Rug Designer

2022-10-27T17:02:00.006-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Julie Dasher Rugs Wins Best in ASID AZ North Competition for the Silk Clouds Design

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Arizona North Chapter awards Julie Dasher Rugs the 2022 Design Excellence First Place accolade in the Rug/Tile/Textile category at the annual gala

CLICK TO SEE THE PRESS RELEASE

Custom Rug for Lake Forest Showhouse with Sweet Peas Design

2017-05-04T10:38:00.001-05:00

We recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Susan Brunstrum and her team at Sweet Peas Design to create a beautiful wool and silk custom rug for the master BR in the Lake Forest Showhouse in Lake Forest, IL. Here's how Susan describes the room:

The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but I have always felt that the master bedroom is the soul. It is my safe haven from our chaotic, in-the-moment digital world, a private space where I find inner peace, ignite creativity and check in with my life – past, present and future. At the beginning and end of my days, the master bedroom is often where I set goals, regain harmony and motivate myself to face the coming challenges – sometimes with a cup of tea, a glass of Prosecco or a pint of Jeni’s ice cream! With that inspiration, the bed became the centerpiece of the room. We designed a custom upholstered frame with curved wings at the head and foot, and positioned it in the middle of the room to facilitate the flow of that invisible vortex of dreams, ideas and imagination!

Thanks to Susan, Angela and Lauren for a fun and exciting project!

Susan Brunstrum

Founder, Sweet Peas Design, Chicago

How Color Affects a Design

2017-02-10T14:57:00.002-06:00

Here is our Starburst rug design in several different colorways. It never ceases to amaze me that color can be so influential.

Colors selected by Debora Haughton, interior designer in Winchester, VA

Colors selected by Maud Duggan, Union Place, interior designer in Minneapolis

Colors selected by Katie Liverman, Simply Sage, interior designer in Washington, D.C.

Colors selected by Judy Pickett. Design Lines, interior designer in Raleigh, NC

Colors selected by Autumn Muldowney, interior designer in Minneapolis

Variation on the Star Burst design in a flat weave rug

Spring Market at Highpoint

2016-04-06T16:19:00.000-05:00

We finished setting up our exhibit at Highpoint market today in the Modern History furniture showroom at 430 N. Wrenn. We will also have several rugs on the floor in the furniture vignettes. Hope you will stop by if you are coming to market! Lunch is served daily on the patio...hoping for beautiful weather!!

Rug Inspiration in Barcelona

2016-03-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

Travel is a great source of inspiration as we all know. A few years back, a trip to La Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudi, in Barcelona, provided a great idea for a rug design. Thank you to our client, Rena Feldman of Inview Interior Design in Minneapolis, for a wonderful collaboration!

Ceiling of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

Radiance, designed by Julie Dasher

Room designed by Rena Feldman of Inview Interior Design
Rena won a 1st place award for this room from ASID
Photo: Jon Huelskmap, Landmark Photography

Our Rugs are Heading to Consular General's Residence in Middle East

2016-02-12T10:55:00.000-06:00

We couldn't be more excited as 4 of our rugs are heading to a Consular General's Residence in the Middle East. This has been a fabulous opportunity to work with the design team at the U.S. State Department. Thank you to our wonderful team in Nepal. I think the images below reflect the amazing attention to detail of our associates there.

Hand-tufted wool rugs from New York to Minneapolis

2015-12-08T08:12:00.000-06:00

We always enjoy and appreciate receiving install photos from our interior designer clients. Here are couple of beautiful recent installations where our custom rugs were specified.

Thanks to Melissa Pollack at Pollack Interiors Co. in Belmore, NY and Tim Ricker at At Home in Edina, MN for trusting us with their custom rugs. We love working directly with designers to create special rugs in custom sizes and colors to enhance their spaces.

