Staying with the snow

We spent a fair bit of time shovelling out this morning after yet another wintery dump. Lovely. And today is a busy one, since I'm prepping for a shoot tomorrow that will not only be outdoors (in all this snow), it also involves adorably cute chocolate labrador puppies. Meanwhile I'm being tempted by an e-mail asking me to come for a cocktail to meet some fave design heroes of mine Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, to check out their latest collaboration with Spanish carpet firm Nanimarquina. Only trouble is it's in Paris and I'm - errr - not!

The Bouroullec brother's new floorcovering design is called Losanges and is their modern take on a hand-woven kilim and well, it's pretty darned gorgeous, so here we go with a quick peek. Click here to find a listing of Nanimarquina retailers. [via Dezeen]

Flat on the floor

Oh, kilims, flatweaves, whatev's, just get them in your house! Today I found myself ogling these kilims while I was hunting down that kooky rug by Patricia Urquiola that looks like a knitting sampler (it's called Mangas, take a look here). They're Catania and Palermo, designed by Sandra Figuerola for Gan, and - imho - they're pretty much on the fantastic side of things from the world of what's underfoot (I'm totally digging their cool patchworky vibe). The nice part about kilims in both wool and cotton is that, for the most part, they actually won't cost you an arm and a leg (and another leg) in the same way that a hand-knotted wool carpet might. Affordability and style, you've just gotta love it.