Famous for their rich colors, warm tones, and beautiful ethnic motifs, these flat-woven rugs embody a splendid mix of cultures: the Greeks, Armenians, Kurds, Assyrian, & Turkic peoples have all contributed to kilim history. The dhurrie is handwoven in jute and the colors make you feel at home. Handmade to the last detail. Hand Woven Handmade Kilim Stair Runner Rug, Carpet Stair Runner, Stair Runner by the Foot. Details Material: 70% jute 30% Wool Size: 2 x 20 ft, 24 x 240 in, 60 x 600 cm. Weight: 5.885 Kg Care Dry clean Spot clean using a damp cloth Brush for dust and pet hair Use a mild detergent for stains, testing on a small, inconspicuous area first Made with love and care in the beautiful state of Rajasthan, India. Please do not wash your kilim rugs. Consult a local rug company or dry cleaner to have them clean it for you. You can count on me to guide you from a phone screen as well 💌
Color is obviously an important factor when you pick a kitchen rug runner. However, there are three other things that are equally or even more important.
Our natural custom rugs creator will unleash your inner designer. Create a beautiful, sustainable rug from sisal or seagrass. Try now!
Grab our stair runner ideas like - how wide should a stair runner be? Read on for the best carpet runners for stairs and stair runner ideas
Stair runners aren't just popular and stylish, but are necessary to make stairs safer! Learn how to install a stair runner for as little at $150! Includes VIDEO
Experience refined relaxation with our Laine Ivory & Natural Rug. Inspired by hand-laid bricks through the countryside, this neutral design features a gentle range of light colors reminiscent of soft sunlight being cast across different objects. Water-resistant, stain-resistant, and machine-washable. Rug colors may vary slightly according to your device and the lighting in your space.
Em did A LOT of troubleshooting for the farmhouse stair runner and is here to tell you everything she learned and how much it all cost.
Take a look at the many table runner tutorials that I have written blog posts for. Most of them are fast and easy table runners to make.
Take the guess work out of installing your new laminate flooring. This awesome alternative to wood flooring is not only more durable- it is a cinch to install! Check out how amazing it looks- I wish I had made this change years ago!!!
Gives the iconic beach stripe a fresh new update in bold contrasting tones. Ideal for transitional or modern rooms. Hand-woven of pure wool yarns by
Funky Rug, Irregular Rug, Checkered Rug, Long Runner, Tufted & Non-Slip, Groovy, Retro, Unique Our checkered rug comes in black too! (https://www.etsy.com/listing/1353993360/wavy-rug-checkered-rug-tufted-non-slip?click_key=53d8ae12f3e296ee988469ed5be0557de91ff96b%3A1353993360&click_sum=bffb0408&ref=shop_home_feat_1) » 100% polyester » Standard size: 47.2x27.5 inches » Extra long: 120x27.5 inches (https://bywavecave.etsy.com/listing/1546601040/funky-rug-checkered-rug-irregular-rug?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1694022833162) » Non-slip » Easy to clean, by hand or machine wash
The reason that rugs are a subject of such fascination and admiration for so many is that within their threads they carry the weight of history. The designs (which may have religious, talismanic or totemic meanings) tell the stories of their weavers, and of traditions passed down from one generation to the next.
Unroll our wonderfully neutral Crosshatch Beige Ivory rug, designed with hand-drawn lines of ivory, mascarpone white and light cream colors sure to bring mesmerizing style to any home.
Stripes and Stripes Rug/ Runner 200x60cm. This item has been created for the brand HAY.
Learn how to install a rug runner on your staircase for under $120... it's easy!
Crochet rugs can bring so much character to any decor! This roundup of 8 free crochet oval rug patterns can be the best thing you will read on the internet today! Crocheting a brand new rug or recycling some old T-shirts yarn and use it to make an oval rag rug out of it! In both cases, you will end up crocheting an excellent piece of artistry. Crochet oval rug pattern looks very beautiful whether you put them outside the kitchen or bathroom, or in the center of a room. They will bring grace and character to any place you
In collaboration with Home Union we created a series of rugs that take inspiration from the Italian-American locations and institutions of our home neighborhood, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Fortunato, Giglio, Salerno, and Vespucci rug designs pay homage to the colorful and fantastical aesthetic of modern Italian design of the 1960's and 70's.
