The Rug Company

MIX Future Interiors - Floor art

The rug and carpet sector is currently experiencing an exciting resurgence. Richard Prime finds out why.

The consensus is that the design industry works cyclically. Paint becomes a design statement once more, wallpaper is reborn, Memphis is re-referenced; now it is the turn of carpets and rugs to enjoy a critical reappearance.

This reappearance has been a long time coming. Carpets have been put on the back burner, casualties of minimalist interiors and an obsession with wood and stone flooring. The consumer just hasn't felt the love and has been tricky to cater for. However there has recently been a subtle change in thinking; the perception of the rug as state housing for a house's dust mite population or a fading, well-trodden homage to generations past is up for review.

Unsurprisingly a lot of the impetus for this new take on floor treatments has come from the contract sector. "Commercial interiors lead design in terms of influence," states John Bain, global design director at Brintons. He believes that boutique hotels have had a huge part to play in the development of not only the carpet or rug but design as a whole. "You're looking at the most cutting edge spaces; these kind of hotels and bars, it's had a huge impact on how the public views design and how to use colour. Not only are these spaces an influencer on other hotels but in residential terms too thanks to the aspirational knock-on effect."

This willingness to experiment and the idea of a new forum for design to penetrate has caught the eye of designers in other fields, opening up possibilities across the board.

Perhaps the most identifiable precursor of the rug's new direction is Ron Arad's Shag for The Rug Company, a limited edition piece released in 2006 with its deep three-dimensional design depicting the word 'SHAG' as a self-referential motif. The UK based Rug Company has been at the vanguard of rethinking the tired image of the rug, cleverly harnessing the power of design celebrity to attract interest from the consumer. Iconic designers such as Paul Smith, Barber Osgerby, Vivienne Westwood, Committee, Kelly Wearstler, Diane von Furstenberg, Allegra Hicks and Neisha Crosland have all created unique and collectable pieces. "All the rugs are incredibly luxurious and beautifully made and I think that is why The Rug Company is able to work with such talented designers," says Suzanne Sharp, co-founder and creative director of The Rug Company. She explains that the company's approach is to give its collaborators the chance "To experiment and stretch the boundaries of rug design."

Collaborations do seem to be emerging in the market with huge successes. Brintons realised this and contacted dynamic fabric designers Timorous Beasties to create one of the most memorable pieces of last year, First Weave. "They were really up for it and, looking back, we could have pushed it a bit more," says Paul Simmons, Timorous Beasties' co-founder. Looking at the carpet from a different angle, Timmons and his partner Alistair McAuley designed so it was more asymmetric, Not the usual border going round the edges with a detail in the middle. We felt one could have a from under the bed of a hotel, or from one side of a room," says Simmons, pointing out that this approach gives specifiers and clients a more unique way to use the design.

This idea of rugs as a unique piece of art for the floor is one of the crucial selling points for this new generation of products, attracting not just manufacturers but a high calibre of designer too. "As far as rugs are concerned as a design medium, they really do appeal to the artist.

People often say that a rug is a piece of art for the floor," says Bain, pointing out that through history rugs were often mounted on the wall as a piece of visual art. "I think that the common two- dimensional plane makes for an easy transition from flat artwork to rug," agrees designer Amy Helfand, whose pieces stood out at the recent ICFF in New York. "Maybe artists see the potential for more sales in a functional object with the ability to act as a medium for artwork," she adds. Interestingly Helfand also notes the shift from a rug being something purely functional towards becoming an investment in the same way we now look at limited edition furniture. "My main market seems to be individuals and designers who connect with my artistic vision and who are willing to invest in the work at the higher end of the scale price-wise," she notes.

Tore Vinje Brustad, co-founder of Norway's Permafrost highlights another inherent feature that attracts a smaller company or artist to the rug; "The low set-up cost, together with the possibility of making very limited production runs or even one-offs were some of the things that attracted us to doing rugs. It's an interesting cross between product design and graphic design, both of which are important fields of work for us." The company's simple designs play on changes in texture to create quirky statements.

Many new designers and artists are picking up on the medium, attracted by the recent technical advances that enable almost limitless visual and textural possibilities. Nani Marquina's approach to designing with the format is notably experimental; "Sometimes we have an idea and must find a way to make it real," she explains. Other times the company encounters a new manufacturing process it wishes to use and takes the technique as a starting point as it did with Little Field Of Flowers, a collaboration with Tord Boontje.

At Brintons new technology enables the company to produce a single design (not a repeat) to the size of three football pitches. "We blew up some of our more detailed pieces and had massive flowers and lizards", says Simmons.

Turkish company Stepevi uses advanced mass-production technology teamed with a customisation service and hand finishing to create one off designs or mass-produced options. French designer Angie Anakis is looking at many different options going forward believing that, "Carpet's evolution will be made evident through new fibres, ecological awareness, antibacterial developments, anti acarid and even aromatics."

Marquina continues the list of potential advances for the future adding that, "There will be a use of sustainable materials that will connect back to the historical roots of carpets once again." During the 80's Nani Marquina relied heavily on mechanical manufacture but found it too limiting to creativity. The company has since moved its production to India. "We have been able to investigate, to meet a completely different culture and tradition, a huge variety of techniques, to connect with other cultural symbolism, " says Marquina.

By taking steps back towards craftsmanship and quality of production it seems the market is making radical leaps forward. Permafrost's Brustad believes the future echoes his views on design in general. "(think we'll see less generic, anonymous run-of-the-mill products and instead more unique stuff, both bespoke made-to-order designs and iconic, easily recognisable mass-productions." He hopes also that there will be room in the market for "Subtle, poetic or humorous designs that can touch you on a deeper level than merely being stylish."

Ultimately this new interest in carpets is about the sheer level of quality and the originality of design. As Sharp of The Rug Company points out; "It's all about longevity. Rather than following short-lived trends, customers now expect great design that is trans-seasonal. They don't want to clutter up the home with cheap, disposal items. The trend seems to be that consumers want to develop their own collection of high quality, durable pieces."