I got an interesting email from ABC Carpet & Home New York this week, that captured my interest - they (ABC Carpet & Home) is encouraging us to look on the bright side for 2010 with a their new rug collection that promises to: "escape predictability, embrace the unconventional, and help preserve our planet." This new assortment of hybrid carpets called Color Reform, transforms imperfect, vintage rugs into modern works of art.  ABC Carpets are literally  “...rescuing carpets from the “rug graveyard” and giving them a new lease on life.”

ABC Carpet & Home has utilized this notion to develop the concept of Color Reform, which refers to evolutionary change through color. Each one of a kind rug was individually handcrafted by Turkish artisans in the Toros Mountains. The vintage rugs are neutralized to remove their original color and then over-dyed to create their remarkable chromatic state. The variations in the tonality of pigments result from the carpet’s original concentration of color combined with the dye application process conceived from each artist’s distinct vision.

Exotic rainbow hues range from neon pink and electric green to opulent reds and saturated yellows. The striking compositions evoke an almost translucent appearance as irregular, partially faded motifs emerge through the color, adding complexity and interest to each piece. Below is one of my favourites in the series, in a more neutral color palette, that I think you would be able to live with for many years to come and pass on to future generations.

On cold mornings like this one, it takes everything i have to get up and going. But a nice hot cup of coffee or tea often helps the process. and if that cup of coffee was dressed up with a bow-tie sweater? Even better. I know it’s unabashedly girly, but sometimes i need a little girlyness in my mornings- because if it makes me smile, it helps me start the day off on the right foot. If you could use a little bow-love in your morning routine,  pick up one of jessica goodman’s cozies etsy..

If my cup of tea doesn’t do the trick, this bright orange ‘fold’ chair from design student nina bruun at the danish design school in copenhagen will certainly do the trick. Nina’s finished chair is being shown at the stockholm furniture fair and reminds me of one of my favorite bouroullec designs, their cloud tiles for kvadrat. Nina used bright orange segments that connect to each other as an homage to both scandinavian and japanese folding designs. The chair itself is made of plywood, with six plastic segments upholstered in wood felt. I love the idea of a chair folding around you as you sit, so i’m excited to see if nina ends up producing and selling things in stores. fingers crossed. Until then, you can check out more of nina’s work.