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.