Elle Decoration UK - 08.2019

THE BIG IDEA

CA R PET

EVERY WHERE

Living room Carpet covers even the furnishings here,

with a design by Besana Carpet Lab tying the sofa into

the look. Celestino has arranged three colours of carpet

and her ‘Nebula’ pattern to accentuate the curvaceous

seating. The fabric on the sofa is by Rubelli

No longer restricted to floors, the plushest and most

fantastically patterned carpets are running wildly

up walls, ceilings and into every room of the home

Words KIERA BUCKLEY-JONES

Photography HELENIO BARBETTA/LIVING INSIDE

Carpet-clad walls, like tasselled three-piece

suites and cork tiles, were trends we thought

we’d left behind, along with power cuts and

strikes, in the sepia-tinted past. But style is

cyclical and, as we reported in our February

issue, we’re in the midst of a 1970s-inspired

interiors boom. We’ve seen the return of cork

and fringing, and now carpet is rolling back

into every corner of our homes.

At this year’s Milan Design Week, the

decorative possibilities of carpet were on full

display. For Studiopepe’s ‘Les Arcanistes’

installation, jewel-coloured examples covered

the floors and crept up the walls, while Cristina

Celestino’s ‘Planetario’ apartment (right) was

a dreamlike paradise inspired by influential

designers from the 1960s and 70s, particularly

those with a penchant for fitted carpet – think

Joe Colombo, Nanda Vigo and Willy Rizzo.

Created in association with Italian flooring

brand Besana Carpet Lab, the fantastical

apartment showcased the new ‘Nebula’ design

by Celestino, notable for its enhanced colours

and subtle, 1970s-style iridescent effect.

‘In uncertain times, we often look to the more

familiar and to textures which offer comfort,

sanctuary or a sense of belonging,’ says Lorna

Haigh, director of creative and marketing at

rug and carpet brand Alternative Flooring.

‘There is something about the feel of soft carpet

underfoot which is reassuring,’ she adds. And,

with cutting-edge creatives like Celestino

showing how it can be used in kitchens and

bathrooms, as well as across ceilings (see

following pages), there’s even more opportunity

to enjoy its comforting, cocooning benefits

(cristinacelestino.com; besanamoquette.com).