The Rug Company

The Rug Company wins British Design Brand of the Year

The Rug Company has been named the British Design Brand of the Year, at the Elle Decoration British Design Awards 2009.

Christopher and Suzanne Sharp, CEO and Creative Director of The Rug Company respectively, received the award for British Design Brand of the Year from fashion designer Roland Mouret at the Elle Decoration awards event in London.

Now in its eighth year, the British Design Awards recognise the best of British design, acknowledging the vision, originality and pioneering spirit that characterises it.

Christopher Sharp says, ‘To win the Elle Decoration British Design Brand of the Year award has been a huge achievement for everyone at The Rug Company. When we started the company in 1997, the rug industry was in a spiral of decline, reproducing copies of rugs from the glory days of the 18th and 19th centuries but, sadly, offering little to future generations. We like to think this is not now the case. We are passionate about design, craftsmanship and quality, we want to make handmade rugs that are beautiful, original, distinctive and will be collectable pieces for future generations’

Awarding them with the prize, Mouret enthused ‘Since being set up in 1997, The Rug Company has established an unrivalled portfolio of designers creating rugs, wallhangings and cushions. Its founders – husband and wife team Christopher and Suzanne Sharp – have almost single-handedly revolutionised the way we think about rugs in our homes, turning them from humble utilitarian pieces into art for the floor. Recently they’ve developed into a global brand, opening stores worldwide that champion British creativity abroad. Product-wise, in 2009 they’ve wowed us with graphic carpets by Tom Dixon and pretty carved florals by Helen Amy Murray, proving they’re a class apart when it comes to statement accessories.’

As well as developing its own Contemporary Collection, The Rug Company works with world class designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Marni, Diane von Furstenberg, Tom Dixon, BarberOsgerby and Allegra Hicks, together creating the most beautiful and entirely handmade rugs in the world.