any budding Mod) and the Playroom Numbers rug is stylish and educational too.

So, if you want your kiddiwinks to be the envy of all their mates, I suggest you start creating a room they'll be proud of...

Lovely Leather

No this isn't a giant coaster or place mat, it is in fact a rather lovely leather rug from Zara Home. 

Now, I quite like leather rugs (if you could see the mess I've already made of my new wool one - you'd understand why) they're practical, easy to look after (ok until someone drops a glass of wine on them) and I like the contrast of making something soft out of a relatively hard material. 

I had a leather rug once. Well, it was suede actually, a large shaggy beast that I delighted fellow commuters with by carrying it home on the bus during a really bad tube strike. 

Unfortunately, it had to go, apparently it left dust over everyone's black trousers and I swear I almost cried when it got binned (this is how emotional I get about interiors peeps) 

This one however, would not be leaving dust or fluff on an trousers.  I adore its simple design and hand-crafted style - to me it kinda looks like one of those giant Moroccan pouffes that has been squashed or had the top cut off. 

Anyway, it would look great in my flat which means less procrastinating on Twitter, Facebook, checking the weather every two seconds and back to securing some freelance work...

Mother Nature

Of all my three blogs, this is the hardest one. 

Chairs are a breeze, cushions a push over, but finding stylish rugs, well, it's tricky. 

Just Google rugs and you'll see what I mean. Sure, there are plenty of rug companies, there are plenty of rugs but are they all beautiful? No. Are they all stylish? No. Are some of them even passable? Er, no. 

It's a shame, it's a real shame but then just when you think there's no point, you come across a company like Angela Adams. 

Angela Adams is an American company based in Maine and their rugs are sublime. 

So absolutely simple in their design but beautiful and elegant. And much like our very own Clarissa Hulse (please start doing rugs Clarissa) the designers at Angela Adams take their inspiration from nature. 

My personal favourite is this Birch in Morning, I love the colours and simple design. But there are plenty others to choose from and I'm sure this won't be the last we see of Angela Adam's rugs...

Sheep Dip

I've found it. At last, I've found it. I've found the perfect rug. 

Although, I'm placing a bet on myself that I say that a few hundred times on this blog, but for now, I've found the perfect one. 

I've always liked the idea of having an Aran jumper, although having never bought one, this rug is a sure fire winner. 

It's designed by Christien Meindertsma, whose inspiration was in fact said Aran jumper. Strange that! 

I love that it's got a real handmade feel to it (probably something to do with the fact it is hand knitted...) and that it took the wool of 18, yes 18 Merino sheep to make it. 

And I also love the fact it looks so cosy, so welcoming. It makes you want to lie down on it rather than sit on the sofa. No? Well. maybe that's just me...

Bespoke Beauties

A short while ago, I vented my anger at not being able to find the perfect rug. 

Well, I'm really pleased because I've stumbled upon a company that means the end to all that dithering. 

On three consecutive trips to Ikea, I frustrated my boyfriend almost to distraction. There I stood in the rug department at Ikea (which it has to be said looks a little shoddy at 9pm) huffing and puffing that "this one is perfect but too expensive" "that one is really nice but not the right colour" etc etc. 

At one point, I asked said boyfriend what he thought of a particularly shaggy, white one - his answer? "It looks like a dog" 

I took that as a no. 

But you won't encounter these problems with Made To Measure Rugs. 

Not only can you pick from a wide range of colours and sizes to create a bespoke plain rug but you can also change the colours in their main collection. 

Neat or what?

My pick is this gorgeous feather rug. What colours would you choose? 

Big Is Beautiful

I really, really love big rugs, ones that almost fill a room and create a cosy carpet against the backdrop of hard flooring. 

What I love even more is rugs with large, graphic prints, a kind of wallpaper for the floor if you like. 

So, I was really pleased to find Florence Broadhurst's rugs at Knots Rugs. 

I love this design, with its massive flowers, beautiful colours and distinctive 1920s feel. 

Florence Broadhurst was an extraordinary woman and I urge you to read about her here, it's the sort of biog that leaves you feeling exhausted but full of admiration. 

I get the feeling I'll be featuring a lot more designs from Knots Rugs as they're showcasing some phenomenal talent, so watch this space...

Fake It

I've always had a bit of an issue with those animal skin rugs you see EVERYWHERE. I fully admit they look striking and glamourous and everything but, well, I just can't get over the fact having one means you have a dead animal on your floor. 

Which is why it was good to find this rug by Missoni Home. 

They've give the idea of having an animal hide on your floor a great twist. 

They've kept the traditonal shape of an animal skin but made it a much more colourful affair by using mutli-coloured stripes to replicate the pattern of a zebra. 

I think this is much better idea. After all, you want to feel comfortable when walking on a rug, not guilty about treading on what was once a beautiful beast roaming the land. 

Zig and Zag

Yesterday, I lamented the fact I'd been struggling to find a suitable rug. 

