Behind the Design: How the Northern Lights and Floating Ink Technique Inspired the Aurora Rug

Watercolor-inspired swirls of blues, teals, greys, and creams create an artistic, modern pattern that makes up the Aurora Rug. Named after the Northern Lights, Aurora perfectly captures the ethereal colors of the natural phenomenon of the night sky. The stunning, abstract design of this rug will make an elegant statement and modernize any room in your home.

“What I like most about Aurora is that it really captures that essence of ethereal movement,” says Erin Terui, the textile designer behind the Aurora Rug. “I believe it can stand alone as an art piece in the interior space, which I find really, really interesting.”

All of our rugs have a backstory—and they’re as colorful and intricate as the designs, themselves. In this series, we’re taking you behind the design, to our textile designers and their design process, to give you the full scoop on how some of our favorite and most creative rug designs were made. For this feature on the Aurora Rug, our textile designer Erin Terui, shares her inspiration and the technique she used to create the design.

Rug Name: Aurora Rug

Colorways: Teal Grey and Space Blue

Textile Designer: Erin Terui

The Inspiration

According to Erin, she was inspired by Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern lights, “for its dancing, ethereal colors. That idea then transformed into watercolor dying or ink floating in water to really emulate that sublime quality that the Northern lights have.”

The Process

“I attempted a multitude of marbling techniques. I tried watercolor, marbling kits, I even lit alcohol inks on fire! But I really wanted to achieve that ghostly, airy effect, and essentially what worked best was nail polish and a bin full of water,” Erin explains. 

Materials for the Floating Ink Technique

1. A plastic bin to hold the water
2. Nail polish (you can use a very cheap nail polish)
3. Toothpicks to move around the nail polish in the water
4. Gloves (because it gets very, very messy)
5.  Watercolor paper

To create the marbled effect of the Aurora Rug, Erin put about an inch of water in a plastic bin and added a few drops of nail polish across the surface of the water. She repeated this process with a second nail polish color so the colors blend together in a marbled effect. She then took a piece of watercolor paper and placed it on the surface of the water, holding it for a few seconds until the nail polish attached to the paper.

“You have to work very fast because the nail polish dries very quickly and every single one of these will be very unique and very different from the others. So keep that in mind,” she says.

What She Likes About the Design

“Aurora went through various iterations,” Erin explains. I wanted to maintain the light and simplicity of the artwork but also emphasize depth. I think our final composition really represents that idea. What I enjoyed the most about making this piece was that it incorporated an unconventional marbling technique to create that airy effect. It was a huge challenge, but I found it super rewarding to find that perfect technique.” 

How to Style the Aurora Rug

“I believe simple, modern, and contemporary decor would go really well with the Aurora since it’s a standalone statement piece. While it is fairly bold, I believe the colorways allow it to read very neutral. It can accompany a variety of interior color palettes,”  Erin says.