I’ve been accused of only liking seagrass for floor coverings and that really is not true. Yes, I do think seagrass is a perfect material – it’s very inexpensive, it adds wonderful texture and color, and it’s tremendously low maintenance - pet stains and spills are easily cleaned up. But, seagrass is not the most comfortable floor covering, I’ll admit, and sometimes a room just calls for the subtle pattern and color that only a more traditional area rug can give.
My favorite area rugs are antique oushaks, but the reproductions can also be fabulous and much more affordable. I also love dhurris, especially striped ones (as in blue and white, of course!) What I really don’t care for are the oriental red and navy blue rugs that we all grew up with and still have, mostly inherited from our grannies. The red and navy rugs worked great when we all decorated in jewel tones or we had that famous red dining room. But, decor has lightened up and area rugs had to change their colors to keep up with the softer design themes. Today, these reproduction area rugs are available in light beiges and ivories with patterns that are sometimes barely discernable. To achieve an authentic looking reproduction, these rugs are dyed, tea stained, and some are even shaved with electric razors to achieve faux worn areas.
One of Houston’s premier rug dealers is Matt Camron Rugs & Tapestries. Owned by Matt Esfahni, the company opened its doors in 1980 in the tony River Oaks area. Today, their showrooms are found in Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Scottsdale and in the Nancy Corzine showrooms in L.A. and NYC. Matt is an expert in rugs and his product is used in many upscale projects throughout the United States.
Recently two large design projects in Houston used Matt Camron rugs extensively – and I was lucky to obtain some beautiful professional photographs to share with you. The first set of photos come from the Pink Ribbon House in Houston, a popular showcase that benefits breast cancer research at Baylor College of Medicine. The second large project was the Houston house in House Beautiful recently: the work of Babs Watkins, Julie Watkins and Eleanor Cummings. I shared a few pictures from that house when talking about Eleanor Cummings, but these new photographs are so large and luscious, I couldn’t resist showing them to you, because I’m just nice that way!
Hopefully, looking at these two projects will give you further insight into the benefits of using area rugs. And, I’ll get off the hook for only pushing seagrass! This should please my anti-slipcover/seagrass commenter/stalker immensely!!!
Raymond Aldrete took the photographs from the Pink Ribbon House and Kerri McCaffety took the photographs of the Watkins/Cummings house.
The first project that Matt Camron rugs are seen is the Houston Pink Ribbon Showcase house which benefits breast cancer research at Baylor College of Medicine. Many of Houston’s top designers decorated the different rooms of this newly built home. This year, the stucco and stone house was designed by Hollenbeck Architects and built by Levitt Partnership. The house is currently for sale, available HERE.
The main living room and dining room in the Pink Ribbon house were both designed by Julia Blailock of Blailock Designs. This rug is an antique Tabriz from Matt Camron. I love how Blailock pulled out the soft taupes and blues in the rug to use in her design. All wall finishes in the Pink Ribbon house are by Segreto Finishes owned by the uber-talented and very sweet Leslie Sinclair. Leslie’s own living room has a Matt Camron rug and is featured further down.
Another view of the formal living room with the antique Tabriz rug. The photograph over the sofa looks so interesting – does anyone know who the artist is?
The formal dining room, also by Julia Blailock, features another antique Tabriz rug from Matt Camron. The dining room has a wonderful limed wood table with a curvy French iron base. I adore the large check fabric used on the chairs.
Looking towards the kitchen and foyer.
In this picture from the blog Love Where You Live, I love how you can see two of the four painted wood columns that Segreto Finishes did. Love the painted iron sconces too! The dining room is probably my favorite room in the showhouse, it’s so young and fresh looking.
Suzanne Duin designed the family room, kitchen, and outside porch. Here, the rug is a Matt Camron antique blue oushak. I absolutely love the sofa with its scalloped back. Suzanne is known for country French decor and she always has a large selection of pillows made of antique textiles in her store Maison Maison.
Looking from the kitchen back into the family room. I love that wood counter top stained dark!
The kitchen features a number of yellow striped dhurris from Matt Camron. Notice how Duin placed a complementary yellow check on the bar stools that also picks up the yellow in the backsplash. Beautiful island.
A close up of the tiled backsplash and carved farm sink.
Duin also designed the back porch which includes another dhurri from Matt Camron.
Interior designer Leslie Strauss decorated two bedrooms, including this one with an antique oushak from Matt Camron. This rug is particularly beautiful I think. I love the dark gray paint on the walls.
The other bedroom designed by Leslie Strauss.
Here is a closeup of the rug from Matt Camron that Strauss used in this bedroom. I really like the subtle colors in this rug – you can barely make out the hints of persimmon and blue.
For more pictures from the Pink Ribbon House, please visit the blog Love Where You Live!
The Living Room – Whoa.
