The Creative Type Robyn Cosgrove.
The Australian rug designer and purveyor extraordinaire shares the highlights of her creative journey.
The design seed was planted in me when I was quite young. I grew up in country Queensland and was returning to boarding school after the holidays when my mother took me to the interior design studio where they were making soft furnishings for her bedroom. I felt an instant love for all the colours and fabrics scattered around the studio. I couldn’t wait to get back to school and spend time in the library; I loved poring over the pages of the few books available on interior design in the US. They fascinated and excited me as what I was seeing was totally alien, very different to anything available or seen in Australia at the time. I felt a bright new world was opening up to me.
My work day is always busy, flitting between the showroom and the office. An average work day begins around 6am with a brisk and hilly walk around Paddington [in inner Sydney]. Afterwards, I enjoy a relaxed breakfast – I like to catch up on political news over a few cups of Earl Grey tea. Due to Covid-19, I am opening my showroom later, at 11am, so I’m able to linger over my breakfast. It’s a wonderful indulgence.
I need to work late quite often. While I’m working, I sometimes tune into opera or listen to beautiful Baroque music which I so love.
The biggest challenge of my career turned out to be one of my proudest achievements. Forty-two years ago, I was all fired up with confidence and knowledge, being quietly aware of how the Persian rug trend was being superseded by beautifully soft decorative rugs in US interior design. I knew this trend would migrate and I wanted to be the Australian pioneer. In preparation, I had a brief stint working with a Persian-rug company and absorbed all the technical information relating to and involved with hand-knotted rugs of the world, totally loving it and feeling a genuine connection that still remains.
On my very first visit to India, also 42 years ago, I arrived at 1 o’clock on a cold December morning. Total shock set in. I visited weaving houses 200 miles (322 kilometres) outside Varanasi, in the country’s north. There were no modern highways back then – elephants, camels, cows, donkeys, overloaded buses and so on were all sharing the same narrow two-lane road... Following this first gruelling trip, I made many more, three times each year, before branching out into other weaving
countries as the new ‘design rug’ evolved. Those early experiences were challenging but eventually turned into one of my great achievements, especially given the fact that the industry is totally male-dominated. I also regard the opportunity to work with great designers on high-end projects among my other achievements.
I work a six-day week, so my Sundays are precious. Always very relaxed. I like to spend time at home cooking or in the garden or reading. Spending time with family and the tribe of grandchildren is always a bonus.
My creativity really switches on when I’m in Europe. It’s a whole new environment of colour and form, with fabulous galleries that showcase spectacular art. There’s so much to absorb.
There are many Australian designers I greatly admire, along with Italian interior designer Achille Salvagni, the late French photographer and interior designer Alberto Pinto (his firm is now expertly headed by his sister Linda), Lebanese-French designer and art curator Chahan Minassian, and Pierre Yovanovitch, who is also from France. Favourite artists would have to be the Cubists, especially Fernand Léger, and the Baroque master, Caravaggio.
I’m currently reading A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler. It’s a historical novel about Alva Vanderbilt, of the famed society family, in the Jazz Age.
When it comes to fashion, I cherry-pick between Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen and Prada. I need to be mindful of my age!
To me, true luxury is spending time in Italy. In Rome, in particular, where I stay at the exquisite boutique hotel The Villon. Rome is a city
I will never tire of – there’s such energy and decorative inspiration there. Noto in Sicily is beautiful too, with captivating unique Baroque architecture. It’s a very inspiring place to be.
My local area is filled with lovely restaurants and cafes. Barbetta, an Italian cafe/restaurant near my home in Paddington, is a favourite for celebratory family Sunday lunches and early breakfasts before work. I’m also a regular at Luxe Woollahra and The Plane Tree cafes, both located near my showroom. # Robyn Cosgrove; robyncosgrove.com.