http://motorsports.autoblog.com/
It would appear that has even gone so far as to recall the 2003-2004 cobras due to a carpet problem. Apparently they were riding up the accelerator and, as one can guess, that could cause some serious problems.
I’m impressed this problem couldn’t be fixed my mailing out a new carpet or even getting some sort of clamp that would hold it back by the seat.
A sad and avoidable bummer.
The patterns used by many Persian weavers are their more traditional curvilinear ones. Despite the fact that there have recently been a series of articles declaring the ornate Persian carpet to be “so last decade” it would appear that Persian carpets are still highly thought of throughout the world.
Yesterday it was announced that the palaces in the Oman have placed an order for 250 square meters of Persian carpets, somewhat as a public relations move to help draw attention to the carpets themselves. This article states the order is valued at around $440,000.
This article also states that Iranian (Persian) carpet exports to the United States from march 2005 to january 2006 were valued at 67.2 million dollars.
http://www.budgettravelonline.com
This is an interesting article about an Armenia as a tourist destination. They talk about the rugs from the area and then about three rather new hotels that sound quite nice.
I think my favorite of the hotels mentioned might be Avan Dzoraget, which resembles a castle. The showers build out of flagstone at the Avan Marak Tsapatagh also sound quite nice and I wonder if they add a new dimension to singing in the shower with some echoes.
This article talks about a show at MoMA called “Seventeen ways of Looking.” This is a show of art made by ‘Islamic Natives’ (mostly artists from Islamic countries).
The works described in this article sound quite nice, and also quite explicit (such as the prayer rug made of needles).
In general the show is intended to question the importance of origin in art and speak to the universality of artistic expression.
One example is the traditional handwoven silk rug with a center medallion that is an Irish shamrock.
An important point that is sometimes sadly overlooked is the fact that there are many ‘area rugs’ that are not ‘Oriental Rugs’ or ‘Persian Rugs.’ The traditional intricate floral patterns of Persian rugs are both impressive and wonderful. However, sometimes people want simpler bolder more colorful rugs.
This article talks about some of the contemporary patterns used. These are patterns involving flowers, bubbles, and clouds.
Personally, with a few notable exceptions, rugs that are fuzzy pictures of scenes you would expect to see in laundry detergent ads make me want to stay out of the rooms they are in.
This article talks about a newfound popularity for more contemporary rug designs. According to this article this trend is a result of a move toward a more casual lifestyle. People are no longer searching for the high style often implied by oriental rugs. Instead they want bold and vibrant patterns to accent their house.
This article also mentions how people are increasingly using flat weave rugs, like dhurries, in their kitchens.
Here is an article with some advice on picking out a rug. Some of these suggestions seem like common sense after you have read them but maybe people do miss them, such as “leave 18 to 30 inches…around the area rug” or “It is perfectly OK to place an area rug over your wall-to-wall carpet. They make pads for just this purpose.”
Here is an interesting article that states the recent trend in rugs is away from the ornate Oriental or Persian rugs and towards cleaner designs with more straight lines. Another way of saying this would be that “geometric” designs have become more popular while “curvilinear” or “floral” designs are falling out of favor.
This article also has some advice for picking out a rug at the bottom. Such as the blunt “Go with Wool.”
http://news.monstersandcritics.com
It appears that Bolton, the US ambassador to the United Nations, is threatening sanctions against Iran in the form of blocking the importation of Persian Rugs and Pistachio nuts.
This is an attempt to get Iran to give up their nuclear enrichment activities.
The new Ystrad Mynach police station in the UK utilizes interior design and color psychology to try to calm and focus those placed in the cells. Blue and yellow colors are used in the cells of this new police station to encourage truthfulness (blue horizontal line on the walls) and to help calm unruly people (a yellow border around the door).
This design is based on the hope that blue suggests “trust, efficiency, serenity, duty logic, coolness, reflection, and calm.” The yellow used in these cells is hoped to increase optimism and confidence as well.
I do hope that whatever effect the design of these cells has helps the police who use these cells and the people who are put in them. I would be very interested to see some sort of study to see if the design of these cells has any significant effect.
In my personal view, which is unsubstantiated by any actual evidence or test results, is that a general goal of “design” does matter in relation to people’s moods and outlooks. However, I am skeptical about any claim that says one color causes specific moods in people just like I am skeptical about claims that the bumps on my skull reveal details about my temperament. One must also be clear that this will not be anything of an effect that can take prescience over something that people are honestly upset about. One cannot make people happy simply by changing the color scheme of the room that you lock them up in.
At the least this may show a general care and attention to detail by the police who are building and running this station. This care may have a much more powerful results than any design could.