The second major project in Houston that used Matt Camron rugs is this house featured in House Beautiful. I recently showed a few pictures of this house on an article about designer Eleanor Cummings, who shares design credits with Babs Watkins and Julie Watkins Baker. Matt Camron sent me these gorgeous photographs to show their rugs looking their best. I am in love with house! It is SO gorgeous! I want to move in here – with all the furniture included, of course!!! The antiques are to die for and I especially love the way the soft blues flow throughout the rooms. Notice how this 1920s Oushak rug adds so much to the design of the living room. This room is so beautiful with its matching sofas, the small French chair in blue, the glorious hydrangeas, the blue painted antique Swedish cabinet filled with creamware, the curtains! The rug picks up the colors of the room so softly – notice that all the upholstery fabrics are plain – the pillows and the rug are the only pattern in this room. I could stare at this picture for hours.
In this picture, you can see a close up of the rug as it is between the two sofas. I love antique tea tables instead of coffee tables. And, look at that wonderful collection of blue opaline and Baccarat boxes!! I also collect blue opaline. To read my story about this antique accessory, go HERE. But the star here in this photograph is the chandelier – you can really see how stunningly beautiful the Italian tole chandelier is with it’s touch of blue! OMG! It is beyond gorgeous!!!!!
More exquisiteness: this tapestry is also from Matt Camron. It truly “makes” this room. Everything else is so simply finished to allow the tapestry to remain the focal point. The table is a plain skirt, the cushions on the Swedish chairs are muted with just a tiny welting detail. The curtains are also a solid silk – but they are so full and luscious. I know I keep using that word, but there is no other way to describe curtains like these: they are perfection!! Notice the top detailing!!! The rug, also from Matt Camron, is a Sivas. It is muted, allowing the tapestry to remain the focus. Those candlesticks! Amazing. Babs Watkins – the best Houston EVER had. EVER. What a true, talented force. Is this room even in Houston? It looks like it could be an apartment in Rome or Venice!
Kill Me Dead. Please. Those curtains! That settee! The mirror! The pillows! THOSE DOORS!!!!!! This is a hallway, people. Think about that. This is the hallway leading to the master bedroom. Shouldn’t all hallways be this glorious???? The rug, from Matt Camron, is a Khotan – the light blue continues the color scheme – the pop of red is a surprise seen here and there throughout the house.
The library furniture is all antique: an Empire chaise and a Louis XV revival sofa. The mantel is from the south of France. The rug from Matt Camron is a Serapi.
A close up of the library rug.
The master bedroom, is again a gorgeous space, with more Nancy Corzine fabric on more “luscious” curtains. And the rug, this time a Tabriz, is from Matt Camron. It is, again, the only pattern in the room.
The view across the bedroom.
Here is a close up of the bedroom’s painted door and the rug. The pinks and blues of the rug are picked up in the bedding.
A huge thank you to Matt Camron for sending all these photographs today!
Leslie Sinclair, who owns Segreto Finishes, also has a Matt Camron Oushak in her house. This is her beautiful French styled living room. Segreto did all the finishes on the Pink Ribbon Showhouse and they do many of the finishes on the best houses around Houston and all over the U.S. Sinclair’s company is tops in the field and her plaster finishes are the best there are. Leslie’s house is wonderful. She uses her house as a way to show clients different techniques and you can see here the murals she painted on the walls and the ceiling. The rug, again, is neutral and soft – just subtly adding pattern and color to the room.
So, from now on, I can no longer be accused of only endorsing seagrass! I’m branching out. Actually, I have placed quite a few rugs in clients’ houses like these shown today. Here are a few pictures to prove it:
In this large bedroom/study we used two reproduction rugs in complimentary color ways. Segreto Finishes did the wall treatment here too. All the upholstery including the bench came from Custom Creations HERE.
In the study part of the room, I used a brown toned rug.
A bigger view of the smaller area rug.
In this large high-rise, I used several area rugs that again, complimented each other in color, but didn’t match.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing the rugs that Matt Camron has available. Remember, these rugs come in all price points – from the expensive antique, to the much more reasonable reproduction!! And also remember, rugs can be customed to fit your decor. To contact Matt Camron, go HERE.
PSST: We are now having a Skirted Roundtable giveaway – go here: www.skirtedroundtable.blogspot.com
I love the way the terra cotta colour in the library rug matches the old leather of the books. So pretty.
ReplyDeleteJoni,
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful rugs in such beautiful places. All are heavenly. Thank you for introducing me to Matt Cameron. Headed over now to see more of his inventory. xo Lisa
OMG...that second house, are you certain that was not venice? every photo had me gasping. who knew (well, not me) there were so many rug types?
