A playful design for a carpet using rectangles, circles, spirals and dots. Based roughly on a grid of 8 squares by 8 squares. Starting at upper left corner - an orange square with 6 small yellow circles inside (2 rows of 3, like dots on a domino) is connected horizontally by a solid yellow rectangle approximately 6 squares wide, to the upper right corner - a red square with an orange circle in the middle. This corner is connected vertically by a solid orange rectangle (6 squares tall) to the bottom right corner, a solid yellow square. This corner is connected horizontally by a red rectangle (6 squares wide) to the bottom left corner - an orange square with a yellow spiral inside almost to the edges. The bottom left is connected by a solid yellow rectangle (6 squares tall) to the top left corner square. These squares and rectangles form a border or “frame” around the interior field which is divided roughly into 3 horizontal tiers and 3 vertical tiers (like a tic tac toe board.) In the interior field each module is a box 2 squares by 2 squares. Starting from top tier, left module is solid red, adjacent to orange module bisected horizontally by a fat red stripe, adjacent to a yellow module also bisected by a fat red stripe (ie the stripe bisects both orange and yellow modules) Middle tier starts left with an orange module with a red spiral inside (to edges), adjacent to a solid orange module, adjacent to another orange module with a yellow spiral inside (to edges). Bottom tier starts with a yellow module with 9 small circles (3 rows of 3 dots) adjacent to a yellow module with a large orange circle (to edges) adjacent to a solid yellow module. Taken as a whole, one can imagine the two spirals in the middle tier as eyes, the circle on the lower tier as a nose and the dots on that tier as freckles. It looks like the face of a clown or a cute animal. The artwork appears drawn with graphite on tracing paper and then painted. Remnants of the pencil lines are visible. The tracing paper has some roughly torn edges, and some wrinkles and discoloration. In this image, some numbers appear “backwards” on the lower right margin. If one flips the entire image horizontally, they become legible ((1975-11-72)

There is one other image of this object. See our image rights statement.

See more objects with the tag interior, decoration, design, home, abstraction, geometric, grid, spirals.

Object Timeline

1928	Work on this object began.
1932	Work on this object ended.
1975	We acquired this object.
1991	We exhibited this object.
2011	We photographed this object.
2015	We photographed this object.
2017	We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Drawing, Design for Carpet

This is a Drawing. It was designed by Ilonka Karasz and from the office of Donald Deskey. It is dated 1928–32 and we acquired it in 1975. Its medium is brush and yellow, red, orange gouache, graphite on tracing paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

The bright spirals and squares of this drawing resemble a 1928 design that Ilonka Karasz created for a child’s nursery at the American Designers' Gallery in New York. Karasz was one of the first designers to create modern nurseries, and her interiors for children are full of simple shapes in a range of colors and sizes to encourage engagement and psychological development. This carpet design cleverly incorporates a range of circular and rectangular forms in a yellow and orange palette.

This object was donated by Donald Deskey. It is credited Gift of Donald Deskey.

Drawing, Carpet Design: "Singing Women," Radio City Music Hall Main Auditorium, New York, NY

Drawing, Carpet Design: "Singing Women," Radio City Music Hall Main...
brush and brown, tan, and purple gouache, graphite on heavy cream wove paper.
Gift of Donald Deskey.
1975-11-56

Drawing, Carpet Design: Geometric Pattern

Drawing, Carpet Design: Geometric Pattern
brush and watercolor, gouache on photostat mounted on wove paper in a bound....
Gift of Daren Pierce.
1982-79-17-2

Drawing, Design for Carpet
brush and gouache, graphite on tracing paper.
Gift of Donald Deskey.
1975-11-71

Its dimensions are

15.8 × 16.5 cm (6 1/4 × 6 1/2 in.)

It is signed

Signed in graphite, verso: Karasz

Cite this object as

Drawing, Design for Carpet; Designed by Ilonka Karasz ((American, born Hungary, 1896–1981)); Office of Donald Deskey (American, 1894–1989); USA; brush and yellow, red, orange gouache, graphite on tracing paper; 15.8 × 16.5 cm (6 1/4 × 6 1/2 in.); Gift of Donald Deskey; 1975-11-72

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibitions Ilonka Karasz, Works from the Collection and The Cooper-Hewitt Collections: A Design Resource.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/2CKDK/
Accession Number 1975-11-72
Object ID 18487369