Arabella Natural Handmade Wool-Jute Blend Rug - Arabella Natural Rug has been hand-selected from a gorgeous Scandinavian inspired collection that boasts intricate textures and a neutral colour palette. The unlikely pairing of jute and wool creates a modern classic take on this collection. Made in India, each rug is hand loomed and is piled generously at 20mm making this a luxurious pick. Fibres from this rug are made from renewable resources adding a strong natural element to any space. Available in area and runner sizes, a perfect fit for your home. Rug Material: 70% Wool, 30% Jute - 100% renewable materials Pile Height: 20mm Style: Modern Construction: Hand Loomed Made in India We recommend that an anti-slip pad is used underneath rugs to prevent slippage between the rug and the flooring surface underneath. Please allow for slight variations in colours between dye lots. Please note that Jute is highly absorbent, therefore it is not recommended to place this rug in areas of high moisture or where spills may be likely. Disclaimer: Colours of Urban Road products may vary due to device display differences, monitor settings, inherent product variations, lighting conditions, and screen calibration. While we strive for accuracy, slight variations may occur. For any concerns, contact our customer support. Your satisfaction is our priority. HOW DO I KNOW WHICH SIZE TO ORDER? Firstly work out where you want to place your rug. If you want to position the rug under your dining table, it is recommended that the rug is large enough to extend another 60 - 70cm beyond the size of your table. When choosing rugs for your living room remember that less is not more! Smaller rugs can make a room look smaller or more cluttered whereas larger rugs offer the illusion of a more spacious room. For warm feet first thing in the morning when jumping out of bed, we recommend that your rug extends at least 50cm beyond the sides of the bed if your room can accommodate that. Whether you choose a large rug that the bed sits on top of or use a runner or two is a personal choice. WHERE CAN I PLACE MY RUG? Almost every room can accommodate a good rug, however, care must be taken when choosing the material your rug is made of for certain rooms. Natural materials like wool and jute are not recommended for use in areas with high humidity, moisture, or where spills are likely such as bathrooms, kitchens, and dining areas. For these areas, a polypropylene or polyester rug will handle the environment better. HELP! I HAVE KIDS AND/OR PETS. SHOULD I GET A RUG? Absolutely. Rugs help to offer warmth and softness to your space, and everyone loves kicking back on a good rug. To help your rug stand up to the challenges that kids and/or pets bring, we suggest choosing rugs made of polypropylene or polyester as these fabrics are low shed, offer resistance to stains, fading, and moisture, and are easy to clean. Making these rugs perfect for families of all makes and sizes. HOW SHOULD I CARE FOR MY RUG? We recommend having your rugs professionally cleaned only when needed. Rugs experiencing heavy usage can take annual cleaning, whereas average usage can handle a professional clean every 2 or 3 years. We do recommend extra caution when cleaning handmade rugs and suggest that only professional cleaning should be considered. Regular vacuuming is recommended to keep your rug in tip-top condition. The best vacuum choices are canister vacuums without beater bars. Brooms and manual sweepers are also gentle alternatives you can use. Refrain from vacuuming over the edges of your rug. Remember to vacuum both sides of double-sided rugs. For all hand-woven rugs please use extra care when vacuuming as the suction can pull the weave. Another option instead of vacuuming is to take the rug outside and shake it out. We recommend that you rotate your rug by 180 degrees every 3-6 months to help even out wear and helps to allow the rug to fade evenly. This is especially important if it experiences a large amount of natural sunlight. SPILLS AND STAINS Ensure you clean any spills immediately. Once a stain is set, it becomes much more difficult to clean. Blot the spill with a dry cotton cloth or clean paper towel. Work from the outer edges of the spill towards the centre to prevent spreading. NEVER rub a spill, as this forces the spill deeper into the pile. To remove any residual staining, dampen a cotton cloth or clean paper towel with clean, cold to lukewarm water only. Gently blot with the damp cloth and quickly absorb the moisture on the rug. WHY IS MY RUG SHEDDING? Shedding happens when fibres in the rug become detached from the pile. It is normal with new rugs and should reduce within a couple of months. Wool rugs are known to be high shedders. Polypropylene or polyester rugs are low-shed. DO I NEED A RUG PAD? It is recommended to place a rug pad underneath every rug. This helps to ensure the rug stays in place and flat. It also extends the life of the rug by preventing curling and wrinkling. It also offers protection to your floor from any possible colour transfer from the rug. HOW CAN I MAKE MY RUG LAY FLAT? New rugs often suffer from not lying flat until the fibres have relaxed. To help speed up this process, try reverse or back-rolling your rug whilst applying pressure to the area where the rug is creased or folded. Leave it back-rolled for a few hours, or overnight before unfurling to allow the fibre tensions to relax. Repeat this process as required. Another option is to lay the rug out in the sun for a few hours to warm up as this helps to loosen the back of the rug to help it lie flat. ARE THESE RUGS SAFE FOR BEDROOMS? All of our rugs are safe for household use and comply with all Australian laws and regulations. Wool and jute rugs do shed, so please consider this if placing in a child's bedroom. Ensure you air rugs out before placing them in bedrooms as new rugs can have a chemical smell when first unwrapped. This usually dissipates in a few days or weeks.
