Geometric Caucasian Tribal Rug Brings Color and Consonance To Contemporary High Rise
This tall-ceiling glass and steel urban condominium is powerfully enlivened by the potent natural colors and striking archetypal geometry of 19th-century collectible tribal and village rugs. Antique Caucasian rugs have long been appreciated by Modernist architects and designers for their highly complementary artistic approach. Both aesthetics are deeply concerned with a viewer’s direct engagement with the essentials of color and form, unmediated by the distractions of superfluous ornament. Here, the archetypal imagery of an exceptional Caucasian piece from the prized Bidjov Shirvan substyle instantly reveals this affinity. The decorative vertical flanges of the Mies van der Rohe-inspired building next door establish instant parallels with the signature radiating ivory motifs seen in the Caucasian rug: both orient the eye with the fewest possible elements. In a clever juxtaposition, a series of stuffed Caucasian grain bag cushions sit alongside a Le Corbusier-designed LC4 recliner–both examples of form in service of function.