ReplyDeletegreat post again joni and it got me thinking AND realizing why i am unhappy with my living/dining room.....navy/red "orientals"!!! they became unseen fixtures. now i KNOW my next move
xoxo
debra
So Beautiful..everything is beautiful from rugs to ceilings! I LOVE that wooden island in the first kitchen too, it has such a beautiful deep finish.
ReplyDeletehave you heard anything about soft seagrass? Blackstone carpets in Dallas (to the trade) has been advertising that it is something new.
ReplyDeleteAll are very pretty! Love that you show that there is not just one solution to any aspect of design.
ReplyDeleteJoni you have outdone yourself again!! Every image is just breathtaking. The living and dining rooms are probaly my favorotes...no I have already ...never mind it is all as you say, luscious!
ReplyDeleteKarena
Art by Karena
Oh Joni this post was one of my favorites because I love Oriental rugs.... all colors, sizes, designs.I feel about them as you feel about seagrass. Can't help myself. Thanks for showing these.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Thanks Joni. I am thrilled to get to see more photos of the home designed by Eleanor Cummings. I will have to do a follow up to my original post from the House Beautiful issue, so all my readers can see more fabulous details. It just doesn't get any better than this house. I know I am supposed to be in love with all white because everyone in the blog world tells me so, but I just am not. The subtle glazing and use of color in the Cummings home just draws me in. It is warm and inviting. NOT trendy. This home looks so not decorated. It looks as if it evolved over time and that the people who live here are well traveled and interesting. I could stare at the pages for hours and would love to be invited in. Thanks for sharing. Also a big thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting.
ReplyDeletewhat an outrageous post.
ReplyDeletewhat is the best part of it?
i find it hard to say....but i am definitely in agreement with you on the rugs.
and the artwork is too fabulous!!
the modern pieces are divine.
xx
Another absolutely fabulous post--one of my favorites! These photos and your comments have kept me busy tonight!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Pam
Wonderful to have one of your signature posts to read!!! Great insights and gorgeous photos!!! I am in love with so many of the looks.
ReplyDeleteLove the rooms that you did too! Thanks for sharing all!!!!!!!!
Love that hallway...the rug really takes charge and makes a passageway a room of its own, the color such a masterful touch. One gorgeous rug after another. Thanks, Joni! Trish
ReplyDeleteKill me dead with your 'kill me dead' comment! Yes, that is SOME hall....the curtains.. to absolutely die for. Beautiful homes, beautiful rugs.. thank you for putting this beautiful post together for us. Caution... when you mention them in a post... it brings them out..(stalkers).... speaking from personal experience. A-M xx
ReplyDeleteRugs add softness, warmth and do cozy up an area. They also mark or define a space. I just added a rug to my porch with a greek key border - sisal look but indoor outdoor. Now I need to add pillows to add a graphic punch.
ReplyDeleteThat bedroom rug is my fave, lovely colors.
pve
Some how, some way - you need to get yourself into that Houston house! Use your connections. Consider it a challenge!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful rugs! Gorgeous rooms!
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with them all.
Think Navy and Red are bad? How about Teal and Salmon ugh, the eighties those dreadful colors that overblown hair! What were we thinking?
Thanks for some great inspiration!
Paula ~ Mise en scène
Thanks for sharing those amazing pictures. That hall is 2die4. I especially enjoyed seeing your work, love that bedroom you did.
ReplyDeleteJoni, as always, these are beautiful photos of beautiful decor. I'm in LOVE with that huge tapestry in that d.r. I am also in love with that bedroom you did. laurie
ReplyDeleteThe living room in the Pink Ribbon house is to die. Whoa is right. And your work in the high rise... do you have more pics to share??? Seriously beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHi Joni!
ReplyDeleteI love Julia Blalock's work she is a great designer and fun to work with!!! All those rooms were adorned with the appropriate rug. I personally prefer the lighter hues and adore that blue oushak rug by Matt Cameron.But the red rug in that hallway was perfect.I am fast becoming a big fan of Eleanor Cummings... Nice Post!!!!!!!!!Maryanne xo
The Cummings/Watkins house takes my breath away-the antique furnishings, paintings, opaline boxes and most of all, the incredible textiles. With all that this house contains, it is still so peaceful. Thanks for making my Sunday morning.
ReplyDeleteI've just finished my first read, now I've got to go back and study. There's so much to learn and take in! I'm a big fan of the chandeiers throughout. The rugs really are exquisite and the provide such a backdrop of color to these spaces. I don't feel like I'm in a completely neutral room, and that's good for me.
ReplyDeleteOn to a read-repeat!
OMG!!!! I am completely knocked OUT by this post. I don't think I can finish pouring over it again and again in a single afternoon! It is definitely one of my all time faves from you! Eleanor Cummings has stopped my heart. Gorgeous rugs grounding fabulous interiors! Mercy me! And I love the pictures of your work! As always, top notch! Those lucky and SMART folks who had the good sense to hire you!!! Thank you for sharing all of this! I am head over heels!