Here are a few things we consider when making carpet selections
Qara offers reversible washable white & black Scandinavia diamond double-sided kilim flatweave rug, perfect for modern decoration, the handwoven rug looks to add instant style and comfort underfoot. Perfect for all areas of the home. This is a lovely rug that can fit wonderfully in any room you want to make special. • Low pile height 0.2 Inch • Thin design fit under doors • Perfect for high traffic areas • Easy vacuum, and machine-washable
From pops of color to animal print to a subtle stripe, there are plenty of stair carpet ideas to jazz up your staircase and make it more functional.
Fall is finally here and the weather is teasing us with cooler days. We had to get into the seasonal spirit, and this pumpkin table...
Discover crochet tips and find inspiration on Your Crochet's free patterns blog. Read our post, 'Top 10 Oval Mandala Rugs Ideas and Free Crochet Patterns'.
💫GENERAL FEATURES💫 Tuldar Home stair treads rug upper surface is made of polyester and the lower sole is made of chenille material. You can order according to the number of stair steps you want. 1 pcs step rug measures 28x8 inches (70x20 cm). This stair treads carpet has emerged by combining the pattern works of our special design team with old and present motifs. In its production, it does not contain chemical substances that will harm human health. ✨THIN AND DECORATIVE STRUCTURE✨ Tuldar Home stair mat will add a unique atmosphere to your stair steps with its thin and decorative design. These unique modern stair carpets with special designs will bring a change to the look of your home. Thanks to its thin structure, it does not reveal a rough appearance on the stair steps. You can order according to the number of pieces you want. 🧼EASY TO CLEAN AND MAINTENANCE🧼 These stair tread rugs can be washed in the washing machine at 30 degrees. Be careful not to use ultra detergent during washing. Since it is a machine washable carpet, it does not tire you in cleaning. Drying is not done in the dryer. Dry using the natural drying method. It has a non-slip sole. Therefore, you can go up and down the stairs with peace of mind. In the case of vacuum sweeping, it does not cause difficulties. 🚚HEALTHY AND FAST DELIVERY🚚 These stair runner rug are shipped within the same business day you order them. Stair mat are checked with attention to the smallest detail and then packaged. It is sent to you as fast delivery thanks to the express shipping option. We track the cargo throughout the shipping process and inform you in any case. We wish you hope enjoy product. Happy shopping.
