The Gem Rugs by Belgian designer Alain Gilles for Italian luxury rug maker Illulian introduces a new element to the brand’s Limited Edition line, an exclusive designer collaboration collection. 

For the Gem Rugs series, Alain Gilles was inspired by a personal unexpected encounter – while meandering through a flea market on a lovely weekend afternoon, his attention was caught by the beauty of some small gem samples. This serendipitous moment of discovery led to a composition that is reminiscent of a collage, with two contrasting elements seeming to merge together to create one unique form. With the Gem Rugs, this plays out through the roundness of one section being highlighted by sharp angularity of another. Appearing as two distinct forms layered together, the rugs are given depth and dimension through two different pile heights. 

Consisting of three separate designs – Gem C, Gem D and Gem O – the collection is hand-knotted in Nepal and features wool for the upper obelisk shape and silk for the larger lower portion. 

Gem C pairs an electric blue obelisk with a delicate sage green circle and forms a fascinating union between fresh and natural tones with more intense and vibrant ones. 

Opting for a neutral tone-on-tone colour palette for Gem D, the designer paid focus on the geometric shapes, devising an intriguing layout in which the straight line of the lower section is intended to perfectly align with a room’s wall. 

The refined delicacy of Gem O expresses a subdued elegance, one that gracefully combines an oval quartz in a nuanced powder pink with a bright green jewel-toned prism. 

Each version in the Gem Rugs collection was conceived to give direction to a room, with the top obelisk acting as an arrow that points the way like a road sign; the straight edge of D, as mentioned, aligns with a wall while conversing with its surroundings, and the rounder shapes of C and O help define a causal space around which armchairs and sofas are placed. Custom sizing is available for each.