Sunday Times - A rug revolution
“…Christopher Sharp, a founder of the Rug Company, agrees that quality is key. He compares the current rug renaissance to the Slow Food movement: “Just as people appreciate the importance of knowing how their food is produced and realise that the quickest method of production does not achieve the best results, they want to know every detail about their rug, and are prepared to wait for something outstanding.”
Wool is sourced in Tibet, cleaned and spun, dyed and then knotted by hand in villages in Nepal; the process can take four months. Sharp says customers are happy to wait “because the difference between a hand-tufted (machine-made but hand-finished) rug and a hand-knotted rug is the difference between a takeaway burger and a meal that has taken all day to cook”. Despite the painstaking procedure, prices aren’t out of this world: a 9ft x 6ft rug costs £1,000-£3,500, depending on the design and the materials.
Sharp has also engaged a number of designers from the world of fashion. His catalogue includes pieces by Megan Park and Marni, whose floral patterns are proving bestsellers, and he is planning a second collection with Vivienne Westwood. A single design by Ron Arad is about to emerge. Even Sharp, well known for his patience, seems to have been tested by this particular artistic process. “Arad is such a perfectionist that it’s taken a year and a half to get the rug right,” he says, swiftly adding, “Of course, it was worth the wait.”…”
