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There are plenty of things to consider when choosing new carpets or rugs for your luxury home. Colour, size and style are all important, of course. But it’s vital to take function, as well as form, into consideration. Above all, you need to be realistic about the level of footfall in the room in question. Also, areas that experience low traffic, such as guest bedrooms, can support a softer pile that’s kind to bare feet or slippers. In fact, high-traffic areas, such as hallways, require something quite different – usually a tight, dense, low-pile tuft.

The striking design of our new Abrash Fade hand-tufted carpet is both cosy and stylish – perfect for any bedroom. Part of our LuxuryEco collection, it features yarn upcycled from discarded plastic bottles from the ocean, so it’s sustainable too.

In other words, durability is key, and there are many ways to assess this. The key elements are weight, thickness, resilience and the materials used, so be tactile. In fact, we would suggest you touch and stroke the carpet or rug samples you are considering. Depress the pile and consider how quickly does it spring back and recover? A fast recovery suggests a dense product, which is preferable for busy areas, such as stairs. But why does density really matter? Closely knitted fibres are essential for resilience. So, rather than obsess about depth, investigate the amount of space between the tufts. Large gaps usually mean less longevity, so choose your pile type and fibre wisely, in addition to appropriate underlay, which is also important.

Kitchen flooring ideas

Most people don’t immediately associate kitchens with carpets. Practical, easy-to-clean flooring options such as tiles usually take centre stage in this room, for obvious reasons. Rugs, however, can serve many useful purposes.

With the rise of open-plan living, kitchens and living spaces increasingly blend into one another. A lot of time is spent there, making it a high-traffic area that needs to be warm and welcoming. There is no place for cold feet in what is commonly called the heart of the home! So, a rug is a wonderful way to link different zones within a space, and ‘pull together’ any open-plan area.

This stunning Monet rug now forms part of our LuxuryEco collection – so it not only looks good, it also helps to reduce our environmental impact. It’s velvety-soft, easy to care for, and available in thousands of different colours.

Aside from the aesthetic elements, there are plenty of practical reasons for placing rugs in a luxury kitchen. They are, in fact, an effective way to protect hardwood floors from scratches and scuffs. They might even protect your china if it’s dropped, too! A rug can also prevent ‘wet floor’ slips, thereby reducing the chance of injury. So think carefully about rug placements in this room. A narrow runner rug between a statement kitchen island and a bank of wall cabinets is one option. Alternatively, add interest and colour to a smaller kitchen with an eye-catching rug in front of the sink. You could even position a larger rug beneath your kitchen/dining table. Or mix and match, according to personal preference!

Dining room flooring options

The dining room is often where you entertain guests. It’s likely to be another high-traffic area, so once again, a rug might be more practical than wall-to-wall carpet. But ideally your flooring will need to combine style and practicality. Therefore, you’ll need to consider longevity, size and colour. Your dining room is most definitely a room where size matters – so go large. Most people site their rug beneath the dining table, but don’t forget to allow sufficient space for fully pulled out chairs. In a similar vein, chose a rug with a low nap or smooth texture, to stop chairs ‘catching’ when moved.

If you’re concerned about food stains, dark colours and/or bold patterns are a sensible choice. Chose a colourway that complements your décor, or be bold with a contrasting shade. Lastly, it’s not always necessary to match the shape of your rug to your room or dining table. Similar shapes do appeal to the eye. However, a round table on a square rug will elevate the look of the table which means it could become a striking centrepiece. So, be prepared to experiment before making your final decision.

Lounge flooring ideas

A new rug is one of the easiest and effective ways to revitalise your lounge. The living room is often both the family room and where we entertain, so it needs a hard-working flooring option.

Like the look of our luxury Niagara rug? It’s available in hand-knotted/silk variations, and it proudly bears the GoodWeave label, which means that no child labour was involved in its production.

Begin by working out what you’d like your rug to achieve. Is practicality the priority? Or are you seeking a statement rug that’s almost like an art piece? Will your rug unify your room? Or do you need a flooring option that breaks up different zones? Would you like it to blend in with the rest of your décor, or provide a pop of bold, contrasting colour? Lastly, will any of your furniture (sofa, side table and so on) need to sit fully or partly on your rug? Once you have the answers to these questions, you can begin sourcing a rug that incorporates the correct size, shape, scale, comfort and care.

Keen to make a statement with your living room flooring? Behold our LuxuryEco Nautilus rug, in a cool steel and pale grey colourway – perfect for print lovers!

