Dream Weavers

RUGS WITH FLAIR FOR THE WELL-HEELED

The Rug Company is a design-lover's mecca, filled with a heady mix of rugs, including designs by fashion gurus Paul Smith, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Marni as well as antique weaves sourced from around the globe. The first shop opened its doors in London's Notting Hill in 1997, and in 2002 owners Christopher and Suzanne Sharp set up Stateside in a lofty space on SoHo's Wooster Street. Now, because in this case bigger is definitely better, they've expanded by adding 2,000 square feet of prime Manhattan real estate to their existing 1,500. Walking into the new light-flooded showroom feels like walking into a friend's living room—a friend, that is, with impeccable taste who hangs chandeliers and drapes white walls with rugs that double as art. Clients have the option of buying ready-made rugs or working with the in-house design team to create bespoke pieces. The atmosphere is so inspiring that the Sharps rarely have to atmosphere is so inspiring that the Sharps rarely have to ask designers for ideas. Instead, Paul Smith, for example, will pop into the London shop and say, "I was walking down the road and thought, Wouldn't this be great?" Wonder who will be dropping by the New York store.

KATIE SHARER