Giovanni Blue by John Booth

A tonal blue colourway in the illustrated Giovanni design

An illustrative shaped rug design in an energetic blue tonal colourway.

To celebrate 10 years of collaborations, FLOOR_STORY asked Illustrator John Booth to reimagine one of his rug designs. We'd been talking about a blue tonal version of Giovanni for a while and this presented the perfect opportunity to bring a vision to life.

A new energy introduced into the Giovanni design through different tones of Blue. Each shade balances the other to create a high contrast version that’ll sit happily on the floor or wall of many spaces. The shaped outline brings the illustrative style seamlessly into the space, a great way to mix up the norm of rectangular rugs.

GIOVANNI IN BLUE

I Feel Love Orange

Henry Holland

I Feel Love Orange

£3,410.00

Hand knotting process of Giovanni in Blue rug.

In Conversation with John Booth

Photography by Mark Cocksedge, Styled by Bek Productions.

Tell us about Giovanni and why they’re face made the design

'The face was a shorthand version of a version I’d been drawing for years - a motif and caricature which has continued through my work. Giovanni was the first time I’d ever named him. The link is tenuous - Giovanni means John in Italian. I chose the new colourway to make it classic, being monotone makes it more accessible to specific interior schemes and opens the door to the many possibilities of tonal combinations.'

Where’s a space from childhood that you associate with making & creating?

'I was always into art from a young age - as an adult I have a fully working studio. I went to an arty secondary school, the arts and crafts scene was in my roots, I was naturally into art and allowed to do what I want.'

Favourite colour to combine with blue?

'It depends what type of blue - what comes to mind is turquoise with red and light blue with pink.'

What is your favourite city and why?

'Apart from London, which I love - Tokyo is my favourite, I’ve been there twice. It's the one city I often think about - I'm Going back in November! It’s busy and peaceful at the same time - busy and quiet, you can tap in and out, visually overwhelming. I like the low level of reservedness and good food - shopping, department stores.'