Milan Design Week it may be better known for its big furniture shows and blockbuster shows, but these carpet collections still stopped us in our tracks as we walked through the halls of Salone del Mobile and wandered around town Fuorisalone venues numbering in the hundreds.
1. FACES collection by Kengo Kuma for Jaipur rugs
With its bold architectural motifs, this collaboration between Jaipur Rugs and Kengo Kuma held its own both at the Salone and at off-site presentations. His 16 carpets Faces The collection comes in muted tones and is inspired by the facades of the Japanese architect’s most famous buildings, including the Suntory Art Museum in Tokyo – whose ribbing is hinted at in Sukima and Bokashi motifs.
References are thin. What both Jaipur and Cooma seek is a reminder of the ways in which light and shadow are cast on a facade. And the shade shows up brilliantly.
2. Illulian carpets
Ilhabela by Paula Cadematori and Mineralia by Controvento exemplify the artistic ambitions of the Italian luxury carpet brand Illulianwhose carpets are handmade by artisans in Nepal. Ilhabela, part of the NO LAND capsule collection, “explores the contrast between the depth of blue and the shades of the sunrise,” he says. cadets, and features a precise 45 degree hand cut technique.
Meanwhile, Mineralia plays with pile heights and yarn textures to create a floor covering that feels crafted from nature. Together, they express the range of the brand’s offerings, from understated yet whimsical to organic and seemingly free-form.
3. New Origins by Aline de Laforcade for HOWEVER
This jute and wool oval rug gives the impression of a shaggy but regal pet – or, more aptly, the sheep that provides its yarn. According to the Spanish carpet brand, the production of the collection involves two techniques: “hand loom and hand knotting of the wool, which allows the execution of the different textures and densities of the landscapes in its design.” The result is strikingly exciting, both as a handmade work of art and as a practical home accessory.
4. Lucia Eames Rug Collection by Nanimarquina
The Eames legacy was strong throughout Milan Design Week. It wasn’t just the showcase of the Triennale a prefabricated modular pavilion based on the Eames Housebut the nature-inspired designs of the late Lucia Eames (born Charles and his first wife, Catherine Woermann) were interpreted in a wonderful collection of rugs from Spain Nanimarquina. 
Located at the Salone del Mobile – its butterfly rugs soaring above the Nanimarquina booth – the collection brings elements of tufted, hand-loomed, hand-loomed and embroidered elements made “alongside new developments such as sculptural tassel and handmade, hand-stitched jute”, the brand explains. Its natural fibers with natural fibers of Afghan and New Zealand wool and jute are combined to create surfaces that play between matte and bright in subtle contrast.
5. Bieke Casteleyn x JOV
As part of Fuorisalone, Bieke Casteleyn and JOV collaborated on Clover, which they describe as “an immersive landscape of softness, form and material”. The rounded form of the rug on the wall stood out for its simplicity and playfulness.
