Vogue - Geometry lesson
Geometry lesson
North African design has long been a source of inspiration — it's a vital burst of colour and exoticism for those of us dwelling in colder climes. Until lately, we have been in thrall to burnt-orange Berber rugs, leather poufs and beaten-tin lanterns. Yet the look has become so ubiquitous, it's time for a new aesthetic to emerge from the region. And here it is: a minimalist take on maximalism, drawing on the Islamic use of geometric repetition in art and architecture. What this translates to for the home is Escher-esque patterned tiles, chevron-striped rugs and recurring interlocking shapes in textiles and underfoot, which, in their fresh hues and with their graphic edge, feel just right for summer. You can even wear the look: Oscar de la Renta's spring/summer '09 collection offered evening gowns printed with monochrome tessellations, while McQ's intarsia cardigan bears a strong zigzag design.
For modern Moorish tiles in chic monochrome, seek out De Ferranti's bone- and-horn collection in Harlequin, Chequer or Parquet de Versailles. Its black pierced-marble screen is a thing of beauty, casting cobwebby shadows on any white wall. At Emery & Cie, cube cement tiles continue the theme, as does Patricia Urquiola's Driade Flo chair, in a diamond pattern on red-and-white wicker. (Accessorise it with a cushion in Osborne & Little's Azari or Baru fabrics.) Urquiola's Tropicalia chair for Moroso is a riot of interlocking colours, while Gio Ponti's Paolo table at Twentytwentyone has a refracted print with kaleidoscopic appeal. (What to write in at such a desk? A cubic-print notebook from Astier de Villatte.) On the floor, Vanderhurd's Fez and Alhambra durries feature woven patterns of interlocking cubes and diamonds, and the eye- deceiving designs of the Ponti or Chiesa rugs from The Rug Company would enliven any room. Better living through geometry, indeed.