Well it would appear, for the time being, my search is over. 

I love this rug from the SS09 collection at Marks & Spencer. Proving that despite the British high street being in decline, it still knows a thing or two about style. 

I love the pattern, I love the colours and I love the fact that it's 100% wool and affordable. 

I was forced to acknowledge the effect this evil recession is having on interiors the other day after homes magazines in particular have suffered in the last six months. 

But you know what? People still need to make their homes looks nice , so it's important they can still buy affordable, attractive products. 

Rug Shopping

I would have never believed it but rug shopping is a fairly traumatic process. 

In fact, I put in on a par with shopping for an outfit for a wedding - you know what I mean. You have exactly what you want in your head but try as you might you can't find it anywhere. 

Much like buying a new dress, rugs are either too expensive, too cheap (and they look it), too big, too small, not the right colour and generally don't tickle your fancy. 

It's a crying shame that the UK version of Urban Outfitters have limited their interior stock to be just that, limited because our friends across the pond have got a much better deal. 

Urban Outfitters (and that's a link to the US site by the way) have got an array of homewares including a positively mind boggling choice of rugs. 

I love this Giant Drops one. I love the retro pattern that kinda gets you thinking, is it may just a bit too 70s? 

So until Urban Outfitters UK sort out their act, I'll be wistfully dreaming of a rug haven...

My Old Deer

Through the amazing power of Twitter (follow me @alextoso) I'm following more American design blogs than you can shake a stick at. 

It's all good though, I'm finding out about design companies I've never heard of and picking up loads of tips and ideas. 

One of the design companies I've come across is Twinkle Living.  And what a lovely company it is. Started by Wenlan Chia, it does fashion too but what really caught my eye was Wenlan's whimsical interiors accessories. 

Like for instance, this antler head rug. I've always kinda thought that antler heads are really impressive, very majestic but never wanted part of a dead deer on my wall (if you're even thinking about this - go to Richmond Park and I bet you all the money in the world you'll change your mind) 

With this beautiful rug, I don't have to. 

Like Pebbles On A Beach

I'm slightly worried that the heads to my posts always seem to be song titles. 

But I just couldn't not resist using Paul Weller's classic for this rug (from Eco Age) , it seemed so appropriate and just popped into my mind. 

I admit it might not be to everyones liking (and it comes with a hefty price tag to boot) but I think it's really clever. 

Made up of 100% wool "pebbles" which are then stitched to a base, it makes me think Brighton Beach. 

All I'm wondering is just how comfortable is it to walk on...

Birds Of A Feather

It would appear despite my attempts to wean myself off the amazing Thomas Paul, I've failed miserably. 

I set myself a rule when I started these blogs: You must not feature too many products from one designer/manufacturer. 

And while I've almost stuck to this religiously, my downfall is definitely Thomas Paul. 

First, his wonderfully cute Russian doll cushion, then his Seahorse design and most recently his Seed rug. 

Well, I apologise but I just had to show off (are you allowed to show something off when it's not your design?) Thomas's Feather rug. 

I love the vibrant purple and peacock feather design which combined make for a truly beautiful rug. 

Right, now I've promised myself that I'll try not to visit the Thomas Paul website and have deleted the URL from my favourites bar - trouble is there's this well-known thing called Google and I'm not sure what to do if I find myself starting to type Thom...

Punked Up

Q: When does a rug become a work of art? 

A: When it's been created by one of most successful and revered fashion designers of our time. 

I love this rug, it's by Vivienne Westwood for The Rug Company. 

But hang on a minute,  imagine what someone would think if you told them you'd just bought a Union Jack rug. 

Personally, if someone told me that, I'd imagine brash, bold, full-on colour and would be slightly concerned. But if they told me, they'd bought this rug, now that would be a different matter. 

I adore its faded glamour, the way it looks almost like a watercolour canvass. 

Sadly, I don't have the pennies for it at the moment but it's definitely going on my wish list, with all the cushions and chairs. 

Wow, that wish list is fast resembling a wish book...

Spell It Out

Ok, so two rug posts in one day but i just couldn't resist blogging about this one. 

John Pour Home is a great design company that manufacture word and sayings rugs. 

I like this Make Yourself At Home design, what could be a warmer welcome for your guests and you after a hard days work? 

You can choose from a variety of designs including Welcome and Home Sweet Home or if you're feeling really creative, you can design your own. 

What a great idea, all that's left now is for me to decide what mine would say. 

C'est La Vie is top of my list right now or perhaps even a simple Rugs, Rugs, Rugs...

Zig Zag

Wow, the rugs blog certainly has a colourful theme to it at the moment. 

I've long been an admirer of Missoni (ok, so I can't afford their clothes, well I can't afford their homewares either but I can covet them) and found this rug on interiors website Amara. 

It's classic Missoni colours and pattern and will sure bring a boring room to life. 