Space design by Melissa Pollack at Pollack Interiors Co. in Belmore, NY
15'5" X 15'5" Pearl Necklace rug by Julie Dasher Rugs
All wool/Hand-tufted

Space design by Tim Ricker at At Home in Edina, MN
4 X 12 Custom Geometric runner by Julie Dasher Rugs
All wool/Hand-tufted

Casbah rug in Lake Forest, IL

2015-10-02T07:24:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos sent to me by our client ESL Design in Lake Forest, IL. This room was designed by Elizabeth Scott-Lisk at ESL. She chose our Casbah design in wool and silk, hand-knotted in Nepal with 100 knots per square inch. We love the colors and how the geometric design complements the beautiful furnishings in the dining room.

Our Wonderful Team in Nepal

2015-09-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

We are so fortunate to have a wonderful team in Nepal including our finishing staff who pay such amazing attention to detail as they sort and trim the wool fibers to define the patterns in our rugs. This 12 X 25 foot rug is our 4-color Flamestitch design being made for a client of Maggie Nielsen Interiors in Chappaque, New York.

Introducing the Sylvie & Mira Collection

2015-09-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

We are thrilled to be introducing a new collection of rugs designed by Lisa Peck called Sylvie & Mira. During her 20 years in the industry, Lisa has collaborated with a host of people on a variety of projects that span the gamut of style. She is an expert at working within three-dimensional space, identifying hard materials and mixing them with textures and patterns. Her mastery of color has earned her the nickname “Color Queen” around her office. And while there’s no idea too big or detail too small, Lisa understands the importance of protecting her clients from spending time and money on frivolous extras. Perhaps more importantly Lisa has developed lasting relationships with clients and trade professionals along the way. And she has done so in large part because her pull-no-punches approach and inspired designs knock your socks off.

Lisa's design journey has led to the creation of this beautiful new rug collection, hot off the looms in Nepal. Here are some of the beautiful samples available in a variety of showrooms around the country, including Julie Dasher Rugs.

Abrash in a rug

2015-09-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Abrash in a rug is a striation created by yarns that are dyed in multiple colors which are fairly close in tone. Abrash shows a beautiful textural effect which can stand alone without any additional pattern in the design. The abrash technique can be done in heavy, medium or light variations.

Here is a picture of a rug with heavy abrash that we recently created for Sweet Peas Design in Chicago. Susan Brunstrum, the owner and head designer, at Sweet Peas had done another rug with us using 3 colors in a heavy abrash in the background of the rug with a cream-colored design in the pattern. This time, her client wanted just the heavy abrash background and no pattern for a highly subtle, textural rug. This project didn't leave much for me to do as a designer but I am thrilled with how the rug turned out.

Hand-knotted rug being stretched in the finishing stage

Hand-knotted rug being trimmed in the finishing stage

Beautiful new samples

2015-06-27T13:02:00.000-05:00

I can't help but share a picture of 2 new beautiful samples created by our team in Nepal. The green sample on the right is our English Damask pattern in all Tibetan wool. This is a strike off for Rebecca Laymon, an interior designer in Raleigh, North Carolina. The sample was woven in 2 different colorways, with half the sample in a mix of green and cream and the other half of the sample in shades of green. The cream-colored sample is our Quatrefoil pattern in Tibetan wool and raised Chinese silk for Francia Fusik, a designer who has a beautiful new showroom in Windemere, Florida called All In One Decorating Solutions. Both samples are hand-knotted in Nepal with 100 knots per square inch.

2015-06-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here is another beautiful wool and silk rug hand-knotted by our expert craftspeople in Nepal. This rug was produced for an interior designer in Chicago for a client's dining room. It is our Stately Damask pattern with raised silk.

Thank you for your generosity

2015-05-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, there were 2 very powerful earthquakes in Nepal recently resulting in great loss of life and property for the people there. Julie Dasher Rugs has received tremendous support from many of our clients, friends and family for our supplier in Nepal and for Goodweave. Goodweave is on the ground in Nepal providing a myriad of services for the children, their families and also supporting the efforts to rebuild so that properties are more earthquake resistant in the future. We are truly humbled by your generosity and are happy to report that our factory in Nepal is fully operational. Our supplier and his team are amazing people and are recovering from this challenge with grace and strength. We admire them greatly.

In that light, here are some pictures of a beautiful rug they just finished for one of our clients, an interior design firm in Washington, D.C. The attention to detail and craftsmanship of this talented team are evident.

