Just in time for market here’s a  wonderful video produced by Surya Rugs that documents the rug making process. A great tool to show your clients to help them understand the process, price and provenance.

Do you have a video documenting your design process? If so, please share!

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Tomorrow Cultured opens in the Miami Design District as part of Art Basel/Design Miami, running through December 5th it features a specially curated and richly varied program of events, openings, art exhibitions, and retail promotions. Part of the event, and the one I am sure not going to miss, is The Rug Company’s Alexander McQueen collection.

Taking three years to complete and finished shortly before his death, its the Rug Company’s most opulent collection to date by the late fashion genius Alexander McQueen . Each piece took six to eight months to make by extraordinarily skilled weavers; and like everything the designer touched, some are literally woven with gold.  

This is no ordinary “ fashion designer moves into home” collection. The collaboration with Alexander McQueen encapsulates his commitment to arresting design, superior quality and skilled craftsmanship. The intricacy and opulence of the rugs honor the groundbreaking designs for which McQueen has become renowned- giving new meaning to quality, luxury and craftsmanship. In fact, the craftsmanship is integral to the collection – without the traditional handmade methods , they would not have been able to achieve the designs. The man was a GENIUS.

 The dramatic Military Brocade design, originally created as embroidery for a coat from his  2001 collection, reveals McQueen’s ability to innovate while honoring history. The pattern is inspired by the effect of gold bullion found on traditional military uniforms. The design incorporates wreath and fern silhouettes and gold fringing, against a black background, with the extraordinary addition of a curled oriental serpent wrapped in oak leaves, appearing from a skull centred in the design. Raised from the wool background, the golden silk yarns are carefully carved by hand to achieve the complexity and fine detail of the pattern.

Feathers, the iconic Alexander McQueen pattern, is taken from the breast and wing feathers of a hawk and reflects Alexander McQueen’s lifelong love of birds and patterns found in nature. The design was developed into subtle grey tones and hand knotted in fine cashmere yarns mimicing the softness and lightness of the feathers.

Instantly recognizable, the skull motif has been translated into an exquisite tonal rug and two cushions. The understated shades of grey soften pattern and the lustre of the silk yarn enables the skulls to stand out against the wool background. The skull pattern is also depicted on two hand woven tapestry cushions: one in black and white, and the other in opulent golden metallic thread.

Hummingbird,for me the most stunning of the collection, is a finely hand woven wool, silk, and metallic flatweave rug that celebrates the delicacy of the motif. The birds are captured in flight to show their unique speed against a dark background to offset the  iridescent colors in their feathers. I can’t imagine that this is a handknotted rug not a photograph. If the rugs aren’t in your price range- He has done pillows in Hummingbird and skulls

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Kyle Bunting, famed designer of amazing rugs, upholstery fabrics and wall coverings made from intricately patterned cowhides, has taken his work to the next level by venturing into furniture. You’ve seen his amazing ,intricately patterned hair on hide rugs; now you can see his furniture -  but not just furniture; furniture  in the most amazing candy shop colors  straight out of Willie Wonka.

Kyle and his team designed a limited edition of furnishings and art only available at Gump’s. Pieces include cube-shaped ottomans with matching lacquer bases, the long hair “Fog Hide” chair, tables and consoles and the two-sided curved “Neu” screen. Each piece is made to order and can be fully customized by color and finish.

The process to craft these masterpieces was so secretive not even Kyle’s own wife Libby Bunting knew exactly what he was up to until the preview earlier this summer for Gump’s. He wanted it to be a surprise when he brought her to San Francisco and walked her into Gump’s, where the store windows had been taken over by some of the most colorful objects ever made from cowhide.

My faves are  a group of six four-by-five foot hanging  art pieces made of highly detailed cowhide by Bunting and his team.

Design or Art?

In addition,, Bunting harnessed the talents of design doyenne Holly Hunt, Art Ellsworth and Marvin Wilkinson of John Brooks, Geoffrey De Sousa, Erik Hughes, Jan Showers, Kara Mann ( a Chicago fav of mine), Fern Santini, Kris Lajeski, and design team Neri and Hu, to create 10 one-of-a-kind wood-framed, lacquered chairs with custom designed cowhide upholstery for Gump’s.

Kyle Bunting’s passion is hide and the design potential of the material. Working exclusively in hide for almost a decade, his focus   is the redefinition of how hide can be used in interior applications. His collection and studio   work reflect his passion for the medium and the unlimited potential of his designs and technique.  A visit to his site to page through his lookbooks are amazing inspiration. Kyle’s company has completed thousands of projects for design professionals and private   clients throughout the world. Today, Kyle and his team of contributing designers operate and find inspiration in their design studio outside Austin in the Texas Hill Country.

To me Kyle embodies what a designer should be- passionate about his work; inspiring to other designers; generous and collaborative by nature. “We are always looking forward,” says Mr. Bunting, “and with this new collection we are exploring a new realm of what’s possible with hide—moving from floors, walls, and upholstery to furniture and art.” Will window coverings be next?

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