Deborah Hernandez, founder of The Rug Designer’s Studio Inc. (RDS), embraced her love of fibers and beautiful design when she launched the company in 2006. With a dream to design art for the floor, RDS was born upon a 16-year foundation of experience in high-end custom rug and carpet design, for both the residential and commercial markets.
Fine Arts and Illustration were the original roots of the designer, who has experience hand drawing and painting rugs from her early years working as a studio designer for a prestigious showroom, in New York’s D& D building. Her design journey connected her to many design icons and unique custom projects – challenging and ultimately growing her talents. Her career blossomed when an opportunity in commercial carpet design surfaced in 2001, providing her training on state of the art carpet design software – changing her design life forever. Today, Hernandez embraces the design world using the computer chiefly, but still provides the organic touches of hand painted renderings to the trade.
As owner and Director of Design of The RDS, Hernandez believes giving back is a necessity, as well as a responsibility. She finds it most rewarding to provide inspiration and motivation to future designers, via her position as an adjunct in the Textile Surface Design Department at The Fashion Institute of Technology.
Hernandez generously offers time speaking on interior design and product development panels for both industry and academia. In 2008, she is earned a certificate as a Color Specialist from The Fashion Institute of Technology Center for Professional Studies and is a member of CAUS. She actively participates in DONEGER CREATIVE SERVICES/Margit Publications events on color and trend forecasting. She believes the openness to education insures success and considers herself, forever, a student of design, color and life.
Photo by Donnie Miller.