Actually, I do have a Missoni cushion and towels, but seeing though they were all press gifts, looks like I'll be saving those pennies before I can get one of these beauties. 

Multicoloured Dream

I love a bit of colour, in fact, in all this doom and gloom, I think we could all do with a little bit more colour. 

I'm even thinking of breaking my number one rule when it comes to decorating and thinking of having something else than a neutral putty colour for my soon-to-be decorated dining room. 

Shock, horror, I'm contemplating one wall (just one mind) painted in a different colour. There's no telling how long it will take me to decide on aforementioned colour, but I think we can safely say there will be lots of A4 painted sheets of paper hanging on the wall while I try and decide. 

Choosing a colour was clearly a problem for the designer of this rug too; so they didn't, they just included the lot. 

The rug is from Hay (which is fast becoming a favourite of mine -remember the Prince chair?) and I really love it, not just because it is complete contrast to my safe and plain new brown rug but because it also looks like a million multicoloured gobstoppers have been sewn together...

...and in my book that's rather fun!

Top Seed

I kinda feel like I'm cheating a bit today but hey it's a gorgeous rug. 

It's by Thomas Paul and having already blogged about his Seahorse cushion today, I've broken my cardinal sin of using the same designer/shop/supplier twice in one day. 

Anyway, I'm going to gloss over this...

...because I just love this rug so much. 

Called Seed, you can clearly see what Thomas has taken his inspiration from and it would seem that nature often provides the simplest yet most effective designs. 

Available in this olive green and cream or chocolate and cream and as a round, rectangular and runner shape, I'll take one of each...

Monochrome Magic

Yesterday, I blogged about the boundaries between fashion and interiors blurring; well, it's not just designers like Paul Smith and Vivienne Westwood helping us make our homes beautiful, it's the high street too. 

Zara is a well recognised fashion store in most city and towns and has become a popular part of the UK's shopping habits. 

But did you know they also do home wares? Well, they do and they're good at it too. 

This Beam rug has a definite nod to Art Deco style and monochrome never goes out of fashion, making it a great buy. 

Check out the rest of their cushions, accessories and tableware at Zara Home.

Satorial Elegance

You might recognise this rug pattern and that's because it's Paul Smith's famous stripes. 

I've talked before about the fashion and interiors cross over, chairs by Orla Keily, lighting for Oli by Maria Grachvogel and bedlinen by Lulu Guiness, not to mention Designers at Debenhams and the merry band of fashion designers getting creative for the home, including John Rocha and Jasper Conran

The boundary is constantly blurring and I, for one, applaud it - if checks feature heavily on the catwalks one season, you can guarantee you see them in the home too. 

So it's no surprise that those savvy people at The Rug Company have got some of the coolest and most influential fashion designers around to design rugs for them. 

There's the grande dame of design, Vivienne Westwood, Alice Temperly and of course Sir Paul.

Much like their clothes, these rugs don't come cheap but then again much like their clothes, you're getting a work of art, not just a rug. 

Walking On Flowers

You might know already know of Tord Boontje, he's the Dutch design maestro that was responsible for giving us delights such as the Until Dawn curtain and beautifully patterned china and glassware. 

He's also designed this rug Little Field of Flowers for design company Nanimarquina, which until recently I couldn't decide if I liked or not. 

Well now I have and I do like it (durr of course I do otherwise it wouldn't be on the blog) 

The rug is has been made to feel just like, you guessed it, a field of flowers and has been made by attaching felt flower shapes to the backing fabric. 

Available in four colourways, I'm actually quite taken with it now...

Mantra Of The Moment

Ok, I know we've all seen the Keep Calm and Carry On products; what seemed to start off as a little secret rapidly descended into, well, in my opinion overkill. 

"I'll scream" I thought "if I see another KCACO poster in an interiors magazine" 

Don't get me wrong, it's not that  I don't  like them, it's just they became a bit much. 

However, it would seem, I'm going to have to eat my words...

...because, I love this rug from Pedlars and what a great way to give your guests a friendly welcome while dispensing some helpful advice? 

Felt Fancy

I've already expressed my love for felt when blogging about Selina Rose's gorgeous felt cushions and wanted to show you her stunning rugs. 

This one is called Botanica, which uses bright pink felt with an intricate cut-out design. 

Also in the collection, is Selina's Bloom range which also features a rug. This time, Selina has used grey felt and added a pretty, cut-out border. 

I love them because of their colour, choice of fabric (can't beat a bit of felt) and their intricate design. 

Petal Power

Ok, so here we go with my new blog and the first post. 

Not surprisingly my the first post is about an Orla Kiely rug which she has produced for her interiors collection at Heal's 

Don't be surprised if you recognise the print: It's Orla's classic Stem print which features so heavily on her clothes, bags and cushions. 

I love the colours it she's used and the simple, yet really effective design. 

Try using it in a neutral room to add colour or why not pick out one or two of the colours to use as accents in your scheme.