Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Eakins.
Rug designer Elizabeth Eakins, whose showrooms include locations in New York City and Los Angeles, recently visited St. Louis thanks to a long-time collaboration with local interior designer Ken Stückenschneider. Her intricate, handmade rug designs are now a part of the inventory at his shop, Stückenschneider Decoration & Design in Ladue (9785 Clayton, 314-726-2000). During her stop in St. Louis, Eakins took time between trunk shows to talk about her start and to offer her thoughts on designing with rugs.
Tell me about your origins as a rug designer.
I started weaving when I was 11. I took classes at Carnegie Mellon Art Institutes. When it came time to go to college, I wanted to go into textile design with a core interest in hand weaving.
Did someone in your family peak your interest in weaving?
No not at all. No one in my family works with their hands except for me. It was really through Carnegie Mellon Art Institutes and participating in children’s art classes. There was a weaving teacher there and that’s how I started. So it was a very natural thing.
Did you always know you wanted to work with rugs?
I graduated in 1978 from California College of Arts and Crafts. I worked briefly in fashion and I realized that [fashion] wasn’t my core interest. It was about making things that could be used, whether it was in a residence or in a public space. All of the products that I make today have a function, so form is driven by function. It’s about utilization. Fashion is a different orientation...The home, the idea, it's a sanctuary. It’s a very important place. [The home] really motivated me more than apparel.
What makes up a quintessential Elizabeth Eakins rug?
I think people always respond to the quality of color, whether it’s a hand-tufted rug or a hand-woven rug, I think there’s a level of sophistication and that is truly consistent...At the end of the day, there’s a practicum to all of the products. That comes from what I believe is just being American, like ‘How can we utilize this? How’s it gonna serve you?’
Where is the best place for homeowners to place a rug?
I will usually ask, “What’s the most important area of the house to you?” There’s a consistency. Say if somebody is single, if somebody has a life companion, or if somebody has a full family, the area that they spend the most time in, to me, is the most important. That’s going to bring them the greatest pleasure.
Should a rug stand out or blend into a room’s design?
I think for longevity it’s better when the rug is part of the whole scene. I think sometimes what happens is that a rug is really unusual and there’s a pop. It’s not often that 10 years later a client is still going to be in love with that rug the way they would be with one that’s just beautiful and subtle.
What advice could you offer about selecting the shape of a rug?
I think a rectangle is universal. If you move you can reuse it. You can always spin it or flip it. If you do a shaped rug, you’re kind of locked in. A round rug is fun but, again, it can’t be moved to a different room. People’s needs change over time, too. But you can always use a rectangle.
What do rugs add to a room in the most general sense?
I think they make it a very comfortable space. It’s more intimate. I think one of the things we’re seeing right now in modern architecture is there is an interest in moving away from rugs to wonderful reclaimed woods or concretes that are impregnated with color and all of that. But the spaces remain cold. I always think that a rug, no matter how thin or how thick, it just makes the space a little more cozy.