Bedroom flooring options

The bedroom is usually a private sanctuary, a place of rest and relaxation. It stands to reason then, that soft, sumptuous wall-to-wall carpet is a popular option for this room. This is arguably the room where practicality is the least influential factor when choosing a flooring option. So if luxury and indulgence are the brief, choose long plush or oversized loop-pile carpets. Think hard about how soft or layered you’d like the texture to be, and how it will feel to bare feet.

We love the cool, classy colour palette of this designer bedroom, which features our new LuxuryEco Madison carpet. This bespoke creation isn’t just soft and stylish, it’s stain- and mildew-resistant, and even repels water

While darker shades may be more practical, the neutral palette of beige, sand and taupe is enduringly popular for the luxury home. In terms of materials, wool is soft, resilient, durable and low in allergens.

If you’d like more advice on choosing a carpet or rug, please contact us now to arrange an appointment, or to find out more about our extensive flooring collections.

As a proud licensee of GoodWeave, we speak to their CEO Nina Smith to find out more about their dedication to end child labour, forced labour and bonded labour in global supply chains:

Tell us more about child labour in the rug industry:

Child labour prevalence in the handmade rug industry has reduced by some 80% since 1995. However, we still see these cases every day. In 2019 alone, GoodWeave has rehabilitated more than 450 child weavers in India, Nepal and Afghanistan. Some of those cases are extreme examples of trafficking. For example, a labour broker offers a loan to a child’s family. This will be in exchange for the work that child will do. But, with high interest rates and constant pay deductions, those loans may never be paid off. Therefore, debt-bondage can lose an entire childhood.

What are the problems with hand-knotted rugs?

Hand-knotting rugs is a highly skilled job yet, traditionally, the recompenses have always been poor for workers in this sector. There’s a direct link between poverty, child labour, and illiteracy. It’s a vicious cycle. Today, the rug communities of India, Nepal and Afghanistan are some of the most impoverished and most illiterate in their countries. This is due to a combination of reasons; one of the prime being that the industry is largely informal, using sub-contracted, short-term labour to meet demand. This typically results in several levels of production beyond a standard factory set-up. In fact, much of this is invisible as it is dispersed widely in individual homes.

This informal, working class tends to be from marginalised, ethnic groups. Families have not had had access to traditional government services and fair work terms. So this, in turn, leads to irregular work and exploitation. In addition, this forms a cycle of illiteracy that afflicts each generation, from poverty and child labour to trafficking.

How did Kailash Satyarthi set up this organisation?

Kailash founded GoodWeave 25 years ago and he's an Indian children’s rights activist. He has dedicated his working life to the abolition of child labour, slavery and trafficking. He also promotes the right to an education for all children. Back in the 1980s, he was leading raids in the Indian rug manufacturing sector, rescuing individual children from the looms. On one occasion, he was returning home, having delivered a trafficked child back to their village. However, he then saw dozens more children getting off a train in the hands of ‘middlemen’. (Kailash Satyarthi pic credit: nobelprize.org)

How have his methods developed?

This incident made him reassess his ‘raid and rescue’ approach to stopping child labour. You could refer to it as a ‘light-bulb’ moment. In fact, this led to the creation of GoodWeave (originally called Rugmark). He realised that child labour was such a profound issue, involving millions of children. Therefore, an industry wide scheme would be necessary to give producers a commercial reason to cease using child labour, endorsed by legislation.

Kailash is still championing the children of the world and was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize 2014 in recognition of his work.

How exactly does the GoodWeave programme prevent child exploitation?

The GoodWeave scheme gives visibility to such children and workers. Armed with this knowledge, consumers and importers can make decisions about the level of supply chain transparency and scrutiny they require. Therefore, they can choose their suppliers accordingly. If importers demand their producers are licensed and meet the GoodWeave standards of production, including random inspections for child labour, most producers will comply to win and keep the business. The incentive to remain licensed is commerce. But, over time, GoodWeave’s supporting programmes offered to producers, contribute to long-term and profound changes in business practices. Our programmes range from worker health checks, the provision of childcare and schooling for workers’ children to adult literacy classes in rug communities.

What does child labour really mean?

In the West, when we talk about child labour, there can be an incorrect assumption that this 'work' is helping out a little after school. However, in the rug sector hundreds of thousands of children have been sold into slavery, as young as five years old. In fact, they are forced to work up to 16-17 hours a day for no pay. They have no home, no education nor emotional well-being. In addition, most are malnourished, suffer from life-shortening health issues and are illiterate.

