Joan Weissman Custom Rugs

For many, a rug is the runway to a room, a palate for which colors are chosen, and often the expression of one’s personality. Most designers spend countless hours deciding a room’s décor, so why not equally find the perfect rug. Joan Weissman, of Joan Weissman Studios, is a current New Mexico resident whose best known for her colorful abstractions expressed through threads. What’s more, Weissman offers her clientele the flexibility of altering any rugs design to fit the motif, size and colors of a desired area. Most recently, Weissman has unveiled her newest collection of rugs. Inspired by the California skies and far-flung landscapes, each of the eight rugs are intricately woven and hand-knotted in luxurious wool or silk or hand-tufted with great attention to detail.

Her rugs…
“TROPICAL”: Oversized blossoms and undulating leaves depict the romance of dramatic coastal gardens. This hand-knotted Tibetan rug’s background is wool and details are pure silk.

“TIERRA SECO”: Depicting shoreline trees on a tropical beach, this hand-tufted rug features a combination of cut and loop pile, and shaded tonalities.

“BAYAHIBE”: Inspired by the cracked earth surfaces in the high desert, this hand-tufted example has a tightly looped wool background, and viscose details.

“MADRAS SILK”: Inspired by the coast of India and the ocean’s reflections, this hand-tufted example has a tightly looped wool background, and viscose details.

“ORION (THREE VARIATIONS)”: Scattered stars, planets and shadows of the horizon in a lively arrangement. Three versions illustrate varying weaving styles.

ORION (GOLD): This hand-knotted Tibetan rug’s background is a blend of wool and silk, with details of pure silk.

ORION (BROWN NEUTRALS): This hand-knotted Tibetan rug’s background is a tweedy natural, undyed wool, with details of pure silk.

ORION (TUFTED): This hand-tufted version shows off a cut and loop construction, with details in glossy viscose

“LOTUS”: Inspired after a visit to the Chinese Garden in Portland, this hand-knotted Tibetan rug’s background is wool and details are pure silk.

Aside from her designer weaves gracing the pages of Interior Design, Hali, Western Interiors, Paris Home and Veranda magazines, their also laid out in several renowned locations like the Mariposa Restaurant in Honolulu, Hawaii; the halls of Group Health in Seattle, Washington and the hotel lobby of the Bellevue Club Hotel in Bellevue, Washington—not to mention private residences. When not entwined with her hand-woven rugs, Weissman enjoys needlepoint embroideries and ceramics. “My involvement in the arts allows me to cross borders of time, place and culture,” she says. Her work is a collaborative process from start to finish, but the ending result is a lifelong conversation piece—one she’s highly respected and praised for.

www.joanweissman.com

—Christine Whitton