Over the years, the Rug Company CEO James Seuss and designer Ken Fulk were brought together on several bespoke projects. “I’ve always had great admiration and respect for [Ken’s] playful and inspiring approach to design,” says Seuss. Their natural rapport led to their current collaboration on the Divine Inspiration collection, a vivid range of rugs that channel Fulk’s creative energy.
“His process begins with a narrative, so we sat down to discuss ideas relating to ritual, storytelling, and geometry in nature,” Seuss says of the two-year-long process. In fact, Seuss and his team visited Durham Ranch, Fulk’s Napa Valley home, where they “had the privilege of experiencing [Ken’s] cinematic style firsthand,” he says.
The Saint Joes Dome pattern references the former church that Fulk restored into the Saint Joseph’s Arts Society
The rugs underwent months of sampling and processing with the Rug Company’s artisans in Nepal, where intricate and illustrative motifs were translated into woven material. “Receiving the final rugs was a significant milestone for both teams, as we saw months of work come to life,” says Seuss.
For Fulk, the collection is “a personal reflection of my life and what moves and inspires me,” he says, referring to the rugs as “storytelling devices.” The rug A Life Reflected, for instance, was inspired by traditional Delft tiles that can be fully customized with unique sketches in any color palette, inviting customers to weave their own stories into the bespoke design. His sample showcases he and his husband’s heads facing one another, their dogs, as well as their old Range Rover from the ranch.
Another offering features the dome of Saint Joseph’s, a San Francisco church Fulk restored and shaped into Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, a creative community hub. “It’s sort of life imitating art,” Fulk says. “They’re beautifully done, and the Rug Company let us be wild and whimsical, and never once pulled us back. They really are works of art.”
Surrealist Garden is inspired by traditional folkloric tapestries
This article originally appeared in HD’s November 2023 issue.
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Designer Ken Fulk Choreographs a World All His Own
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