What does the GoodWeave label mean?

The numbered GoodWeave label on a licensed rug gives you the best assurance that no child labour was involved in its production. Our teams are on the ground with suppliers, mapping and investigating their supply chains and reporting back any deviations from the agreed standards and instigating remedial action. If we find any child, we remove them from work and instead give them an education and provide support through to adulthood.

Tell us more about the labelling scheme:

When GoodWeave first started its labelling scheme, there were approximately one million children in child-labour in South Asia's rug industry. Today, GoodWeave and other initiatives have significantly reduced that number. Worldwide, GoodWeave has over 170 licensees, such as Matthew Wailes, which account for around 25% of the total output of hand-knotted rugs produced globally. Increasingly, we see governments legislating against child labour, including the UK’s Modern Slavery Act. Now, consumers around the world are demanding the truth - they want to know who made their products and how. Meanwhile, retailers are recognising that the market dynamics are changing fast. Therefore, to be competitive, they need to demonstrate their business model is socially responsible. We’ve come a long way in the last 25 years. In fact, I feel the tipping point is in sight, when the eradication of child labour in the Indian, Nepalese and Afghan rug sectors will become reality.

Why should we invest in a rug or carpet with the GoodWeave label?

Whilst you may choose a rug for its design, colours and quality, the GoodWeave label provides peace of mind and the sense of satisfaction that you are helping to restore a childhood to thousands of vulnerable children. How much more beautiful can a rug be?

How are you helping rug communities?

In the process, we help rug communities to understand the power of education for both adults and children. With education, you have some choices in life and the ability to influence the well-being of your own family. GoodWeave provides tailor-made schemes to ensure rescued and at-risk rug children receive a quality education to help them through life. The very fact that children GoodWeave has resourced through school become teachers, social workers, doctors, is a key effectiveness indicator of the work we do. And, perhaps equally important, through schemes such as the Child-Friendly Communities in India and bridging schemes, we are facilitating marginalised communities to access state-run services, to which they are entitled.

What success stories can you share with us from Nepal?

An example of the far-reaching impact of GoodWeave is Hem Moktan, who works for GoodWeave in Nepal. His parents could not afford to send him to school and sent him instead to work in a carpet factory. When a GoodWeave inspector found him, he was working 15 hours per day, sleeping on a crowded store room floor with other weavers and suffering from various illnesses. GoodWeave gave him a home, schooling, further education and now he works for The GoodWeave Nepal Foundation. He demonstrates real empathy with the rescued children and works on the child development programme: ‘I used to be shackled by the supply chain, forced to spend my days in painful work. I thought it would never end. Today, I am part of a different chain, a better one – I am linked to a community of people [like you] working together to free kids from slavery.'

Explain more about your work in Nepal:

In Nepal, rug production tends to be urban-based in and around the Kathmandu Valley. We have implemented several programmes for reducing child labour in the area. Two of the most impactful have been the establishment and running of Hamro Ghar, our transit home for children rescued from making rugs. Here, we provide psychological help to deal with the trauma of having been trafficked and abused, and we give them back their childhood. Setting up nursery day-care facilities for rug workers’ children has also made an outstanding contribution to reducing child labour and improving the earning capacity of adults, who all get paid piece-rates.

What’s next on the horizon for GoodWeave?

In recent years, other NGO organisations and governments have approached GoodWeave to scale-up the reach of the GoodWeave system, beyond the rug sector. Following extensive pilot studies in the apparel, home textiles and jewellery sectors of South Asia, and having received transformative funding from companies such as UBS and the Skoll Foundation, along with government grants from the UK Home Office and the US State Department, these new schemes are coming to fruition. By 2025, our aim is to emancipate 30 million children from work.

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At Matthew Wailes, all our hand-knotted rugs are made in Nepal and we always abide by GoodWeave's standards to ensure our rugs and carpets are made by adult artisans, not children. You can see our rug and carpet collections here.

Introducing a statement rug can be a simple way in which to transform a room. However, you'll need to choose a floor covering, which will either dictate the design of the room or complement the existing decor. There are a variety of ways in which you can decorate with a rug, so follow our expert advice to help you pick a design to suit your project.

