I love love to shop and with so little time on my hands, I seem to find myself sourcing little treasures at all the beautiful homes I see each day! I have been craving some of the luxurious materials and soft colors of the rugs available today. After all, many times the rug is the starting point for the color schematics of a room. When I asked where many of my favorites were purchased-Madison Lily kept coming up. So I had to go see their showroom for myself!!
I called them to see if they were open at 11:45 on July 4th (having a bit of time to shop) and owner, Edgar, answered the phone. He said he was there working on some designs and would be there till one. I quickly put on my Lulu Lemons and off I went!!
With fresh designs, beautiful soft color combinations, and high quality materials I not only fell in love with their product but also enjoyed learning about the creative and passionate team behind the Madison Lily brand and wanted to share a bit of them with you!!
Kelly and Edgar Podzemny began their business almost 20 years ago, first teaming up with antique stores and having trunk shows across the country and settling down to open thier first store in Austin. After meeting in Hawaii, they travelled the globe together before settling in the US. Edgar is an art major from Amarillo and Kelly is from Wales, UK. Having visited areas that wove rugs, they fell in love with the art form. Later, the opportunity arose to move to Houston and Madison Lily was born. Named for thier eldest daughter, Lily Madison, Madison Lily seemed to have a nice ring to it. They have also named other lines of rugs after their other three children.
They graciously shared insights into their creative process and the trends in the contemporary rugs. See their answers to our questions and their gorgeous work below!
Q: What makes Madison Lily different from other companies?
A: We have a passion for the design and quality of materials used. When designing the next piece, we consider how each material used will play into the finished product, from nettle and bamboo silk, to hemp or hand-spun wool, the options are endless.
Q: Do you do all of your own designs?
A: We design all the more modern rugs in the store and our partner designs the more traditional pieces. The partnership was a perfect opportunity to meld Edgar's design styles with that of our partner's more traditional taste. It has been a lot of fun, artistically, to create pieces together and to use both styles in the same interiors, a beautiful addition to any home.
Q: What is the best type of rug to buy for high traffic areas?
A: All of our rugs are made of quality materials and really can all be used in high traffic areas. We can also stain guard our rugs, which helps repel stains, etc.
Q: What questions should you ask when looking for a rug?
A: There is such a broad spectrum of qualities out there. Look to see if the rug is hand knotted, types of materials used, and policies of the store. Do they have full service for cleaning and repair, etc.?
Q: What is the best way to clean a rug?
A: The best way to clean the whole rug is to have it professionally cleaned. For spills and spots, it is best to always blot the stain, never scrub, and use a mild soap like dawn and luke warm water and blot until the stain has gone.
My dog had an accident on mine and they had said to try club soda mixed with dawn and then follow rest. It worked!!!!! Yayyy!!!
Q: What are your favorite designs from your collection?
A: It is hard to pick just one favorite. My (Kelly's) favorite right now is the Relish. I love the vintage texture of the scraped away design and the organic texture of the handspun, semi-finish wool background. Egar's favorite is the Niagara (pictured above), which has a very similar finish to the Relish.
Q: What trends do you see happening in the industry as far as color and style?
A: We see a lot of neutrals and tones of gray as this can work with many different design styles. Though we do, of course, have many clients that love to add a splash of great color.
Q: Can you do customized rugs?
A: We can customize any color, any size, and shape. We can create a virtual rendering on the computer that shows exactly how the finished rug will look. This is a great tool to take a lot of the unknown out of the custom process.
Q: What is the biggest challenge in opening the business?
A: I guess the biggest challenge is juggling a young family and a business, there is never a dull moment, that's for sure!
Q: What is each of your favorite part of the job?
A: (Edgar) My favorite part is creating and designing the rugs and (Kelly) Playing our part in helping our client create a beautiful space for their families to enjoy for years to come.
I wanted to add a bit of life and fun in my breakfast room and purchased this polka-dot pattern that makes me smile every time I walk by!! Charlie loves it too!!
Going a bit more contemporary in the dining room, this rug was the perfect choice for me! Yikes! I can't seem to fiqure out what to do on the walls!! Many Thanks to Kelly and Edgar for sharing their story and beautiful rugs with us! Visit them on the web HERE or at their showroom at 1727 Post Oak Blvd, Open: Mon-Sat 10:00 - 6:00PM.
New at the Segreto Boutique!
Start a unique colletion: Combining vintage crystal and metal crosses with unusual glass and cut crystal bases, Greyfreth Designs creates unique and beautiful objets d' art that are a conversation piece in any room.
Jewelry with a story: vintage pieces by Intellectual Propery, like this lovely vintage bronze and enamel Catholic La Salle School Merit Award,
Be subtle but glamorous: This unique necklace is made with labradorite, pearl and black diamonds!
Bring in a little nature: New corals and minerals have just arrived at Segreto! Until next week! xo Leslie
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