The Mystery Behind Lanolin in Wool as a Stain Blocker

2015-03-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

You may hear from rug dealers that the lanolin in the wool in their rugs repels liquids...that it is a natural stain blocker. Well, wool does have lanolin in its raw state. In the case of our hand-knotted rugs which are made in Nepal, the wool is imported from Tibet and comes in 2 forms...cold-water washed and chemical-washed wool. The lanolin content in chemical-washed wool is low compared to cold-water washed wool.

However, here's what happens in the wool dyeing process:

Step 1: Washing the wool...along with the lanolin, there are a lot of impurities in the wool like dirt, soil and even sheep feces (sorry...but it's a big issue!) The wool needs to be bathed in hot water and detergent to remove these impurities and to allow the dye to absorb well into the fiber. This process strips off a large percentage of the lanolin content in the wool.

Step 2: Dyeing the wool...this process totally removes the lanolin content in the wool. For the wool fibers to absorb the dyes, the water needs to be boiled consistently over 100 degrees. Lanolin melts at temperatures ranging from 40 to 50 degrees and thus at this stage, the lanolin dissolves into the hot water.

LESSON 1: Don't believe those rug dealers that tell you that their dyed wool rugs have lanolin that helps to repel stains. This would only be possible if the lanolin was massaged BACK into the wool rug once the rug was finished and washed... think of it like putting conditioner on your hair after shampooing.

LESSON 2: WOOL IS STILL THE BEST FIBER IN OUR OPINION FOR RUGS. IT IS EXTREMELY CLEANABLE, RESILIENT/BOUNCES BACK, LONG-LASTING, SOFT AND LUXURIOUS. WE JUST WANTED TO SHARE THE TRUTH ABOUT LANOLIN.

Note: If the wool rugs are UNDYED, then they may still have some lanolin in the wool.

Attention to Detail and Craftsmanship

2015-01-29T07:11:00.000-06:00

We are so fortunate to have such wonderful interior designer clients who give us the opportunity to create beautiful rugs for their projects! Here is our Livorno pattern with a lovely merlot colored silk in the scrolls of the design.

Chinese silk in a merlot color woven into the scrolls in the Livorno design

Our Livorno design, an oversized damask pattern

Thanks to our expert craftspeople in Nepal who produce an exquisite product

Dare to be special! A custom stair runner and landing rug for a Kenwood home in Minneapolis

2015-01-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a stair runner project we recently completed with interior designer, Janie Delaney, in Minneapolis.

The client wanted something colorful and fresh for her Kenwood home staircase and landing which can be seen as soon as you enter the home. Janie thinks it is lively and fun but has depth and character so that it works with the house. In Janie's words...it's "KILLER"!! Better in person of course and the client loves it!

Installation--the runner was made in 4 sections so as to get a perfect match on each stair.
The project was templated and hand-knotted in Nepal by our wonderful weavers there.

Here is the hand-drawn template and the 4 sections of the runner.

Picture of the landing rug

Close-up...heavy abrash striation in the background of the rug

Landing area...love the zebra pillow

Original digital rendering with final colors selected
Pattern by Julie Dasher

Thanks to COVER magazine for featuring our design

2014-12-09T11:33:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Lucy Upward at COVER magazine for featuring our new Lacy Maple Leaf design in their 2015 Trends report. We are very excited to be included! The Lacy Maple Leaf design was inspired by a beautiful tree in our new home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The leaves look like fine lace.

Rug pads are important

2014-11-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

An often overlooked add-on to a rug purchase is a pad. Rug pads, however, are very important for a variety of reasons which include increasing the longevity of the rug. If you make an investment in a beautiful area rug, it is well worth it to spend a few dollars on a rug pad. In addition to increasing the life of the rug, the pad secures the rug in place so that you, your friends and family will not slip on the rug and it also adds a cushiness under foot and makes the rug look more luxurious. Finally, depending on the type of rug you have...hand-knotted, hand-tufted, bound carpet to mention a few...a rug pad can protect your floor from the backing on a rug that can scratch a floor.

The type of rug pad that I recommend is the Durahold rug pad. It has a rubber backing on one side...that side sits on the floor...and a recycled felt pad on the other side. See pictures below.