Our antique parchment statement rug shown in oyster adds comfort and style to this open-plan living area

The statement rug

If you choose this type of flooring, it can set the tone for the entire space. In the luxury market, design and style are key. In fact, this sort of rug will accessorise the area and can instantly create comfort underfoot. The purpose of a statement rug is to elevate what might be an understated room design into something more special. This is why it's important to use rugs to enhance the appearance of a room.

A rug can anchor a whole room such as this luxury bedroom

Choosing the right size

Size is everything when it comes to a statement rug. After all, the rug can anchor the whole room. There are general rules you can follow when it comes to choosing the size of your statement rug. If you plan to add a rug, which will cover most of your floor area, such as wood flooring, leave three feet on every side. This way, you'll find if you leave the edges bare, this will make your room appear a little larger. In fact, this look can work wonderfully in a bedroom.
In a dining room, for example, make sure there will be plenty of room for chairs to be pulled out fully. In fact, the back legs should stay on the rug at all times. We suggest around 24-25 inches on every side from the table should work with your design. Also, if you plan to introduce a runner to a hallway, allow for the design to be four inches narrower in width and 18 or so inches shorter.

Rug colour choices

Your statement rug could be the focal point in your room so why not choose your colour ways first then work these into the overall interior design? At Matthew Wailes, we offer interior designers, decorators and architects literally thousands of colours to choose from. We'll even colour match if you're looking for a statement rug to tie in with your existing colour scheme.

You can request our new Studio Colour Box to help you select colours in your studio

Studio Colour Box

However, we realise time can be tight, especially for a whole house project. So, we recently introduced our new compact Studio Colour Box, which is filled with 200 of our customers' favourite silk and wool colour ways. We find it's a great way for interior designers and decorators to make your colour selections in your own studio. This way, you can create a beautiful statement rug from any of our custom colour products and online design library. If you use the colour box, we can produce custom samples and orders with the utmost efficiency so this is a great design tool.

Open-plan designs

As open-plan rooms are an on-going trend for the luxury home, a statement rug can provide a more seamless divide between one area and the next. If the area you have is large and open, you'll find a rug will also help to absorb sound. However, it will look stylish, too and you can use this accessory to define a certain space. For example, in a kitchen diner, placing a rug under the dining room table can provide definition for the eating area in the hub of the home.

You can also use two rugs of the same size in one open-plan room, too, to visually separate the area into two spaces. However, it's good to choose complementary styles for a more harmonious finish.

This beautiful statement rug leads you from the hallway into the living room in this project

Connecting spaces

A statement rug can provide a perfect way in which to connect one area or room to the next. In fact, the hallway is one such area which will always benefit from a luxury rug. This is where you may want to draw the eye to other connecting rooms, so the rug creates a pathway. A luxury rug in a hallway will also instantly add warmth to this area. Why not choose the same colour way as the adjoining rooms too? This way, you'll benefit from a more cohesive finish.

Here, our LuxuryEco Nautilus circular rug works well with a combination of angular lines and curves in this living area

The perfect shape?

Now this will all depend on your surroundings. At Matthew Wailes, we realise that a rug doesn't have to come in the shape of a rectangle. Therefore, the shape you choose could be dictated by the way in which you arrange your furniture. Sometimes, you'll find an oval or circular shape will complement your design much better than a rectangular version.

Pattern and colour on a rug can make an instant statement in a room

Considering pattern

A patterned statement rug can work wonders if you're looking to add more interest to a room. This way, you'll find your rug could take centre stage in a project and you'll work around that rug's colours and patterns to produce a harmonious room. However, if you're working with a room where you've already chosen patterned accessories, for example, you may want to tone everything down with a rug in a subtler pattern. This way, you can still create a style statement but it will be more toned down for a sophisticated approach to your design.

So, a rug really can set the right tone for an entire space. Get in touch now to arrange an appointment to see our beautiful bespoke handmade and LuxuryEco rug collections on 020 7 349 7168.

As Decorex International recently drew to a close, we reveal the highlights on our stand at this year's show. After all, this is the leading destination for luxury interior design and we tend to exhibit every year. However, on this occasion, we had an even more exciting story to tell... This is where we unveiled our new LuxuryEco collection to the discerning decorating masses.

Decorex International 2019 which was held at Olympia

Planning our new collection

As the UK's only show for the luxury interiors market, Decorex provides the perfect resource for high-end interior designers, architects and decorators. So, it was with this in mind that we began planning the launch of LuxuryEco. In addition, we would be joining more than 400 exhibitors at this year's show. You can imagine, we couldn't wait to reveal samples of our new product to trade. However, we wanted to showcase our new collection alongside a comprehensive collection of other rug and carpet samples from Nepal, too.

