Fay + Belle Rugs Bring a Custom Touch to Floor Coverings

Over the years, Minneapolis interior designer Martha O’Hara found herself running into the same challenge: sourcing area rugs that were not only unique and beautiful, but also the right size for the space she was designing. So, she launched Fay + Belle Rugs, a new brand that collaborates with Nepalese artisans to create customizable rug designs.

Images: Fay + Belle Rugs

The brand name is a nod to O’Hara’s grandparents, Fay Hazen and Cora Belle Deberry, who owned a small hotel in Savannah, Tennessee. O’Hara spent her formative years fluffing pillows and getting rooms ready for guests at the hotel, a time she credits with inspiring her interior design career.

Fay + Belle is composed of two categories: vintage overdyed Turkish rugs and custom Nepalese hand-knot rugs. The vintage Turkish rugs are washed and bleached before being overdyed in vibrant shades, a process that adds depth of color and makes the original patterns truly “pop.” Each rug takes the dye differently, resulting in an end result that is truly one-of-a-kind—no two rugs are the same. Sometimes, a full vintage Turkish rug cannot be completely salvaged, so Fay + Belle reworks the usable pieces into patchwork rugs, stitched together out of multiple rugs using a similar overdyed process. (Typically available only via custom orders, the brand currently has a handful of readymade patchwork styles in stock.)

The custom category is made up of hand-knot silk and wool rugs, made to order by master artisans in Nepal using time-honored techniques. Fay + Belle currently carries 100 designs and offers customization options for each, including color, pattern, and size, and available in either 100-knot or flat-weave styles. While generally, Nepalese rugs are custom ordered, the brand also sells a “quick ship” category of readymade Nepalese rugs for those looking for a quicker turnaround, and all vintage overdyed Turkish rugs are available immediately.

Because Fay + Belle rugs are not available at retail, they must be ordered through an interior designer or design firm. The brand is currently in the process of getting picked up by design firms across the U.S., but in the meantime, they’re available through Martha O’Hara Interiors.

Available @ Martha O’Hara Interiors, 9950 Wayzata Blvd., Minneapolis, 952-908-3150, oharainteriors.com

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