Sexy rugs and rock 'n' roll as Harrods goes for a newer look

Harrods has scrapped its "old fashioned" rug department and brought in "rock '*' roll" ranges by designers such as Sir Paul Smith, Allegra Hicks and Matthew Williamson.

The overhaul is the latest move by the store's new owner, the Qatari royal family, to modernise its "for the tourists" image. The new 4,500sqft department on the third floor opened this week and is being run by Holland Park-based The Rug Company.

Its roster of 40 designers also includes Alexander McQueen, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Tom Dixon, Diane von Furstenberg and Lulu Guinness. The Rug Company replaces America's ABC Carpet, which had run the concession at Harrods since 1998 and specialised mainly in high quality Persian and Turkish rugs and kilims. Christopher Sharp, who founded the Rug Company with his wife Suzanne in 1997, said: "What attracted them to us is that we go for a more contemporary look. We are about 60 per cent modern and 40per cent traditional."

Prices range from about £2,000 for a 9ft by 6ft rug to more than £11,500 for a hummingbird design by Alexander McQueen woven from cashmere and silk.