A small selection of our beautiful hand-knotted rug
and carpet samples at this year’s Decorex

Hand-knotted rugs from Nepal

We are already renowned for our beautiful, hand-knotted rugs, which are produced in Nepal. These luxury rugs and carpet showcase a highly specialised craft, which feature various processes, which are all conducted by hand. So, we created a section on our stand, which would showcase this beautiful craftsmanship. This way, our existing clientele could touch a variety of luxury samples made from different fibres, from natural Nepalese and Tibetan wool to silk and pashmina. We are also members of GoodWeave, the organisation which works to end child labour in global supply chains. In the carpet industry, children can sit at looms for up to 14 hours per day. So, this way we ensure all the rugs and carpets we make in Nepal do not use and therefore exploit children.

This 'plastic' water bottle, hand-tufted, made from upcycled fibre represents how
we take discarded plastic bottles from the ocean in Thailand to transform
them into this yarn to make our LuxuryEco collection

Our LuxuryEco collection

Our LuxuryEco collection features upcycled yarn from discarded ocean plastic waste. So, we knew we would be leading the luxury flooring industry when we revealed this unique textile solution at this year's show. It makes perfect sense to make use of plastic in an innovative way with bespoke rugs and carpets, which will stand the test of time. After all, once you read the facts on plastic pollution, you'll realise why we want to help to alleviate such a serious problem.

Plastic facts

The reality is that plastic use is not going to stop overnight. In fact, 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since it was introduced in the 1950s. So, when you consider that one million plastic bottles are bought every minute around the world and less than half of those bottles end up getting recycled, this really highlights the issue. According to the Earth Day Network, plastic pollution is now choking our oceans and poisoning our food and water supply, which is affecting wellbeing for humans and wildlife.

This area showcases some samples from our LuxuryEco collection
including our stunning Nautilus rug shown here in grey

Dressing our stand

If you visited the stand at this year's Decorex, you will have seen an entire floor carpeted in samples from our new LuxuryEco collection. After all, this is one of the best ways for our visitors to experience this kind of luxury underfoot. So, we featured a variety of carpet styles with luxury rug samples on the floor and filled a complete wall with more samples.

Revealing the quality

This was our first chance to unveil the quality of the beautiful new products we have produced. In fact, this was where we would get the chance to showcase our LuxuryEco collection to an international market. So, visitors could actually touch these luxury rug and carpet samples to feel the supreme quality themselves.

More examples of our LuxuryEco collection including our Manila rug which has
been designed to reflect the shape and natural pattern of the Manila clam

Understanding the benefits

We are now offering this upcycled fibre as an option for use in the majority of our bespoke, luxury rug and carpet production. In fact, from now on, all of our new developments in hand-tufted, flat-woven and hand loom will use this fibre. And we wanted Decorex visitors to understand that this upcycled yarn not only has environmental benefits. So we could explain how this yarn is, in fact, water repellent and flame retardant. It's ultra-durable and easy to maintain. What's more, it also stain and mildew resistant which is why this fibre lasts for years to come.

Our director Matthew is joined by furniture upholsterer, Sally Ross Richmond (L),
and Anouska Lancaster (R), award-winning interior designer and broadcaster

Our visitors

It was fantastic to see such positivity for both our existing hand-knotted Nepal samples and our Luxury Eco collection. After all, we welcomed a whole host of people, from expert interior designers and decorators to architects, onto our stand. The resounding comments on our LuxuryEco collection centred around the absolute quality and benefits of our rugs and carpets.

A beautiful frosted glass vase from Objet Luxe

Collaborations

This year, we joined forces with luxury homewares brand, Objet Luxe . In fact, Objet Luxe is one of our wonderful neighbours at World's End Studios in Lots Road and they design and make luxury home accessories.

These daffodils have been handmade from waste
plastic bottles by eco designer Sarah Turner

We also worked with Sarah Turner, an award-winning eco artist and designer. She loaned some beautiful upcycled flowers and a table lamp for this year's stand, which helped us to convey our upcycled message to visitors.

Would you like to meet our director over on our blog? You can find out all about Matthew Wailes by simply clicking here.