Ha! I finished my last DIY holiday gifts! I always do kitty thingies for Ashley and Darrin, parents to SIX kitties. And, yes, sometimes it’s hard to find something new. But I lucked ou…
Sometimes it's good to clear the mind, get things off one's chest, and move on. That's what this post is for. Oh what a long and arduous story, but I'll make it has quick and easy as possible. And so the history goes... In 1992, while in architecture school at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, the class assignment was to take a graphic element from the mini-project prior, which was a cementitious sculpture, and transfer a square of it into a 2D space. My sculpture was very curvilinear and fluid in form, so the 2D square also had those traits. The new project would be to take the square and repeat it in a grid, rotating the squares randomly to form variations in positive and negative space. This was easily identified because they were to be black and white only. Upon repetition of my square, I was displeased with the way the black and whites didn't line up with each other from tile-edge to tile edge. So I tweeked the square tile so that no matter how the tiles were rotated, the black would always line up with the black, and the white with the white. It's one of the few projects I've kept from all my work in university. You can isolate one of the individual tiles by locating the white dots, which are formed in the corners where the tiles come together: The teacher and other students were intrigued by what I'd come up with, which led to further exploration of the idea. I found myself doodling many different tile designs that employed the concept pretty much all the way through 1995. While studying abroad in Florence, Italy, I made my first prototype out of foam core and spray paint. I remember one of my roommates asked me what I was doing and I said, "Making tiles with a design on them that work no matter how they are rotated." To which he replied sarcastically, "Oh, like every other tile that's ever been made?" But when I showed him how the design actually changed upon rotating tiles he "clammed up pretty quick", as Brando would say in a Streetcar Named Desire. My roommate, JH (I'll only be using initials for the most part here), scratched his head saying, "That's pretty cool." I furthermore knew I had something with a wow-factor. Given they were my first prototype, I kept them all these years. Here are just 4 of them: When I got back to the States, I decided to take the tiles another step further and I bought un-fired ceramic tiles and glazed them with a different-yet-conceptually-similar design. After processing them in a kiln, I had myself a more professional prototype in a 6" x 6" ceramic tile format. A friend of my roommate's girlfriend thought I would be a millionaire... this was 1997. The drawback to the ceramic tile format was that the grout space caused an interruption in the overall design that I felt was unappealing. Furthermore, once they were assembled with mortar, they could no longer be rotated, which I felt was a drawback because one of the cool factors of the tiles was seeing how the design changed upon rotating the tiles. I installed them permanently to the dining table of a 17' RV trailer that I bought in '98 before graduating. The RV was later used for a Summer road trip, then ultimately abandoned at my Dad's house in Dallas since the V6 Explorer I was lugging it with didn't have the muscle to pull it up big hills, and Colorado had been a destination. A few years later it was donated to Father Joe's Village (yes, there's one there too - I say this since it's based in San Diego, which is where I live now). Somebody could very well be eating cheeze-its on that tile table surface in a trailer park as we speak. I have no pictures of that installation, unfortunately. Again, I wasn't very amped about it since they could no longer be rotated after assembly. In the meantime, during the Winter and Spring quarters of '98 architecture school, I began communicating with a patent attorney in Southern California with the initials NT who turned out to be a complete ass and idiot. Upon meeting with him and showing him the idea, he was intrigued and said he'd never seen it before. He said he'd conduct his standard research and file the patent if he didn't discover anything. Maybe he looked under his pillow and up his nose, but he didn't find a patent and we began the costly process. While at a college party with a fair amount of beer in me, I found myself playing with those poetry word magnets that were all the rage at the time. You know... form whatever immensely clever grammatically incorrect sentence you want for all passers-by to read. The epiphany struck that I could create refrigerator magnets with my tile idea. Magnets would allow the tiles to be rotated to change the design, and they could be used to hold photos and notes and stuff. It was a novelty item that seemed to have potential, so I developed a few prototypes and made plans to meet with a magnet manufacturer in Portland, Oregon called Off The Wall Magnetics. My friend JG and his Dad were planning to fly to the same city at the same time in his Dad's personal plane... a little un-pressurized 4-seater where you need headphones to talk to each other. Fun flight, for sure. The manufacturer was flabbergasted at the concept, and once again everybody thought I'd be a millionaire. I paid for the production of four different styles, which I called Cocoon, Clockwork, Etruscan, and Discovery. Here is each one as a single tile and composed as groups of 16 tiles: (The story continues after them.) Cocoon: Tile above, groups below Clockwork: Tile above, groups below Etruscan: Tile above, groups below Discovery: Tile above, groups below During this time, I had graduated and the patent attorney was