TAKE TO THE FLOOR
Fashion’s foray from ready-to-wear into homeware collections has proved popular over the past year as the catwalk took a back seat and designers – along with the rest of us – rediscovered a love of sprucing up our homes. Diane Von Furstenberg collaborated with HM x Home, Zandra Rhodes with Ikea, stylist Ingrid Hoey with CA Design, while former Ralph Lauren fashion PR Laylah Holmes recently worked with design studio Barlow & Barlow to create a capsule edit of luxurious rugs.
Founder of Holmes Bespoke, Laylah is one of few designers now spearheading the renaissance of custom-made artwork for your floor, a design niche she fell in love with after moving into interiors five years ago. Now, a mum of two, she works from her beautifully-restored home, creating liveable luxury for global clients. ‘I studied art in college and then fashion so design has always been a big part of my world,’ she says. ‘When I worked at Ralph Lauren,
I used to wander down to the homewares department, it’s always been something that inspires me.’
Our phone conversation on a warm September morning unsurprisingly turns from design to motherhood and the art of juggling alongside her business. Her latest commission is a luxury hotel in Barcelona, of which she has masterminded individual designs and wall tapestries for 300 rooms.
‘It’s been the longest collaborative journey and such a pinch-me experience,’ she says. ‘I think that’s the most exciting part of designing, seeing it through the eyes of other people. It’s the best feeling.’
Whether it’s a grand hotel or small office space, every project she takes on gives her the same sense of fulfillment. ‘I design everything from hand-knotted, woven and tufted rugs in natural fibers or more sumptuous silks so I think that’s what makes me different from competitors,’ she says. ‘I can do contemporary or classic and I tailor-make or help you create something really different. I love the process because it’s such a creative collaborative experience but it’s also personal.
‘The space it’s being made for will usually determine what fabrics and colours I use. Whether it needs to be practical or soft and luxurious. It’s something that they’ll have in their home forever so I want to make sure every detail feels special.’
The beauty of Holmes Bespoke is that every rug is unique – big, small, round, rectangular, soft or rigid. Much like made-to-measure clothes, her rugs are designed to order, to suit the size and shape of your room, your lifestyle and of course your desired aesthetic. Her latest collection is heavily inspired by leopard print but with Laylah’s signature, contemporary, elegant twist. A collaboration with a design studio ‘Castaing’ is named after interior designer Madeleine Castaing, renowned for her use of wall-to-wall leopard carpeting and brilliant clashing patterns while De Wolfe is named after interior designer Elsie de Wolfe, known for her antiVictorian style and use of faux animal print in the 1920s.
Every style is a meticulously
chosen fabric that creates a land of different colours and tones which is why the process takes 12 weeks.
A deep dive through her expansive library, I realise each rug is so different from the next. ‘I think that’s why my design is always evolving and ever-changing,’ she says. ‘My style is modern with a feminine twist but my business is completely custom-led so everyone has their own approach. It’s really inspiring to be surrounded by that creativity but I do love it when people come to me with a blank canvas and ask me to design something fresh and different.’
She describes her rugs as art for
‘I LOVE SEEING MY DESIGN THROUGH THE EYES OF OTHERS, IT’S THE BEST FEELING’
the floor – like a painting, they anchor a room and transform the energy in it. ‘I think they make or break a room,’ she says. ‘They can make you feel something as soon as