Rug designs have become more and more eclectic over the years, as many of the most daring brands experiment with realistic, yet larger-than-life, high-resolution digitally printed patterns and novel shapes and functionalities. Here are five new collections that continue this exploratory approach.

1

Liquid Layers by Claire Vos for Moooi Carpets

“What happens when you decontextualize the versatile shapes and colours of nature, morphing and liquifying it into new patterns?” That was the question that designer Claire Vos, of Studio Roderick Vos, asked herself when it came to creating her new line of rugs for Moooi Carpets.

Vos had already made magic with the brand in the past, utilizing its impressive high-res printing powers to imagine boundary-pushing floor coverings. In this latest line, which comes in three shapes (round in 250 and 350cm diameters, organic in 185 by 300 and 247 by 400cm formats, and rectangle in 200 by 300 and 300 by 400cm), her inspirations are natural minerals and organisms, from marlstone to tulips and birds. She turns their colours and textures into kaleidoscopic patterns that give the illusion of having been created by pouring different paint colours into a single mould.

2

Sequence by Apparatus and CC-Tapis

Conceived in collaboration with New York interdisciplinary design studio Apparatus, Sequence is a new offering by CC-Tapis, the Italian brand that has made waves with its irreverent floor coverings. The modular system, made in Thailand with hand-tufted, pure Vietnamese silk and worsted New Zealand wool, features panels that are connected with brass hardware. The space between the modules “recall the silhouettes of Pierre Cardin and the circular sense of passage evoked by a porte-cochère,” the rug manufacturer explains.

3

Foliage by Michele Romani and Mauro Saccani for Carpet Edition

With four designs referencing the four seasons (Spring is shown above), Foliage has a biophilic sensibility. The collection is made with New Zealand wool via two techniques: “a central line, which recalls the main vein on a leaf, separates the velvet from the bouclé pile workmanship, giving distinct textures to the piece,” according to Carpet Edition. The result mimics a leaf’s smooth surface and rougher back.

The palette, inspired by the grazing technique used in watercolours, emphasizes subtle shades of orange and green, which are offset by brighter hues.

4

Volumi by gumdesign for Antoniolupi

Riffing off of Tramato, gumdesign’s earlier carpet line for Antoniolupi, Volumi adds even more dimensionality to floors — and some rugs in the line also integrate a terracotta colour to the black-and-white expanses. Available in 25 exuberant iterations that play with 3D trompe l’oeil architectural motifs, the pieces are as suitable for the bathroom as they are for the living room.

5

Hula Hoop by G.T. Design

G.T. Design’s founder and creative director, Deanna Comellini, came up with these ribbed outdoor rugs, which are handmade in a non-toxic technical yarn, designed to be resistant to UV rays, bacteria and stains.

Made in circles and ovals, the pieces come in seven colourways adapted from industrial icons: Pennsy is a brick-red shade with white and orange accents that evokes the graphics of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Racing is a green inspired by classic British race cars, and Jet is a metallic grey recalling the shade of an airplane’s fuselage.