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Leading New York Designer Allen Coit Ransome Celebrates the Art of the Rug

For Allen Ransome, the versatile interior designer ofRansome Van Syoc Interior Design based near Hudson,NY, interest in oriental and decorative rugs began at eightyears old when he used them to play with cars. For hourshe would drive his toy cars on his grandparents’ rugswinding around their sinuous patterns, up and downunending roads bordered by imaginary villages and gardens.Later, international travel to far-flung destinationsincluding India, Morocco, and Thailand confirmed his passionfor ethnic weavings. His work in the 1960s and 1970sdesigning custom rugs—from Portuguese needlepoints tocontemporary carpets—furthered his unique understandingof the art. Throughout his career as an interior designer—which has taken him and his partner Randall Van Syocacross the country and as far as England and France—hehas used them in over half the firm’s projects both residentialand commercial.

"What I love about handmade oriental and decorativerugs is their depth and beauty, their eccentricity," saysthe designer who with Mr. Van Syoc also ran Toad Hall,"whimsical" contemporary folk art and custom furniture galleries in the New York area including a 2,500- square-foot space at ABC, New York, NY, from1987 to 2006. "In comparison, machine-maderugs are dull and without emotion."

When looking for a rug, perfection incolor, design, and execution are not what thedesigner seeks. Instead, it’s sometimes their veryquirks and imperfections that are most compelling.Indeed, the designer states: "What I likeis the art of the rug." Still, color is his first concernfollowed by the mood he intends to create. As each project has different needs with regard tothe rug, he may reject a piece for a particular project,but may very well use it for another. Henotes: "Certain projects dictate the use of finerrugs while others call for more rustic pieces."

"I get very emotional when searching for rugs as they create a mood," continues Mr.Ransome who keeps his client’s taste and personality uppermost in his search. He also stresses:"Never show rugs to a client in the shop as mostcan’t visualize what they will look like in theirown space." For instance, when he first showed aKazak to a client, the latter rejected it outright.However, after positioning it in the space withfurniture and accessories, the client loved it.

True to his versatile spirit, Mr. Ransome has used a broad range of rugs in both his residentialand commercial projects. First and foremost ishis love for antiques of which he has used Herizes, Sultanabads, Tabrizes, Kashans, Baktiaris, Caucasians, and Chinese pieces in additionto kilims. He placed an impressive collectionof antiques in the executive offices, conferencerooms, and waiting rooms of the Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco’s tallest skyscraper. In thenew rug realm, he has eagerly explored vegetabledyedreproductions where he notes the tremendousstrides achieved over the years. On the Europeanfront, he has used Portuguese and Chinese needlepoints,Aubussons, and Savonneries. As forTibetans, he loves their soft weave and "subtlestrength" of color and design.

Ideally, when starting a project, selectionof the floor material comes first followed by therugs, furniture, and art. "The floor, whether it be hardwood or tile, sets the pace for the rug," heobserves. Interestingly, his favorite flooring mediumis polished concrete as it serves as "a wonderfulbackdrop that doesn’t take away from the rug."Other media he enjoys using with rugs is old marbleizedlinoleum which is enjoying a comeback.

"If the option is there, the rug comes firstbut if I can’t find it, I’ll do the rest of the roomfirst," he comments. Thanks to the tremendousvariety of high-quality rugs now available, there isnever a problem finding the right rug for the setting.As he perceives rugs as works of art, he doesnot view size as paramount. In effect, he notes: "Iwould rather have a beautiful 6x9 in a room if ithas good floors than a mediocre 10x14." Moreover,he will place several rugs in a room should thespace lend itself to it. When coordinating rugs fromone room to the next, he freely mixes types—anAubusson with a Persian-design piece forinstance—and antiques with new. "I feel that rugsshould not look as if they were acquired but passedon or inherited," he adds. "I feel that the roomsshould relate to each other such as in the wall colorbut not the rugs themselves. I hate matching—itmakes it seem that the place is not lived in."

When coordinating rugs with fabrics, Mr.Ransome notes: "I find that there are no rules." Itall depends on whether the client wants drama orquiet. While mixing rug and fabric patterns, thedesigner balances the overall effect so that it iseither the rug that is the strength of the room or thefabrics that dominate.

For Allen Ransome, rugs are an ideal component of his characteristically "eccentric" decorativestyle which seamlessly blends the traditionalwith the contemporary. "I like so many things andtry to use them to evoke the client’s personality,"comments the designer. Mr. Ransome, with partnerMr. Van Syoc, transformed a dilapidated 1820farmhouse in Cooperstown, NY, into Toad Hall, ahome and a unique showcase of folk art, antiques,and exclusive rugs.

In the course of his career, Mr. Ransomehas accumulated a number of anecdotes involvinghis use of rugs. For instance, when decorating ahouse in London, he had ordered a number of IrishDonegals and English Axminsters to be installedwall-to-wall or as "fitted carpets." All the rugs hadbeen carefully numbered to go with the specificrooms. However, the British installers workedaccording to a different numbering system and thewrong rugs were installed in the wrong spacesresulting in excess carpet in some and too little inothers. All was well in the end—once many of thecarpets had been remade!

Over the years, the designer has noted aheightened interest in rugs which he attributes togreater affluence which has translated into morehome improvement and design projects, as well asan upsurge in secondary home ownership. Whilethe dramatic improvement of high-end reproductionsmay have dampened interest in antiques andin rugs as an investment, he foresees a continuedstrong presence of oriental and decorative rugs inthe interior design realm for decades to come.

About The DESIGNER

A native Californian, Allen Coit Ransome, partnered with Benita McConnell Interiors. This Tiburon- California-based interior design firm grew from a small company in 1976 to a multi-million-dollar-a-year enterprise which is now well known in the San Francisco area. During his time there, Mr. Ransome worked on commercial projects for the Bechtel Corporation and Esprit de Corp. He also designed the executive offices in the Transamerica Pyramid building in San Francisco. He also worked on residential projects for noteworthy San Franciscobased international clients including the Bechtels, Haases, and Mary Martin.

In 1987, Mr. Ransome and his partner, Randall Van Syoc, moved to an 1820 stone farmhouse near Cooperstown, NY where they founded Ransome Van Syoc Interiors and opened a small retail antique shop, Toad Hall, named after the famous mansion depicted in the children’s classic Wind in the Willows. The retail business expanded into additional locations including a 2,500-squarefoot- space in ABC Carpet and Home in New York City devoted to custom furniture and contemporary folk art. It operated for 14 years until 2006 when the partners decided to close their retail business. Clients of Toad Hall included notables including the King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Susan Sarandon, Marisa Tomei, and Sally Jessie Raphael. Ransome Van Syoc Interior design boasts an enviable client roster including actress Loraine Bracco and the owners of Arizona Ice Tea in addition to Wall Street figures. Mr. Ransome’s work has appeared in Architectural Digest, Country Living, Metropolitan Home, Mountain Home Magazine, and Westchester Magazine in addition to numerous trade publications.

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