Don't Be Afraid to Design
Today in the Elvis & Kresse workshop Kresse sat down with Djazia Spowers to discuss custom made rugs. Elvis & Kresse recently launched an app to help you choose both the size and the pattern of your own rug but so far everyone is sticking to single colours.
Kresse: Djazia, tell me what you thought of the customisation tool - did the blank field frighten you?
Djazia: No, but, if I hadn't been able to easily fill and then add the pattern I would have found it more difficult. It would have been intimidating to fill in each piece individually.
Kresse: Were you afraid of making a pattern error? Or designing an 'ugly' rug?
Djazia: Not at all, it was very easy to change. It is digital. I made several 'ugly' rugs but you can start over, it is very easy to go back.
Kresse: How many rugs did you design?
Djazia: Nine or Ten in about an hour. At first I was just thinking about the designs, and experimented quite freely with random patterns. Ideally I would let these ideas settle for a while before coming up with a design I wanted on my floor.
Kresse: Tell us about your favorite design?
Djazia: It really depends what kind of look you are going for. In a smart room I would want an ordered, more subtle pattern. In a heavily styled room I would go for less of a formal pattern, to ensure that the rug design did not conflict with the space. I would definitely design a rug with a particular room or space in mind. In the end I think I would want something quite simple, like this:
This design tool is for you to play with - you can design and share as many patterns as you like. The beauty of this system, too, is that even a finished piece is not set in stone. The rugs are hand woven, but they can be 'unwoven'. You can change the pattern and size over time by re-arranging your pieces or ordering a few more.
