the cityhammer blog

Photo from FLOR

We nearly squealed with delight when we saw a post on the Florum Blog about a new line of area rugs based on the design work of Alexander Girard. The Florum is the blog by FLOR, one of the world's leading floor covering companies, especially for modular carpet tiles, which we covered here recently.

In a partnership with maXimo, a design and licensing firm out of New Mexico that works closely with the Girard estate on licensing opportunities, FLOR will be resurrecting some of Girard's mid-century work for an area rug collection that could add a great deal of brightness and color to any room.

If the name Alexander Girard doesn't ring any bells, a brief glance at his work will forever set him apart in your mind as someone who is truly iconic in the design world. Born in 1907, Girard joined the Royal Institute of British Architects followed by a move to New York in the 1930's. He spent some time in Detroit and then headed out to the southwest where his textile designs truly took flight.

Girard will forever be known as the man who zagged when the modern world zigged. As furniture and interior trends were headed in the modern direction of incorporating metals and hard plastics, Girard looked to the unindustrialized world for textile patterns and designs that would complement this new era's trappings.

He looked for inspiration in countries like India and Mexico, where folk art and handicrafts were still in vogue, unfettered by the industrial processing of modern times. His use of aggressively bright colors like magenta and tangerine in his textiles were the perfect complement for the modern and stark furniture designs that were becoming ubiquitous by the 1950's.

Girard is best known for his work at Herman Miller, many of his fabric and textile patterns for that company are considered modern classics and even works of art. An interesting historical note is that he was brought to Herman Miller by Charles Eames, an American legend in architecture, furniture design and many other disciplines.

For examples of Girard's work, visit maXimo

To see the rugs, check out The Florum

Labels: Alexander Girard, Area Rugs New York, Charles Eames, Furniture Designers in New York