This New Rug Collection Was Inspired by NYC Architecture (and Bodegas)

New York architecture has inspired countless writers, artists, and musicians, and few know it as well as the Brownstone Boys. The duo—partners in business and life, Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum—have restored countless historic homes across the city, including their own 130-year-old residence in Brooklyn. So naturally, when it came time to design a rug collection, they looked to New York itself for inspiration.

The result is the Gilded Collection—a collaboration with NuStory, a similarly New York-based home brand. The line's color palette ranges from vibrant, ochre hues to subdued neutrals and earthy reds, but it's the patterns that really make each rug stand out—and ties them to the tristate.

"New York architecture is this incredible mix of grit and grandeur," Bardelon and Slocum tell decorvow. "It’s the contrast between soaring ceilings and scuffed original floors, or an elegant cornice perched above a well-worn stoop. That juxtaposition really informed our approach—we wanted the rugs to feel elevated, but also grounded."

It's here that the duo's background in restoration and redesign really came into play. The Tea Room rug, for example, was inspired by decorative plaster ceilings; the Study rug takes cues from 19th-century door carvings. The Speakeasy rug reveals the secret gems within many historic homes, taking cues from the geometric, inlaid wood floors that are often hidden beneath layers of paint and tile.

Bordelon and Slocum even looked to more humble points of inspiration—like the Bodega rug, which is inspired by the iconic blue Anthora coffee cups served at local bodegas.

"It's our little wink to the New York we all know and love," they say. "We're as obsessed with intricate crown molding as we are with grabbing a bacon, egg, and cheese—and a cup of coffee in a blue cup." Cheers to that.