Safavieh: Weavers of the Most Beautiful Rugs in the World

Safavieh's Thomas O'Brien Rugs

Thomas O’Brien for Safavieh...
The inspiration behind the designs.

Thomas O'Brien for Safavieh is a distinctive collection of area rugs characterized by great surprises of scale and very intricate linear detail. But what sets O'Brien's carpets apart is his talent for reinterpreting textile designs into works of art for the floor.

Most striking is his use of vintage cloth collected from many cultures as a design point of reference. O'Brien also taps the bold geometric carpet traditions of North Africa and Scandinavia, in lieu of the more formal style of many traditional Eastern genres.

For his new collection, he takes a longer leap into the domain of geometrics. Many of the carpets are derived from a 1920's studio book of pottery patterns - an unexpected source of inspiration that is typical of O'Brien's iconoclastic design process. Included are all sorts of trellises, bands, and grids that relate to the designer's use of Moroccan motifs. Other rugs in the collection evolved out of original textile explorations in O'Brien's studio.

The unexpected visuals give the feel of rugs crafted on custom looms, as do the designer's choice of colors. O'Brien features light-and-dark contrasts in earth, sea, and sand tones; and, he works with golden tonal combinations so close that the pattern of the carpet becomes a subdued surprise. The quiet balance of colors will add sensuality and depth to more austere spaces, or, it can make more historical rooms feel up to date. Indeed, O'Brien has conjured a design vocabulary for his second collection for Safavieh that is personal, yet easy to mix with a variety of decorating styles.

Name: Dyana Rug Item No. TOB976A	Name: Batik Ring Rug Item No. TOB975B	Name: Cantara Rug Item No. TOB974B	Name: Mari Rug Item No. TOB972B
Name: Austin Rug Item No. TOB970A	Name: Natalie Rug Item No. TOB968C	Name: Palma Rug Item No. TOB967B	Name: Calliope Rug Item No. TOB966B
Name: Sasha Rug Item No. TOB965A	Name: Batik Rug Item No. TOB964A	Name: Julia Rug Item No. TOB962C	Name: Julia Rug Item No. TOB962B
Name: Tulip Damask Rug Item No. TOB958C	Name: Margo Rug Item No. TOB956C	Name: Caniato Rug Item No. TOB954C	Name: Caniato Rug Item No. TOB954B
Name: Caniato Rug Item No. TOB954A	Name: Chinese Modern Floral Rug Item No. TOB914F	Name: Chinese Modern Floral Rug Item No. TOB914D	Name: Moire Veneer Rug Item No. TOB912C
Name: Moire Veneer Rug Item No. TOB912B	Name: Moroccan Panel Rug Item No. TOB890F	Name: Moroccan Panel Rug Item No. TOB890D	Name: Porcelain Rug Item No. TOB887B
Name: Porcelain Rug Item No. TOB887A	Name: Imari Floral Rug Item No. TOB886A	Name: Ikat Rug Item No. TOB885C	Name: Ikat Rug Item No. TOB885B
Name: Alba Rug Item No. TOB884C	Name: Alba Rug Item No. TOB884A	Name: Corsaro Rug Item No. TOB882F	Name: Corsaro Rug Item No. TOB882C Name: Corsaro
Name: Modern Chippendale Rug Item No. TOB873B	Name: Modern Chippendale Rug Item No. TOB873A	Name: Fleur de Lis Rug Item No. TOB872A	Name: Chippendale Ring Rug Item No. TOB871H
Name: Chippendale Ring Rug Item No. TOB871G	Name: Chippendale Ring Rug Item No. TOB871E	Name: Chippendale Ring Rug Item No. TOB871B	Name: Chippendale Ring Rug Item No. TOB871A
Name: Dufour Rug Item No. TOB870C	Name: Dufour Rug Item No. TOB870A	Name: Marco Rug Item No. TOB852G	Name: Marco Rug Item No. TOB852D
Name: Martine Rug Item No. TOB851D	Name: Martine Rug Item No. TOB851C	Name: Martine Rug Item No. TOB851B	Name: Martine Rug Item No. TOB851A
Name: Esmeralda Trellis Rug Item No. TOB829A	Name: Rectangle Inlay Rug Item No. TOB828D	Name: Chippendale Trellis Rug Item No. TOB827B	Name: Chippendale Trellis Rug Item No. TOB827A
Name: Cooper Panel Rug Item No. TOB826C	Name: Deco Garden Rug Item No. TOB825D	Name: Deco Garden Rug Item No. TOB825C	Name: Icona Rug Item No. TOB815D
Name: Icona Rug Item No. TOB715C	Name: Allium Rug Item No. TOB814A	Name: Morocco Rug Item No. TOB716D	Name: Morocco Rug Item No. TOB716B
Name: Morocco Rug Item No. TOB716A	Name: Allium Rug Item No. TOB714E	Name: Allium Rug Item No. TOB714B Name: Allium	Name: Deco Plaid Rug Item No. TOB712C
Name: Deco Plaid Rug Item No. TOB712B	Name: Deco Plaid Rug Item No. TOB712A	Name: Vento Rug Item No. TOB121A