Doris Leslie Blau and Our Favorite Designers

I'm currently on the hunt for rugs for both my living room and dining room, and the timing couldn't be better. Why? Because Doris Leslie Blau has just introduced the new 2009 Designer Carpet Collection, and most of our favorite designers are featured. Albert Hadley, Miles Redd, Todd Romano, Markham Roberts, and 42 other designers have created modern carpet designs for this venerable company. (That's Mr. Hadley's design at top.)

I really like the range of designs. Roger Jones' carpet is very cool and elegant. Now that one would look great in my dining room, but I could also see it in a icy blue bedroom too. And the other designs? Can't you see them in living room with a Ventry Ltd. sofa, upholstered in a neutral of course, and a chrome or lucite cocktail table? I'm thinking something very Billy Baldwin. What do you think?

(The designer collection carpets are made from various materials including silk, wool, and banana-leaf fiber and come in different weaves. For more information, visit the Doris Leslie Blau website.)


Todd Alexander Romano


Markham Roberts


Miles Redd


Roger Jones of Colefax & Fowler


Veere Grenney

An Iconoclastic Spirit

It seems to me that one trait that characterizes the legendary French designers is their confidence in their vision and style. I think that this is certainly true of famed French designer and shop owner Madeleine Castaing. Castaing's style could at the very least be described as eccentric. Inspired by 19th century antiques and interiors, Castaing strived for a romantic look (albeit a sophisticated one) that she achieved through vivid colors (blues, greens, and pinks in particular), mixing of prints, and a jumble of different styles of furniture and accessories. All together, this combination gave a room an unidentifiable style, but it was a look that seemed rather "weathered by time". Of course, Castaing's eccentricity was only heightened by her use of plastic flowers and her donning of a wig with a chin strap.

Although Castaing died in 1992, we are still able to purchase her favorite fabrics and rugs today. The rugs are manufactured by the French firm Catry and are available through Stark. The fabric is available through Edmond Petit. What I love about these prints is that although many of these designs are rather old, they still look fresh today.

"Castiglione" fabric


"Coppelia" fabric (one of my favorites)


"Rayure Fleurie" fabric (remember this from Mathilde Agostinelli's bedroom?)


"Leopard" carpet from Catry; this print was one of Castaing's favorites.


"Carrelage Castaing" carpet (this design is most of Castaing's most famous; Jacques Grange used it in a white colorway for Mathilde Agostinelli's apartment)


"Eglantines" carpet


"Feuilles de bananier" carpet


"Cachemire Castaing" carpet

Photo at top: The private bath of Castaing at her shop on Rue Jacob