Meet our director Matthew Wailes, who works with interior designers, architects and decorators, to create luxury carpet and rugs for discerning clients. From bespoke carpet to luxury rugs with a vast collection of design ideas, you can discover what we offer and the sort of service you can expect. You can also find out more about our new LuxuryEco collection, which will be showcased at Decorex in October. So read on and enjoy!

Why did you set up Matthew Wailes Ltd?

I wanted to create a specialised business offering the very highest quality handmade luxury rugs and carpets with a premium service to match. As a result, I could use my love and knowledge of the creation of bespoke handmade production and my wide experience in the luxury interiors market.

How has Matthew Wailes evolved over the years?

From just a handful of initial ideas, our luxury carpet and rug design library now contains hundreds of flexible options, giving designers a wide and varied choice. We have also added many different production types including hand tufted, hand woven, flat woven and pass machine. In addition, we can offer these for bespoke production as well as a good selection of high-quality standard lines.

What do you specialise in?

We design, develop, produce and install handmade, luxury rugs and carpets for interior designers, decorators and architects. However, we work for both residential and commercial applications on a project-by-project basis.

What can a customer expect if they decide to work with you?

We always offer a very personalised service; from estimating and planning, design and development, production and installation – in fact, I oversee everything. We tend to work with clients who are looking for exceptional quality from our bespoke carpets or luxury rugs coupled with our expertise.

Describe the bespoke offering:

We offer various methods of bespoke production:

Hand Knotted: (Nepal) This highly specialised craft features processes, which are all conducted by hand – from yarn spinning, dyeing, knotting, washing, stretching & finishing. Firstly, our specialists tie each individual knot by hand, horizontally, knot-by-knot, row-by-row, initially as a looped structure around a steel weaving rod. We can then cut areas to form a different texture before removing the rod. Following this, our experts bolster the rows downwards to create the required density. As a result, this bespoke production method is usually the most time-consuming. We also use many different fibre types: natural Nepalese and Tibetan wool, New Zealand wool, silk, bamboo fibre, tencel, hemp, cotton, jute, pashmina, mohair. We create the majority of our designs with hand knotting in mind and we can resize and recolour to suit.

Hand Tufted: (Thailand) We draw the designs onto cotton cloth, which we stretch within a vertical metal frame. Our specialists then tuft the yarn through the cloth using hand-held electric tufting guns. We then fill each area until we have created the full luxury carpet design. After this process, we remove the carpet from the frame to apply secondary backing and latex. Our experts then add hand finishing to the surface; shearing, hand carving etc to create different textures and enhance the design.

Flat Woven: (Thailand) We use beam, shuttle and hand looms in the creation of our flat woven luxury rugs – we have a wide range of loom widths up to around 8 metres, giving an almost limitless offering for this product type. We have no minimum quantity and can therefore produce one-off custom luxury rugs and stair runners, or larger fully fitted installations.

Why do you offer standard carpet lines and why would this interest a client?

We have a wide selection of standard carpet lines available in a number of different pile textures which complement our handmade offering. Typically, our clients will use bespoke handmade products as both luxury rugs and fully fitted luxury carpet for primary areas such as living spaces, master bedrooms etc. Then standard, usually less expensive stock products, for secondary areas. The fibres and finishes we use include New Zealand wool, faux silk and EcoNyl (recycled nylon).

What’s the difference between standard and bespoke flat weave?

Standard flat woven luxury rugs will normally only be available in a set width of perhaps 70cms or 4 metres and without the option to custom weave special sizes or colours. On the other hand, bespoke production gives customers the opportunity to choose custom sizes and colours.

What sets you apart from other brands?

We offer a wealth of experience, expertise and personalised service. In fact, we have more than 30 years' experience, working with the finest handmade luxury carpet producers and tradespeople.

Which state-of-the-art/traditional techniques do you use to create your designs?

Designs are created using a combination of photography, drawing and computer design software. For hand knotted design, we use software created in Nepal specifically for this type of weaving. So, luxury carpet and rug designs are created in the correct knotting. They are then passed over to the mill along with instructions for colour, fibre, texture etc for production to commence.

How can a client get an idea of what they have ordered before seeing the physical piece?

We use the same process for all custom production:

Design Selection: You can choose from our extensive online library or you may submit your own luxury carpet or rug designs for development.

Colour & fibre selection: We have literally thousands of colours to choose from. Clients can visit our showroom for a consultation or we can of course visit you. We have our new ‘Studio Colour System’ which contains 100 wool colours and 100 silk colours. We encourage you to purchase the box to use in your own studio. This process then allows you to choose design and colour selection without the need for a one-to-one consultation. We suggest you choose your fibres at this point so we can calculate prices.

