Throughout history, motifs and patterns have been among the most effective design elements in decor. They provide embellishment as well as order, thanks to cohesion of style in motifs and repetition in patterns.
If you’re thinking of introducing motifs and patterns to your own furniture design, one of the best ways to do so is through rugs. As they often have focusing or space-delineating effects, rugs are particularly good places for showing off such design elements.
Today, we’ll go over how you can use motifs and patterns in rugs for best results, especially when it comes to tying together the different elements of your house furniture design.
Understanding Motifs and Patterns in Rug Design
Motifs and patterns come in many shapes and sizes. Generally, they refer to dominant and often repetitive design elements.
These elements can be geometric shapes, representations of nature, or symbols taken from a specific culture. They can run the gamut from fleur-de-lis in French tapestries to elibelinde in Turkish kilim.
We have our own examples of such motifs being used in rugs here at The Rug Maker. Consider our Straits Collection, for instance. With pieces boasting motifs such as Cheki and Batik designs, there’s a clear homage to Peranakan culture in their patterns.
Some patterns or motifs are also associated with certain artistic movements. Consider the typical chevron and trapezoidal motifs of Art Deco, for example, and compare them to the curved flourishes of Baroque.
Or again, see some of our own work, such as the Corak Collection. Drawing inspiration from Asian locations, it also employs the traditional repetitive patterns often seen in Asian textiles.
Our work for Shangri-La uses traditional patterns in a similar way. For Shangri-La Fiji, for instance, we incorporated the motifs often seen in Fijian tapa (the local barkcloth) into the rug.
All of this shows the impressive diversity of options when it comes to this aspect of design.
