5 Homes to Fawn Over in “Billy Cotton: Interior & Design Work”

          Adding to Josh Nazmiyal’s already impressive library of A&D books is a design nerd’s dream, disguised as work. So it almost feels like cheating when one of your colleague’s favorite designers becomes a new favorite author, too. 

          To that end, no one who knows his work would dispute that “Billy Cotton: Interior & Design Work” earned its place atop Arc Digest’s recommended reads. It must be a dream come true to call their creations home, but collaborating with a team as kind as theirs is a close second. It’s the first thing R&K’s own Todd Neitring mentions when he shows off the latest custom rugs for these New York neighbors of ours. Their keen appreciation for rugs, though, deserves as much celebration as their kindness.

          Designers with Cotton’s masterly forte for rugs in their rooms can never get enough praise by our standards. Still, Rug & Kilim’s review from our first installation of our “Rug Reads” blog series is our attempt to rectify that, and a reflection on a few especially precious projects featured within.

          (Choosing only five? Another good problem to have — and a good reason to read the rest for yourself, right?)

Angelo — Beverly Hills, California 

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson.

        Hand-knotted Moroccan rugs have a kind of magic all their own. One close look at this West Coast wonderland makes it clear that Cotton understands them at the finest level. 

        The wall-to-wall rug brings pleasant positive-negative and plush Moroccan pile to the living room’s classic-meets-contemporary beauty. A “relaxed, youthful atmosphere” describes it best — only one of many in this 1920s Spanish-style escape. 

Greenwich Street — New York, New York 

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson.

          Next we come home to NYC, where Cindy Sherman comes home to her sublime triplex West Village penthouse. It’s one of several Cotton’s team have done for Sherman, but the envy of many more eyes like ours.

        Here a clean, conservative living room rug lets the art collection sing, while layered Scandinavian rugs recapture the soul of a library in a dreamy, comfortable design. All achieved through “a limited palette of humble means.”

Springs — East Hampton, New York

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson. 

         We take a little time away from NYC to the next Cindy Sherman house — and where better to escape to than the Hamptons? 

         Delicious, textural rugs and curated collectibles lend a cultured air to this waterfront farmhouse, with comfort in every intention.

Coffey Street — Brooklyn, New York

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson. 

         In Brooklyn, a Red Hook row house revels in a creative use of classics from room to room.

         Tuareg mats, Turkish tribal rugs, waterfall-style stair runners and custom furniture enjoy the most appropriate, fashionable look. Teeming gardens and brand-new brick courtyards deserve no less than the finest touch, after all. 

Fall Clove — Delancey, New York

Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson. 

         A bucolic retreat of the richest character. A love letter to rustic chic. A better way to do justice to the beauties of this Greek Revival house eludes this author.

         European floral patterns, antique Japanese screens and polychromatic chevron patterns comprise just a few of the treasures in this highly curated, yet endlessly cozy country home. Here we admire Cotton’s talent to bring a diverse range of periods together in such a picturesque, yet natural way.  

         Comment with your favorites, or reach out with recommendations you’d like to see in future Rug Reads reviews!