still doing his thing, waiting for the patent office to have their reply. The product packaging read "Patent Pending" proudly. I signed up for and attended my first trade show to proudly showcase my innovative novelty product. FreePattern Magnets were a hit! (I came up with the name FreePattern for the concept in the Summer of '95 while using my brother MB's computer to generate different designs and compositions; a much better use than what he was using it for... essentially a paper weight - he's very computer literate now though.) The first trade show was in Seattle, Washington, and pretty much everybody thought Cocoon was the coolest design. I was so stoked on the reception that I even got a tattoo of it on my back the first night. By the end of the three-day show, though, I'd only placed about 10 orders at most for different types of retail stores that carry novelty-like items. It may not have been a lot, but I was excited about the prospect of re-orders from those stores and continued growth while doing more shows. So I made the absolutely idiotic decision to quit my job at an architecture office (The Luckman Partnership inc in LA) and focus all my attention on creating a website and doing trade shows. Several months into the trade show circuit I got a phone call from the dumb ass patent attorney NT. He told me somebody else already had the patent... a guy named AL in Louisiana. I thought, "It couldn't be!" and asked him to send me a copy of the abstract. The concept description was - exactly - the - same... practically. Holy crap... somebody else already had the patent. The only word of mild intelligence that NT uttered was that I could probably still copyright my specific designs. So that's what I went ahead and did. Of the volumes of different tile designs that I had come up with, I isolated what I thought were the best, and copyrighted them. Obviously, Cocoon, Clockwork, Etruscan, and Discovery were on the list. There would later be the likes of Buggin' About, Escer, Goin' Ape, and eventually many others. They are copyrighted as Surface Cover and a copyright lasts 99 years, which is actually longer than a patent, but carry less weight. Simultaneously, I discovered that if I grouped some tiles then repeated the group, a specific pattern would emerge; and if the tiles in the group were rotated, a new pattern would emerge. I would come to call the concept the Pattern Palette. Here are some select examples: (The story continues after them.) Aztec: Black Widow: Escer: Galileo: Macrame: Plasma: This next series of tiles went unnamed, so they are just referenced by a number: 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7: 8: 9: 10: 11: 12: 13: 14b: 15: 16: 17: 18: 19: 20: 21: 22: 23b: 24: 25: 26: 27: 28: 29: 30: 31: 32: 33: 34: 35: 36: 37: 38: 39: 40: 41: 42: 43: 44: 45: 46: 47: 48: 49: 50: 51: 52: 53: 54: 55b: 56b: 57: 58: 59: 60b: 62: 63: 64: 65: 66: 67: 68: 69: 70: 71: 72: 73: 74: 75: As you can see, I spent a decent amount of time generating tiles that created nice designs when utilizing my Pattern Palette concept. Regardless, I was pretty bothered that NT didn't find AL's patent when he conducted the research; after all, that's what the research portion of a patent application is all about. Seems he just figured he'd take me for his attorney's fees and be on his merry way. But since I'd already invested so much in a product of which I now had an inventory waiting to be sold and shipped, I continued doing trade shows and making efforts to get the magnets in stores. In the end, there were indeed more stores that bought, but unfortunately no store ever placed a reorder. This bummed me out, but led me to take the magnets a step further. I decided to create a game with them. So I asked my friend DD, who lived in Venice Beach at the time, and I was in Santa Monica, to meet with me over a beer so we could come up with some rules to a few games. We succeeded and I found a new manufacturer to make a new set of magnets with all new packaging. This is the one I called Geckos, which is based on the one called Escer (after MC Escer, of course): At this point it was the year 2000 and I would debut the new styles at a trade show in Pomona. It was a flop. I'm sure I did at least one more show after that, then decided the costs of marketing the magnets was simply not worth the return, or lack of return I should say. I decided to take a breather and pull my attention away from FreePattern for a while. Sometime during this period, my friend NR in Beverly Hills showed me a catalog for FLOR carpet tiles and said my tile idea might be good for that. I sort of shrugged it off at the time because the concept had really beaten me down by now. Over the ensuing months though, the idea must have percolated in my subconscious, because I began to think that maybe carpet tiles would indeed be a good product for the idea. After all, they did not have a grout space like ceramic tiles did, and they did not need to be glued down, which would allow them to be rotated even after installation. So I found myself back at the drawing board creating a booklet that would demonstrate graphically how FreePattern could be used as carpet tiles. Soon enough, I registered as an attendee at a trade show in Las Vegas called Surfaces to hunt down a willing manufacturer. This was around 2001. Every single manufacturer I spoke with either said they had enough of their own products to market, or that the idea just could not be done. They argued that the carpet tile manufacturing process was not precise enough to cause the design to line up well from tile-edge to tile-edge. Alas, there was one wonderful manufacturer by the name of Joy Carpets Inc out of Tennessee near Georgia that was willing to take a closer look at my idea. The president of the company was intrigued by what I had to show