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.

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.'