“Start with the rug,” is something we talk about today as a first step in designing a room, but in fact, dating back to the Art Deco period and before, decorators would design carpets as the main focal point of their interiors. Beginning in the 1930’s, a more functional, minimalist approach to interior design became popular, very much evidenced in the carpets produced at the time. Historian Susan Day notes that at the 1937 International Exhibition Society des Artistes-Decorateurs, many of the exhibited carpets had evolved from once densely patterned designs towards a minimalist grouping of motifs often reduced to the simplest form — a few undulating lines, repeating circles, cross-hatching or sprig-like-motifs arranged on plain or neutral grounds. When we took on the interior design of an apartment in an Art Deco building earlier this year, this concept of selecting a true statement carpet rang true. In an effort to speak to the architecture of the building (as well as the stylistic leanings of our client), we worked with Doris Leslie Blau to modify and recolor a 1935 carpet attributed to Maurice Dufrene. An example of the more minimalist, modern carpets of the time, it has been a wonderful foundation to work with, especially as we collect some beautiful vintage pieces to layer on top of it.