Design & colour development: By means of our in-house computer-generated artwork and texture simulation. This method allows you to finalise the size and scale of your chosen luxury carpet designs and colours prior to having a sample made for approval. In fact, our texture simulation software will give a good interpretation of different textures and fibres; i.e. cut pile, loop pile, wool, silk etc.

Custom sample for approval: Once the luxury carpet or rug design visual has been approved and actual colours have been selected, we will instruct the mill to produce a sample for client approval prior to placing the full order. We can usually make samples to a size of 20cm x 20cm or 30cm x 30cm. However, we can also produce larger samples if required. We only use suppliers with their own in-house dyeing facilities so that we can retain full control. Custom samples usually take between two to four weeks to produce.

How long will it take to produce a luxury carpet or rug from start to finish?

Once the Custom sample/s have been approved and prior to placing any order, we consult with the mill for the estimated production lead time. As a rule, this will vary depending on production method, design complexity and luxury carpet or rug size. So, for hand knotted production, our average lead time is around 12-14 weeks. For hand tufted, you're looking at approximately six to eight weeks and the same time for flat woven.

What made you join Good Weave as a licensed partner?

Child exploitation within the carpet making industry has been a real issue for a long, long time. However, it was first brought to my attention around 15 years ago when I started my business partnership in Nepal. Poorer families and their children are being exploited and used routinely in regions of the Middle and Far East. In fact, child trafficking is also rife between communities and neighbouring countries. Therefore, it is not uncommon for children to be absent from their families for weeks or even months at a time, working. However, this is usually with the family’s consent, as a means of generating badly needed income.

GoodWeave work within a growing network of licensed partners and local authorities to help fight against this illegal trade. Their programme helps to identify illegal weaving by means of having feet on the ground in the affected areas. So, children can be removed from this harmful environment and placed in safe ‘transit’ homes. As a result, these provide safe accommodation and education whilst solutions are found to return them to their families. Therefore, the support that GoodWeave supplies must cover all aspects of rehabilitation.

The funding that GoodWeave licensed partners provide is essential to ensure that the organisation can continue with their vital work. So, a percentage of our imports goes directly to GoodWeave and this is a very small price for us to pay.

Describe your latest project:

Currently, Thailand is the world’s fifth biggest contributor to plastic pollution. In fact, for the past few years, and driven by dependency on the ocean’s sustainability, Thailand has been embarking on a project to clean up its shores. So, a major part of this programme is the removal of plastic waste from the seas. In addition, our Thai manufacturing partners (Carpet Maker) are working in cooperation with the Research & Innovation for Sustainability Centre (RISC) alongside upcycling plants. As a result, this involves the transformation of plastic bottles, retrieved from the seas, into textile fibre. Therefore, we are extremely excited and very proud to be involved with this project.

We are now using this fibre in the production of bespoke luxury carpet and rugs as a substitute for other fibres with a similar ‘handle’, such as silk, viscose, mercerised cotton and nylon.

The benefits of our upcycle fibre are not only environmental, however. They produce luxury carpet and rugs with a velvety soft texture, which are:

Water repellent
Flame retardant
Durable
Stain resistant
Mildew resistant
Easy to maintain

We use the fibre in the production of all luxury carpet and rugs manufactured at our production facility in Thailand. So, we are using this method for hand tufted, hand woven, pass machine and flat woven products. We will then launch a number of these new products at Decorex this October.

Why did you decide to take this route?

I was genuinely excited to learn of this new concept for luxury carpet and rug custom production. In addition, I know that we can harvest the equivalent of 100 clear plastic bottles for every square metre of carpet we produce using the upcycle fibre. So, this is a truly worthwhile path for our business to take as this can help to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean. In fact, we believe we are the only UK company using this fibre to produce luxury carpets and rugs.

How do you think this could change the carpet and rug industry in the future?

I would hope that this is just the beginning for the use of upcycle fibre within our industry; as with any product, we need to create demand. So, in the future, I can see the bigger standard carpet line manufacturers using the fibre to bring product to the high street.

How can people visit the showroom?

At present showroom visits are by appointment so clients should contact us to arrange a meeting.

