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5 Fab Rug Collections That Floored Us at Milan Design Week
Milan Design Week might be better known for its major furniture launches and blockbuster shows, but these rug collections still stopped us in our tracks as we hustled through the halls of Salone del Mobile and traipsed around town to Fuorisalone venues numbering in the hundreds.
1. FACES Collection by Kengo Kuma for Jaipur Rugs
With its bold architectural patterns, this collaboration between Jaipur Rugs and Kengo Kuma held its own at both Salone and at offsite presentations. The 16 rugs of the Faces collection come in muted tones, and are inspired by the facades of the Japanese architect’s most renowned buildings, including the Suntory Museum of Art in Tokyo — whose striations are hinted at in the patterns Sukima and Bokashi.
The references are subtle; what both Jaipur and Kuma seek is an evocation of the ways in which light and shadow are cast against a facade. And the nuance comes across brilliantly.
2. Illulian Rugs
Ilhabela by Paula Cadematori and Mineralia by Controvento exemplify the artistic ambitions of the Italian luxury rug brand Illulian, whose rugs are handcrafted by artisans in Nepal. Ilhabela, part of the NO LAND capsule collection, “explores the contrast between the depths of blue and the shades of sunrise,” says Cadematori, and features a precise 45-degree hand-cutting technique.
Meanwhile, Mineralia plays with pile heights and yarn textures to create a floor covering that feels crafted by nature. Together, they express the brand’s range of offerings, from restrained yet whimsical to organic and seemingly freeform.
3. New Origins by Aline de Laforcade for GAN
This oval rug made of jute and wool makes the impression of a shaggy yet regal pet — or, more aptly, the sheep that provide its yarn. According to the Spanish rug brand, the collection’s production involves two techniques: “manual loom and hand-knotting of the wool, which is what allows for the execution of the different textures and densities of the landscapes in its design.” The result is strikingly compelling, as both a crafted artwork and a practical home accessory.
4. Lucia Eames Rug Collection by Nanimarquina
The Eames legacy was strong throughout Milan Design Week. Not only did the Triennale showcase a prefab modular pavilion based on the Eames House, but the nature-inspired drawings of the late Lucia Eames (born to Charles and his first wife, Catherine Woermann) were interpreted in a delightful rug collection by Spain’s Nanimarquina. 
Installed at Salone del Mobile — its butterfly rugs soaring above the Nanimarquina booth — the collection brings features hand tufted, hand knotted, hand loomed, and embroidery pieces made “alongside new developments such as sculptural tufting and hand-braided, hand-stitched jute,” brand explains. Its natural fibres of with natural fibres Afghan and New Zealand wool and jute are combined to create a surfaces that play between matte and luminous in subtle counterpoint.
5. Bieke Casteleyn x JOV
As part of Fuorisalone, Bieke Casteleyn and JOV collaborated on Clover, which they describe as “an immersive landscape of softness, form, and material.” The rounded form of the wall-mounted rug stood out for its simplicity and playfulness.