him and said we could discuss things further over the phone after the show. I had found my needle in a haystack. Over the course of the following months, we had an agreement in place and they were conducting their Research and Development. After they produced a prototype, they decided the idea was very innovative and could indeed be a hit. Their carpet tile format would be a square yard (which turned to a square meter years later) and have a non-glue installation method that would allow the tiles to be rotated as desired after installation in order to change the design. This would be the perfect union to produce I great product, and they would incur all production costs, while I would receive a royalty on all sales. This arrangement was satisfying, but I was concerned that only I would be the right distributor of the product that could properly demonstrate to buyers how the concept worked. After all, you couldn't just show a picture of one of the tiles and expect people to understand what happens when many are grouped together in different ways. So they agreed to join me outside the box and set up not only a royalty agreement but also a distributor agreement. I created a new website and began planning a new circuit of trade shows. Around this time, AL, who held the patent on the idea, contacted me. Turned out the patent expired which means it was public domain, so I wouldn't need to worry about any legal issues regarding copyright law vs patent law. Cocoon manufactured in 9 colors: Clockwork manufactured in 3 colors: Etruscan manufactured in 3 colors: FreePattern Rotating Carpet Tiles was the name I used to launch the idea, and there was now a new drive in me to sell some product to finally achieve something worthwhile after all I had devoted by now to the idea... in time, money, and even career. While I was at a Designer trade show in LA, I found myself continually demonstrating how the idea worked by rotating the tiles on the floor. One of the passers-by mentioned it would be cool if I had some sort of automated way to do the same thing. Given doing rotations constantly with square yard carpet tiles was strenuous after several hours, and took me away from being able to talk to customers, after the show I began a dialog with a trade show display manufacturer. We came up with a trade show display that included a flat screen TV that could play a DVD that showed my photoshopped "room scenes" (I had gotten very good at photoshop by now, after all the material I produced for the magnets), and an upright robotic display that would automatically rotate 6 of the carpet tiles in a particular sequence, or at will with the push of a button. Needless to say, Cocoon was the tile design on display, and the Navy/Beige color combination was the color combo I chose. It was an incredibly hot trade show display. One of the most important things to convey to customers was the variability of these carpet tiles. They could be assembled in many different ways to create different looks, and it was all possible with only one tile design. After a year of doing trade shows in different cities, which were incredibly costly each time, and with an unimpressive number of orders, I decided I could no longer invest in continuing along that road. Instead, I would purely focus on my website and driving as much traffic to it as possible. By this time, I guess after seeing those 6 tiles of Cocoon rotating so much on the robotic display, I decided it could be interesting to market the carpet tiles as a "modular area rug" instead of a wall to wall carpeting product. This would allow a more common consumer (home owner) to buy some product at a relatively low cost, instead of relying on commercial buyers to order large quantities to cover an entire space. It turned out, though, that a customer complained that the tacky coating on the back of the tiles wound up leaving a sticky residue on her nice wood floor, which it was believed would not be the case. The carpet tiles were not designed to be assembled on a finished floor, instead they were designed to be installed on the subfloor, which is typically plywood or concrete. I came to discover this same tacky residue on my own wood floor where I had 6 tiles of Cocoon. With a mix of vinegar and water, I was able to clean it all away, but it was a painstaking process. So I discontinued marketing the carpet tiles as a modular area rug. With all the work I'd put in so far for the carpet tiles, I thought maybe I should consider the tile concept for another venue... this time as mosaic tiles. I generated some designs and found a manufacturer in Mexico that could custom make them for me at a good cost. In the end, they sent them to me and I installed them in a bathroom. I made efforts to market them online, and tried to get local manufacturers interested, but nobody was having it. This is a video of the bathroom installation: Wondering if there was another way to utilize the tile idea, I began creating interactive art. By stenciling the tile design on a piece of wood in a checkerboard fashion (skipping a space), and also stenciling it on square pieces of plexiglass that I mounted in the center of the square on the wood using magnets, a person could alter the design of the art by rotating the tiles. I developed a number of works on wood, and some also with plexiglass as the background: With the carpet tile website for Cocoon, Clockwork, and Etruscan still acting as product distribution but with less-than-adequate sales, I decided to bring some attention to the tile concept by entering a design competition. I created an interactive art piece and sent photos of it with my application. The response I received was that the tiling concept had already existed, although it wasn't extremely well known. I didn't bother entering since the judges wouldn't see