ReplyDeleteCompletely gorgeous! but, I have to admit that I will forever be a sea grass and slipcover kind of girl!
ReplyDeleteOK , Miss Joni -
ReplyDeleteYou've proved you can swoon over
all kinds of rugs. (my fav would be
those striped dhurries) -
Can we get back to sea grass please?
Jjjj
**Loved seeing all that puddled silk
on the windows- especially because we
can't use it at this altitude: the sun tears it apart rather quickly.
Joni, You have done an amazing job just getting the names of these rugs straight! :) Having "grandma's" rugs are a blessing, but hard to work with at times. I think your suggestion of keeping the rest of the fabrics a solid color is the only way to update the look! Great post. Maurie@graciousinteriors.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletePure perfection. Honestly, my heart is pounding. Truly a visual feast. A sincere THANK YOU! franki
ReplyDeleteHi Joni, Just returned to your post to feast my eyes.....
ReplyDeleteI love the living room that you designed with several rugs--the space is truly timeless. The colors seem to melt into each other. Have a great week!
GORGEOUS GORGEOUS!!!
ReplyDeleteNow can we talk about antique rugs layered over seagrass?? hee hee my favorite!!!
ps- love the rooms you did for your clients... those hits of blue throughout the first are perfection and they both look like magazine spreads
Love seagrass rugs too!!! Love the oushak you used in the high -rise. You are such a talent!
ReplyDeleteJoni, please stop by my newest blog post about the renovation of our home. You mentioned you love the outside when I posted our easter weekend. This is the glimpse inside!
http://colorandlightatelier.blogspot.com/2010/04/maison-gemeux-renovation-of-our-country.html
OMG! I could move in to many of those rooms, so pretty! LOVE the
ReplyDeletefamily room Suzanne Duin design!
So stunning!
XX
Victoria
Pls, see my design project I posted a week ago! I can't wait th hear what you have to say!
Another feast for the eyes!!! What an amazing source for rugs. I too seriously love the chandelier with the little hints of blue. And the condo you did...just beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteMy husband just returned from Afghanistan with some gorgeous rugs that I am excited about incorporating into our home. Each one is hand made and some of the sizes are odd...so you know what that means...layered over something? Hmmm...whatever shall I do! ;)
I really like the softened tones of these rugs, they don't jump out and scream at you. I would love to see more of these rooms you did!
ReplyDeleteA room without a rug is like a kiss without a hug!
ReplyDeleteLittle Humor :)
Thanks!
Rugs by Alan
Houston, Texas
I truly love stopping by your blog. You always have such inspirational decorating post/pictures. I find each room a piece of art and enjoy studying the details.
ReplyDeleteThe dhurrie kitchen photo made my heart leap as I was instantly drawn to the backsplash and farm sink. Oh what I would give to have that farm sink. I really enjoyed this post. Wishing you a great start to a wonderful week.
I agree with your comment in 09 Joni when you said you hated Showcase houses - "typical bloated McMansions with horrible furniture." The living room of that house is painful. Badly done faux EVERYTHING. Bad proportions - that dinky vitrine next to the too stingy curtains and the 70's disco-shine pillows. Throw everything out(except the glorious rug) and start over.The Tabriz is too strong in the muted dining room. (Sea grass would have worked better!)And those bedrooms!Left over 90's McMansion style.The kitchen is completely uninspiring - again the 90's carved farm sink - the half curtains forced into the glass cabinets look so sad. And the family room black doors????However, loved your hi-rise - would like to see more of that.
ReplyDeleteJoni - your work is gorgeous - and VARIED.
ReplyDeleteLOVE-LY! That dining room with the tapestry on the wall and the candlesticks on the floor!?!? WOW! So jealous - that picture is Amazing too! The sunlight washing over the tabletop and through the crystal. DIVINE! Hey, I posted a dining room update with the zebra layered over the persian rug! I hope you'll tell me what you think! :)
ReplyDeleteI also love the worn oushak look especially the softer colors. Most of my clients want the softer look and the oushaks sometimes even fit into more modern decor. Seagrass is a beautiful and simple look, but some of my customers do not like the grass odor. Oh well.....
ReplyDeleteThe Designer Insider
That hallway, that library, that bedroom...all simply to die for gorgeous! what a wonderful post Joni, thanks for the inspiration..Matt Cameron has wonderful taste, and I too, am a fan of seagrass..sometimes that grass scent is just what an almost-outdoors room needs, and it goes away eventually..it's a great solution over tile floors, too..
ReplyDeleteyour work is stunning!
bisous
Kit
Whoa is right! That living room is divine and the scalloped sofa. I am supposed to be cycling but you have me hooked on these Texas homes.
ReplyDeleteXo
There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also. Keep working ,great job!.
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