A great source for these rug pads is www.bestrugpads.com

Visiting Cardinal Gibbons High School to inspire teens

2014-11-05T15:07:00.000-06:00

I spent the afternoon with my daughter's art class at Cardinal Gibbons high school with 2 messages to share with the teens:

1. Pursue your passion, follow your dreams, you can make a living with a creative business and do what you love!

2. Look deeper into how products you purchase are made. GoodWeave makes sure that no child labor was used in making a rug.

Julie Dasher Rugs is a licensed importer with GoodWeave. We donate a percentage of our profits each year to GoodWeave to help with education and community services in our weaving communities.

OUR DEBUT AT HIGHPOINT MARKET

2014-10-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Just finished our debut at Highpoint market. It was a wonderful week of sharing our design aesthetic and products with interior designers from around the world who attended market. All 50 of our press kits at the Media Center were taken which was totally unexpected!

Networking opportunities were amazing...met Gary Inman of Glave and Holmes who is creating some beautiful furniture designs and has become a "style spotter" extraordinaire. Visited with Jamie Schactel who created COUEF. They had a divine space at Inter Hall and a new globally-sourced line of ottomans, tables and chairs that are chic and modern. Met Sarah Stroh, editor of Rug News and Design, who organized a lovely breakfast billed as the Women's Rug Roundtable...I was with my "tribe" as we chatted about global issues surrounding the rug industry. Most of my time was spent "manning" the booth and meeting interior designers who were on the hunt for the latest and greatest resources for their projects.

It was so exciting and fun to be at the center of the home furnishings industry. I can't thank my husband, Thom, enough for all of his support and hard work in making this happen. I couldn't have done it without him! xxxoooo

Please donate to Goodweave!

2014-10-28T09:28:00.002-05:00

Please consider a donation to Goodweave this week. It's the non-profit in Washington, D.C. that I support to help end child labor in the rug-making industry. If we raise $3500 this week, we get a $1500 donation from the Skoll Foundation!

You can click on this link to make a donation.

https://www.crowdrise.com/goodweave-se/fundraiser/juliedasherrugs

Thanks so much!

Watch this moving video which shows the wonderful work Goodweave is doing.

Countdown to Highpoint Market

2014-10-14T12:26:00.000-05:00

We are very excited to be exhibiting at Highpoint market for the first time the week of October 18th! Our booth is being transformed into a colorful display of our rug designs that were made all over the world. If you are heading to Highpoint, please stop by and visit us in Suites at Market Square #M-1044.

Here are the 4 runners we had made for the show. Stop by the booth and fill out your entry to win one of these runners!

VIDEO: STAND WITH SANJU...TOUCH YOUR HEART AND WATCH SANJU'S STORY

2014-10-13T07:47:00.000-05:00

On the heels of the amazing announcement that Goodweave's founder, Kailash Satyarthi, just won the Nobel Peace Prize, I wanted to share with you this touching video. Warm your heart...

The story of Sanju was made possible by a grant from the Skoll Foundation.
The Skoll Foundation was created in 1999 by Jeff Skoll, the first employee and first president of eBay. Its mission is to advance systemic change in communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs, who are individuals dedicated to pioneering new solutions that result in lasting improvements to complex social problems. More information is available at www.skollfoundation.org.

GOODWEAVE FOUNDER WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

2014-10-11T07:35:00.002-05:00

This is such amazing and exciting news...that GoodWeave’s founder, Kailash Satyarthi, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday. He shares this honor with Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning on behalf of girls’ education.

Julie Dasher Rugs supports Goodweave's mission as a licensed importer. We donate a percentage of our profits to this wonderful cause. As you consider purchasing a beautiful rug, keep in mind that there are still hundreds of thousands of children enslaved to the loom making rugs and losing their childhood.

In the announcement from Oslo, committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland said: “Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected. In conflict-ridden areas in particular, the violation of children leads to the continuation of violence from generation to generation.”

Look for the Goodweave label on your rug to assure that only adult artisans worked to make your rug.

Julie Dasher Rugs/Lotus and Rings design