Following a preview at Maison & Objet Paris in January, Lady Deirdre Dyson's 'Mélange' rug collection has now arrived at her flagship Paris gallery, and will land very soon at the London gallery too.
True to its name – ‘mélange’ denoting a mixture of different and often incongruous things – the collection is wonderfully varied and unpredictable. Rather than pursuing a single overarching theme, as Dyson typically does, she has embraced pure creative spontaneity.
'Safari' rug
The collection comprises seven distinct carpet designs, each entirely self-contained yet united by a shared spirit of play and wit. That spirit is expressed through a language of geometric and kaleidoscopic forms, and a palette rooted in warm taupe neutrals punctuated by burgundy, purple and burnt orange.
'I decided to move away from any preset objective and relied entirely on a random design process from ideas that just popped into my head,' says Dyson. 'There are references to past works using overlays and floating shapes, while some carpets appear figurative and others more angular and geometric. What did become evident is that the designs are characteristically mine.'
'Glassy Greens' rug
'O' rug
'Crystal' features a jagged graphic border evoking refracting light, punctuated by black silk highlights. 'Safari' plays with dramatic vertical frequency-like lines broken by earthy two-tone stripes. 'Triptych' and 'Moulin' share a centrifugal energy – the former setting animal-print triangles in burnt orange and camel against grey; the latter layering transparent triangles over a rich burgundy and purple ground.
'Glassy Greens' conjures the illusion of floating shelves rendered in delicate sea-green silks, each balancing a contrasting rectangular form. 'Pouch', true to its name, is a tactile, curved design with a fluid silk outline in layered taupe neutrals that lends it an almost three-dimensional quality. Rounding out the collection, 'O' is a purely geometric study in 100 per cent wool, in which overlapping rectangles, squares and circles are enlivened by an accent of deep framboise.
'Crystal' rug
Most designs incorporate fine silk woven alongside Goodweave-certified Tibetan wool, handcrafted by Nepalese artisans. All pieces are made to measure, tailored to individual specification and available across a broad spectrum of colours – a fitting final note for a collection that, in Dyson's words, she hopes offers 'something for everyone'.
Deidre Dyson galleries are at 554 King’s Road, London SW6 2DZ; and 12 Rue des Saints-Pères, 75007 Paris
'Triptych' rug