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ROBIN GRAY TO UNVEIL 2016 DESIGNS AT THE RUG SHOW IN L.A.
As an architect, Robin Gray is partial to graphic black and white rugs like Ole (left) and Corrugated from her new collections. "I'd do everything in black and white if I thought I could sell it," she says.
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SANTA FE--Robin Gray Design will exhibit for the first time at The Rug Show in L.A., where the Santa Fe-based Gray will officially launch two 2016 rug collections. Represented at select showrooms in the U.S., the rug designer and architect told RugNews.com her goal at the exhibition is to attract new showrooms.
"I don't view The Rug Show in L.A. as a regional show, because showroom owners are coming from various parts of the country -- some as far as Florida. I'm hoping I'll be able to induce some of them to take on my line," Gray said.
Dealers at the Rug Show at L.A. will be first in the U.S. to see Robin Gray Design's new Black and White and Spring 2016 rug collections. Shown above from the Black and White range are designs called Ole and Corrugated, which was inspired by the ends of stacked cardboard. The 2016 Collection includes Matador, which will be shown in the Flame colorway, and Facet, a minimalist rug with a graphic, structural motif to be presented in grey and gold.
"Facet is a really beautiful rug, but not as slap-you-in-the-face as Matador," Gray explained. Being an architect I do happen to love graphic rugs and minimalist two color rugs. For Facet I did a very abrashed gray with gold silk that is actually recessed. The silk is about 3 millimeters and the wool is around 5.
The concept is subtle but different in that most designer rugs use a raised pile for the motif with a recessed ground. "When I sent the design to my weavers, they actually said, 'are you sure you want this?' and I told them yes, that was exactly what I wanted."
The Facet design by Robin Gray, debuting at The Rug Show in L.A. is an innovative combination of grey wool with a recessed gold silk motif.
"I like playing with textures; I know some people are doing really wild textures, but mine are more subtle. Karina, one of the new black and white rugs, is a sumac with a lightly raised pile. I did Facet in black and white also: I'd do everything in black and white if I thought I could sell it," she says.
Still a practicing architect, but now focusing primarily on her rug business, Gray says she is more intrigued by interesting renovations than in doing new houses -- unless the project is something truly exiting.
In addition to architecture, Gray has skills as a weaver and a contemporary quilter. All three disciplines have added layers to her work as a rug designer. When you are weaving on a floor loom and figuring out the pattern, it is all on a grid which is very similar to the rug grid that you use for knotting. Architecturally, there is a structure to it. Even though the rug may look like a pattern of circles, the circles are actually all on a grid of squares. When you break those down, there are a hundred knots per square inch, and you can get a curve using squares. I will often use a grid when I design a house. So there is a relationship," she says.
Matador by Robin Gray Design was inspired by colors from Spain. "I didn't think of it at the time, but it reminds me of some of Picasso's work," Gray says.
While most of Gray's rugs are made in Nepal, she also produces in India. "It depends on the rug. I have great weavers in Nepal: they are easy to work with and the quality is really great inside and out. Each carpet carries the GoodWeave imprimatur guaranteeing that no child labor was involved in its production, and that working conditions are of the highest standards," she explains, adding, "The quality of our carpets is reflected in our choice of materials: the finest wool, silk, cotton, hemp and viscose available."