Why My Rug Has a Plotline
Confessions of a pattern maximalist.
Three of the things I love most in this world are my dogs, my family, and printed fabrics. (They shift, but they usually go in that order.) Don’t get me wrong. I love a solid color curtain. But make it paisleys and I gasp. Make it brightly colored paisleys and I turn into that gif of Jonah Hill that comes up when you search “excited”.
And, look, it’s not just paisleys. It’s many kinds of patterns, in many sizes, and in every possible color. I love patterns because I love life.
There’s a rug in my house that tells the story of a galaxy far, far away. Literal Star Wars scenes woven into the floor. And no, it doesn’t look out of place. The scenes blend in beautifully in my living room, they’re not kitschy or childish, and, most importantly, they make me happy.
The aforementioned Star Wars rug, courtesy of ruggable.com. (Although, sadly, no longer in stock. Proof that joy has a waitlist.)
I love patterns because I love life.
I WANT Star Wars on my living room floor. Just like I want the R2-D2 wrap on my Instant Pot and my Darth Vader driver headcover. I’m not interested in hiding who I am. I want those things front and center. (Added bonus: the Star Wars rug is washable. Comes in handy when some of the creatures I love most challenge my ability to love them.)
People ask me if bold wallpaper is a phase. Well, maybe, but so is gray. And unlike gray, you can pick wallpaper that will represent YOU for the rest of your life. Put it on the ceilings. Wrap your powder room in something that would make your grandma gasp. Let the walls talk back a little. They’re bored. Give them something to shout about.
This week I had the immense pleasure of spending some time with Maud Duggan of Union Place Interiors. She introduced me to the deliciously whimsical patterns from Mind The Gap, and my heart actually skipped a beat. There were colors. Swirls. Dreamy landscapes. Velvet with attitude. I felt like I needed to sit down. Preferably on an armchair upholstered in Royal Garden Green Velvet.
You can even get golden retrievers on your curtains if you want. And no, you should not apologize for that. They’re YOUR curtains. Your home should be dressed for the personality you actually have, not the one your realtor thinks photographs well.
Royal Garden Green Velvet fabric from Mind The Gap.
Textiles and textures are the fastest way to bring soul into a space. They reflect culture, memory, fantasy, and your sense of humor, if you let them. A perfectly upholstered chair in the right pattern? That’s a mic drop. That’s charisma.
So go ahead. Mix your velvets with your linens, your zebra with your ikat. Layer the drama. Let the space tell your story (and ideally include a plot twist).
And if you start to second-guess yourself? Drop us a line. We’ll find the fabric company that gives you the same transcendental experience I had this week. And we’ll remind you, over and over: whatever brings you joy is never too much.