(Photo: Carina Salvi)

That shag carpet you’ve been coveting will look like one big mistake in a couple years (and will ruin stiletto heels). For a look that’s just as hip and has a far longer shelf life, take a tip from the design mafia and check out the Rug Company. The store has commissioned fashion designers Paul Smith, Marni, Lulu Guinness, and, most recently, Diane Von Furstenberg to design colorful (albeit sometimes crazy) carpets that hang like works of art in the company’s lofty Soho space. Prices for the designer collection range from $1,925 for a four-by-six-foot rug to $8,625 for a nine-by-twelve (non-designer rugs start at $1,850), and any size can be made to order. 88 Wooster Street (212-274-0444).

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