For textile designer Christina Bowlby, inspiration can come from an unexpected place: the warm, heathered coats of her two Aussiedoodles, Birdie and Maggie. The dogs have become unlikely muses for Coming Home, a new carpet collection from Bentley Mills that coincides with Bowlby’s first year as the company’s senior director of design—and her return to California.
Christina Bowlby with her Aussiedoodles, Birdie and Maggie. Photography courtesy of Bentley Mills.
Bowlby and her two dogs relocated to Los Angeles nearly a year ago, trading Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the West Coast. It’s a homecoming for Bowlby, who grew up in California. Although she quickly fell in love with the South after a day trip and a ghost tour, she always imagined returning west.
Originally a film major at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), she discovered her interest in textiles almost by accident. “I took a fiber 101 class, and it changed my life,” she says. She entered the carpet industry upon graduation and never looked back.
Photography courtesy of Bentley Mills
“I thought Chattanooga was my forever home,” she recalls, but an opportunity at Bentley changed her plans. “The food, the culture, the people of LA—there is always something to do. The beach, mountains, of course Bentley; it has everything.”
Birdie and Maggie have settled into their new surroundings, too— their coats soon found their way into Bowlby’s design work. As she researched color trends for the new collection, she began noticing shades that reminded her of the dogs’ distinctive coloring.
Photography courtesy of Bentley Mills
Two of the collection’s four colorways draw directly from the Aussiedoodles. Birdie’s warm golden coat inspired Cactus Wren, named for a bird native to the American Southwest, while Maggie’s softer mix of colors informed Pure Magic, a nod to the dog’s full name.
The other two colorways, Arroyo Moon and Old Pasadena, reference the Southern California landscape. Collectively, the earthy neutral palette draws on sun-washed sands, stone, clay-infused taupes, and muted moss. Drawing on Bowlby’s experience in hospitality design, the collection favors warmth and tonal complexity over sharp contrast, with an emphasis on creating spaces that feel calm and comfortable.
Photography courtesy of Bentley Mills
The collection’s early mood boards reinforce that direction, pairing lived-in interiors and natural textures with images of coastal landscapes. Warm woods, soft furnishings, and muted colors establish a relaxed, residential sensibility that carries through to the finished carpets.
“The yarns for this collection—Helix® premium nylon 6,6 and Revolve® technologies from Universal Fibers—were such a good vehicle for translating [the color inspiration] because it has this heathered, wool-like quality,” Bowlby explains. “I was able to choose the specific hues and combine them in a way that looks natural. They were the perfect match for this collection.”
Photography courtesy of Bentley Mills
The heathered yarns allow multiple hues to mingle within a single surface, creating tonal variation reminiscent of natural fibers. This approach is particularly suited to Bowlby’s palette, where closely related shades of beige, taupe, gray, and brown create depth without relying on strong color contrasts.
The patterns introduce another layer of visual texture. Fragmented linear forms, overlapping markings, and irregular geometric elements create movement across the surface, while variations in density give the designs a sense of dimension. The result is a collection that feels visually layered without overwhelming its subdued palette.
Photography courtesy of Bentley Mills
The Coming Home palette is intended to feel enduring rather than tied to a particular moment. Bowlby credits this approach to her habit of noticing color in everyday surroundings, even when the source seems unremarkable. She recalls taking roughly 15 photographs of a stone wall to capture its variations for future design work. “It had the most beautiful range of warm neutrals I’ve seen in a while,” she says.
Photography courtesy of Bentley Mills
That attention to overlooked details connects Bowlby’s personal inspirations with her work at Bentley, where familiar surroundings can become the starting point for something new. “I share that ‘wink and a nod’ approach to design and life,” she says of Bentley.
As for Maggie and Birdie, their modeling careers may have peaked with their carpet-colorway debuts. For now, they’re back to hiking, beach runs, and making friends wherever they go. If you happen to spot them on Venice Beach, don’t be surprised if Birdie comes over to say hello.
