Chicago Interior Design

Key Takeaways

• Wendy Labrum’s Chicago project combines restored historic charm with family-friendly style.
• A large Moroccan-style rug from Esmaili Rugs features in the home.
• Take inspiration from the room’s mix of textured rugs, colorful upholstery, and sculptural furniture.

Why Designers Choose Custom Rugs

Designers often commission a custom rug when existing inventory cannot fully answer a room’s scale, palette, or architectural character. Made for the space, a custom rug can define a seating area and create a thoughtful connection between the surrounding colors, furnishings, and finishes.

In Wendy Labrum’s Chicago project, a large custom Moroccan-style rug from Esmaili Rugs anchors the family-friendly living room. Its proportions and pattern complement the colorful upholstery and sculptural furniture, demonstrating how a custom rug can become an integral part of the room rather than simply a finishing touch.

The Rug as Part of the Architecture

A custom rug can do more than complement a finished room. Its dimensions, pattern, and palette can reinforce the architecture, establish visual balance, and define how people move through the space. In Wendy Labrum’s Chicago project, the large custom Moroccan-style rug from Esmaili Rugs anchors the living area and creates a cohesive foundation for its colorful upholstery and sculptural furniture.

Made for the Room: How Custom Rugs Transform Luxury Interior Design

Existing inventory may not always suit a room’s proportions or design direction. A custom rug allows designers to respond to the scale, palette, and character of a particular interior. Created with the room in mind, the rug can unify furnishings, distinguish one area from another, and give the overall composition a more intentional, refined appearance.

Designing from the Ground Up: The Art of the Custom Rug

A custom rug gives designers the opportunity to consider the floor early in the creative process rather than treating it as a finishing touch. The rug can inform the room’s colors, furniture placement, and visual rhythm from the outset. This ground-up approach results in an interior that feels cohesive, personal, and thoughtfully composed.

Tour a Chicago Home Where Lost Historic Charm Was (Carefully) Restored. The residence proves kid-friendly decor can also be very chic. Get the look with our Room Size Moroccan Rug Collection.

Read more on Architectural Digest.

Interior Design by Wendy Labrum

Moroccan Rug by Esmaili Rugs

By Sara James Mnookin

Photography by Heather Talbert

November 9, 2022

Why buy a rug that's only going to last for a few months? Stand up to endless family gatherings and playdates with Esmaili Rugs!