it as a novel design idea. Here is the work: Somewhere along the line, I came to realize that perhaps an electronic approach could be the right application for this tiling concept. And given the new age of mobile apps, I decided to try my luck by creating a game using the tiles for use on mobile devices. First step would be to come up with a few ideas, and here are some images of them: Now it was 2011. I found a few mobile app designers on craig's list, got a variety of price quotes, and went with the Russian guy. Over a period of several months, I created and sent to him pdf files of game instructions and the graphics for the tiles. He, AS, would provide me with progress builds, and I would provide feedback. It was a fairly lengthy process, perhaps taking as long as a year. In the end, he helped me create Tile Spin and Tile Spin 2, for the Apple iPhone, iPad, and android smart phones. Now came the not-so-easy task of marketing a whole new product. With the apps live and accessible through their respective app stores and through my website, I created Tile Spin Tim as a mascot for the app. Tim's head was made by a guy named JO who I also found on craig's list. Tile Spin Tim is a young, hip guy with a shirt that reads "Grab The App." I also made a couple videos to help promote the puzzles. With the advent of social networking sites, I began to do some free marketing of both the carpet tiles and the brainteaser apps... along with several million other entrepreneurs. I continued in this space for quite some time. In 2012 or so, a designer out of Florida with the initials SN contacted me because he discovered the same tiling concept. His interest was more in stencils and textiles, and given the difficulty I'd had to date generating revenue with the idea, I didn't mind someone else in the mix to promote it in his own way. He told me he was also in contact with AL; I'm glad he did some adequate research, but we'd both soon discover that neither of us had really done enough. Around 2013, AL contacted us to talk about somehow joining forces to create a sort of exhibit to better launch the idea into the design community. He did a lot of work putting together ideas, and it was extremely recently, in 2014, that he came across a paper written by RK in Illinois that covers the history of the tiling idea... and it all began with a religious fellow named Truchet. The paper includes the additional efforts in the more recent history that numerous designers have exerted, and it also references AL's patent. I was intrigued to read that there were at least two different designers, around 2010, who used their own tile designs employing the same concept, but as magnets. Recall, my first product, FreePattern Magnets debuted in 1999. The side of the packaging that Off The Wall Magnetics printed for me read "A '99 Design." Of course, I designed the packaging as well. So this story concludes with the revelation that this simple tiling concept, which I had come up with in 1992, but had already had a patent from '91, had actually been discovered by Truchet in the 1700's. Truchet's tiles were far simpler than the rest of ours, and I'd say computer technology had a lot to do with that. (Thanks again Adobe, but this time for Photoshop.) It's now clear that numerous designers have come up with the idea, but there are really only a handful of us that have products that are available for sale. In addition to SN's stencils and textile, there is a KG in California who markets cement tiles on her website. AL is currently driven to bring me, SN, and KG together to bring awareness of this innovative tiling concept, but it's now clear that there are a lot of people that already know about it. In retrospect, I almost feel like I would have been better off never coming up with the idea back in '92. I've spent over 20 years now intermittently putting attention on an idea that I thought was quite innovative, but really wasn't. Neither AL, SN, KG, the other designers from RK's paper, nor myself understand why there aren't more products on the market that employ this concept. After all, you can create many different designs using only one mass-produced tile. But sometimes a great idea doesn't make it big until it's done at the right time. I don't think Elvis or The Beatles would have taken the world by storm if they had begun their music at any other time than when they did. Or, it's all about blow-out marketing and PR. Nonetheless, the adage "Don't quit your day job" echos throughout my story... I surely would not have stopped working at The Luckman Partnership inc if the tiles were not on my mind; and so perhaps I'd have a great career as an architect right now. But since "hindsight is 20/20" and "everything happens for a reason," I'm content with all the efforts that I've put in, but now I'll need to shift my attention back to Architecture. The carpet tile website, which I now call Adaptive Rugs, and the Tile Spin puzzle site, are both going to remain live and deliver their products as designed. So to all those entrepreneurs who are thinking of quitting their stable job to go at it on their own... try to figure out a way to do both. And most definitely do massive amounts of research to make sure nobody else has already tried to walk the path you're considering. Let's face it, there have been a lot of intelligent minds that have walked this earth before us... discovering true innovation that will be received by the public at large is like finding a diamond in the rough. Maybe you'll find the diamond, shine it, cut it, and make millions with it... but it may turn out to be a CZ. If you've actually read all this, my God, thanks. Share my tale of struggle, and walk the path that was meant for you with prudence and wisdom. - Edward Borlenghi PS: Check out the carpet tiles or the brainteaser app :)
