My mind is full of images I read in magazines, blogs and design sites.  It is like a design junky’s game of Memory….and can be both a blessing and a curse.  While perusing real estate listings our realtor recently sent to review, I spotted one of my favorites in this listing…….the Stark Carpet Antelope rug.

image via Dallas, TX MLS listing

Hmmmm….wonder if the sellers would throw in that rug?  Only half kidding here.  I have blogged about this pattern before and I am surprised at how many people find my blog/site from searching this pattern.  I am clearly not the only one who loves it!

Here the pattern is custom cut in the entry hallway of Amanda Nisbet’s Manhattan apartment.  Love everything about this space!  (The lighting is available through Ralph Pucci….and I love how it works with this rug!)

photo by Pieter Estersohn

The below two images come via The Peak of Chic®. I love how the carpet is almost a neutral in this setting….

Jan Showers

And here, adds texture without competing with all that is going on in the room.

Todd Alexander Romano

At Stark, the sky is the limit as everything is available custom.  I absolutely love it used here on this set of stairs that leads up to this home’s playroom…..and then used wall-to-wall in said playroom above the garage.

Sally Wheat via Cote de Texas

Sally Wheat via Cote de Texas

It isn’t cheap….but it isn’t outrageous either.  Last time I priced this for a client it was on back-order.  Apparently they cannot keep this pattern in stock.  So, what do you think….do you love this print or is it not for you?  I am hoping to incorporate the pattern into my new home.

Can you guess what the following images have in common?

Photograph by John Bessler for Traditional Home

Photograph by Jenifer Jordan for Traditional Home

Photograph by Michal Venera for Traditional Home

Photograph by Nick Johnson for Traditional Home

Photograph by Phillip Ennis for Traditional Home

Photograph by Nick Johnson for Traditional Home

Photograph by Michal Venera for Traditional Home

Photograph by John Bessler for Traditional Home

Photograph by Gordon Beall for Traditional Home

Image via Apartment Therapy

Image via Apartment Therapy

Image via Apartment Therapy

Did you guess it?  The carpet in each of the above images is from Stark Carpet.  Stark has been around for over 67 years and the name alone conjures up images of luxury.  It is a family business that has grown over the years to include fabrics, wall-coverings and furniture, in addition carpets under its large umbrella.

From natural textures like sisal and seagrass, to more contemporary designs by current designers, antiques and reproductions, to completely custom works that have graced such places as The White House and the Smithsonian, Stark has something for everyone.

Below are some images from the various carpet and rug collections at Stark.

Alexa Hampton Carpet Collection

A Favorite from the Alexa Hampton Rug Collection

David Hicks Carpet Collection

I have a sample of the Logo, Desert Night colorway here with me and I am dying to find a place to use it.  I am thinking a man’s office, the colors remind me of a pair of gray dress pants.  The actual sample does not read as black as the image above.

Other designer collections at Stark include Bilhuber, Diamond Baratta, Geoffrey Bradfield, Howard Slatkin, Nina Campbell, and Sherrill Canet.

Of course, Stark has a plethora of animal prints available for any number installations.  Having seen larger samples,  I am loving the antelope and the brown zebra loop.

I am also loving the Ebbe & Flow collection, which is a combination of wool/viscose/cotton.  It almost feels like shag carpet and looks like corduroy, the sheen is to die for.  It is another one I am dying to use.

And, at the risk of providing too much information (maybe I already have) I also love a few of these from the New Oriental Tibetan stocked rugs.

Stark Carpet has a fairly good consumer website.  And, the trade site is excellent (I didn’t even begin to touch on antique rugs, fabrics, furniture or wall-coverings here!)  So, if you are looking for something particular or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I am always willing to help.

Growing up we moved around a lot–and my parents built two custom homes.  My mom always had a designer, and Stark was a name I heard at various times.  My mom used a lot of their wall to wall carpets in the bedrooms.  So, when I first visited with Erica from the Stark Washington DC showroom, my preconceived notion was of products that would be very traditional and a bit predictable.  That notion was certainly dispelled for me–my sample library is brimming with inspiration from Stark.  I hope you like what you have seen as well.

**Note, my original post included links to the full collections I touched on here.  When checking all of the links, I realized they broke when I was not logged in to the trade portal.  So, if you want to see more, shoot me an email, it is no trouble.**

Do you have a project hanging out there that you really need to just focus on?  I do, and it is really starting to nag at me.  It seems like there are not enough hours in the day.  By the time I give to my daughter and husband, my clients and my business, my friends and family, even the dog….working on decorating my home tends to fall down on the priority list.  What do they say about the shoemaker’s kids having no shoes?  I get it.

Anyways, here is my black cloud hanging over my head.  I am doing a custom rug in our living room.  And, here is the state it is in at the moment.

The starting point for this rug came from an ad my husband spotted in the June 2009 Veranda.  He thought it might look nice in our living room.  And, by taking the initiative to help in the process, I know he was hoping to keep me more on the traditional side, which is fine.

The other day as I was writing the final check for my dining room “Stump Rug” he casually inquired as to when our living room rug would be in.   I felt a bit guilty telling him I still had not sent back revisions on the art board that was in my possession.  I need to review the board, make modifications, determine if I like the colors, pattern, etc.  I can do this…I just need some quiet time to accomplish it.  And, my goal is to get that done in the next week.  I am hoping by posting it here it will keep me accountable!

So, do you have any projects, big or small, hanging over your head?  I’d love to hear about them.  Misery loves company!