There is no doubt that marine plastic pollution has now reached epidemic proportions. In fact, the results are proving catastrophic for the environment. But, at Matthew Wailes, we've been studying ways in which we can help reduce the impact of plastic pollution in the ocean. So, read on to find out about our contribution as Matthew Wailes Ltd in partnership with The Carpet Maker Thailand.

Now, we can all do our bit towards reducing plastic waste by simply using far less. However, when it comes to manufacturing luxury goods, we wanted to investigate if there was anything else we could do. So, we consulted with one of our manufacturing partners, The Carpet Maker, in Thailand. As a result, we found we could transform clear plastic bottles into a unique textile fibre to create bespoke carpets and rugs.

After all, the volume of these discarded bottles creates such a huge problem. Take a trip to your local supermarket and you'll see how plastic bottles continue to be widely available to all. In fact, research reveals that people use nearly a million plastic bottles around the world every minute.

Plastic pollution facts

In Thailand, the residents are said to use around 4,000 million plastic bottles each year. In fact, this country has 23 coastal provinces and more than 10,000,000 tonnes of waste has ended up in the sea. So, it's no wonder this country is the fifth biggest plastic pollution contributor in the world.

These plastic pollution facts are just incredible. We hear the volume of plastic consumption all over the world has increased to more than 400 million tonnes in the last 100 years. However, as a luxury carpet and rug specialist, we felt it important to try to help where possible. In fact, we hope our discovery of upcycled yarn for the luxury UK market could help to springboard an eco-friendly future for all high-end carpet manufacturing.

Marine destruction

Plastic debris is actually responsible for the deaths of millions of marine animals each year. Hard plastic is renowned for slicing the legs of sea turtles, for example. Meanwhile, other plastic rubbish can be mistaken for food, which will ravage a marine animal's digestive system.

In fact, a baby dugong which was washed up in waters off Thailand a few months ago recently died from a stomach infection caused by swallowing bits of plastic. Wildlife conservation organisations list this species as vulnerable and she was only eight months old. However, this has cast another spotlight on the issue of plastic pollution in the ocean.

Purposeful partnership

Earlier this year, we started exploring how we could use plastic bottles in our bespoke carpet and rug manufacturing process in Thailand. As the country is already working on cleaning up its shores, a major part of their programme is the removal of plastic waste, including bottles, from the sea.

Upcycling plastic

Working closely with our Thai manufacturers, we have formed a strong partnership helping to address plastic pollution in the ocean in cooperation with the country's Research & Innovation for Sustainability Centre (RISC). As a result, we now work with various upcycling plants in Thailand whose dedicated collectors retrieve discarded plastic waste from the sea. So, we remove plastic bottles from these sites to ultimately transform them into upcycled yarn. This innovative method will certainly help to reduce the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean.

The process

Plastic bottles are converted into chip form, which are then spun using special techniques to ultimately produce spools of yarn. The bespoke carpet itself is then made using this upcycled yarn as a substitute for other fibres with a similar handle, such as silk or mercerised cotton.

The benefits

Quality has always been key in everything we produce so, apart from reducing the environmental impact, this upcycled yarn has a whole host of other benefits, too. This is an innovative thread, which repels water and is stain and mildew resistant. After all, plastic from which the yarn derives is incredibly long-lasting. It's even flame retardant and features a velvety soft texture to the touch. So, this fibre will result in an easy to maintain rug or carpet, which will stand the test of time, look stylish and feel super soft underfoot, too.

The facts

When we learned of this new concept for luxury custom production for our products, we were excited. Our Thai manufacturers are now transforming plastics waste into new value-added products through this innovative approach. However, they also want to conserve the beauty of Thailand's sea in a sustainable manner, which we fully support.

In fact, we use the equivalent of 100 clear plastic bottles via our upcycled yarn for every square metre of bespoke carpet we are producing. So, you can only imagine the wide-ranging implications this could have for the luxury carpet and rug manufacturing industry long-term.

New bespoke collection

We officially launch LuxuryEco, our new collection of bespoke carpets and rugs made from upcycled yarn, next month. In fact, we have chosen Decorex International for the big reveal. After all, it is the only show of its kind for the luxury UK interior design industry.

There, we will showcase a carefully curated selection of bespoke carpets and rugs, all of which feature upcycled yarn. So don't forget to put our stand, M243, at the top of your list of must-sees at Kensington Olympia soon. This way, you will see how we are helping to combat plastic pollution in the ocean. Furthermore, you will experience some exquisite quality carpet and rug design ideas, featuring upcycled yarn, first-hand.