The Louvre and the marbled halls of the National Gallery in D.C.- what do these majestic spaces have in common with a rug showroom in small-town Virginia? Each of them expertly displays beautiful pieces of art. In Green Front’s newly created White Room, part of a larger remodeling effort of Building Four, there are no Monets or Rembrandts. The art on display here is in the form of a carefully curated selection of rugs from around the world.
“The rugs we are showing here are art. Now we can actually display them like artwork. We have so many buildings and rugs, they can easily get lost in the stack or lost on a rack and people aren’t able to appreciate them. In the White Room we can hang them on the wall and display them on the floor. It’s just a really good way to highlight these pieces,” says Den Cralle.
The spacious gallery feel is intentional. Den Cralle was inspired to recreate the unique museum aesthetic as a way to highlight the rarity of the rugs being displayed. As he points out, the rugs displayed here are ones that you would find at the most upscale retailers in Los Angeles and New York. They are one of a kind.
“You would usually only find pieces like this in very isolated, extremely boutique-type places. No normal furniture store, or rug store for that matter, is going to have this kind of selection,” says Den.
Adding further visual interest and texture to the alabaster space are specially designed raised platforms featuring small but select groups of rugs. The idea is to encourage people to explore and find for themselves the treasures tucked away across the showroom floor. Treasures, for example, like this breathtaking sari silk design featuring a hunting scene that won an award at the international furniture megashow Domotex.
“The rugs in here have crazy colors, crazy designs. They are silk or sari silk, with outrageous designs or new takes on old motifs. They are spectacular brilliant things that need to be shown the right way,” points out Den.
The White Room does just that, offering a space to showcase Green Front’s one-of-a-kind rug selections in the way they deserve. Make sure to visit this truly stunning space located in Building Four.
