One of the first design blogs I found was KATIEDID.  I love her blog and particularly loved her feature on Jay Jeffers’ designs in the Modern by Design 2009 Showhouse.  I thought everything was gorgeous (and spent hours on Jay Jeffers’ website after I read her post).  Particularly, I absolutely loved the rug he used under the game table in the below room.  It was supposed to look like the cross section of a tree stump.  I wanted this rug and set out to find the source.  I did not have to look far before I found Mark Nelson Designs.

Jay Jeffers Mark Nelson Designs Stump Rug

Photo by Matthew Millman. Design by Jay Jeffers.

So, I contacted him.  He was wonderful in explaining the process to me, answering my questions, sending samples for me to touch and feel, etc.   So, basically the process was….

  1. Contact
  2. Rough estimate of price (e.g. Am I in the realm of possibility or am I dreaming).  Mark was great, he offered three options with a wide variance in price from the top to the bottom.  The difference was in the materials, of course.  The options at the varying price points were wool, semi-worsted wool, and silk and wool.  Of course, the showhouse rug was silk and wool.
  3. Once we determined this purchase was realistic, I sent Mark paint and fabric swatches from the room.  From there, I received a box from him with samples (so I could figure out what type of materials I wanted to use) as well as a plethora of “poms” in various color possibilities.  I spent a while finalizing the perfect colors and finally made my selection.  I sent everything back to Mark and sent over a purchase order and a 50% deposit.
  4. Many weeks later, I received a “strike-off” of the rug.  This was my chance to give final approval, make any changes, etc.– sortof speak now or forever hold your piece!  I LOVED it.

Jay Jeffers Stump Rug Modern By Design 2009 Showhouse

So, that’s where we are in this process.  But, I recently received an email from Mark.  My rug is being put on a ship tomorrow!  It will arrive in a month.  From there, it will go to a local carpet workroom.  They’ll cut a custom rug pad (which Mark included with the rug) and will deliver it to my home.  I’ll post pictures when it arrives.  To say I am excited would be an understatement!

So, do you have a vision? A rug you’ve seen that would be perfect if only a few colors were changed, materials were slightly different, etc?  Do you want to start from scratch and design your own rug from start to finish?  I’d love to hear about it.