Meet the team Blogs

Our director Matthew Wailes is no stranger to successful collaborations with fellow creative talents. He has already partnered with interior designer Juliette Byrne, and multi-media designer and artist Jan Erika, to produce exclusive designer rug collections. Now he is poised to reveal his latest collaboration, with Ilaria Perra, at London Design Week in March.

Who is llaria Perra?

Ilaria Perra is an Italian artist who specialises in multiple media and disciplines. An accomplished graphic designer, she is known for her creative vision, commercial awareness, and a background in fashion and textiles design. Ilaria’s qualifications include a National Diploma in Design & Applied Arts at Chelsea College of Art and Design. She also has a BA in Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins. She also studied Graphic Design at London’s Shillington College, in addition to various courses in Illustration and Screen Printing.

Since 2004, Ilaria has been working as an associate lecturer in CAD for Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins (and at Buckinghamshire New University since 2017). In 2005, Ilaria founded her own company Stilelibero Ltd, and created the world’s first ever cork yoga mat. Over the years she has exhibited and published fashion illustrations, and exhibited and sold her brushed aluminium artistic panels at the Affordable Art Fair and Wimbledon Art Fair in London.

Italian artist Ilaria Perra and Matthew Wailes have joined forces to create a new luxury designer rug collection, which will be unveiled in March during London Design Week 2022

A new chapter

As an accomplished – and versatile – artist, Ilaria’s portfolio to date encompasses everything from fashion prints to airline branding. What is it about multi-media design that appeals to her? And how did she approach translating her work into luxury rugs?

“My background is broad, and I have a solid foundation in many areas of design,” Ilaria replies. “I guess now all my skills are merging together; they can easily translate into any surface. Rugs can really lift and add character to interiors. I think my patterns and textures can add a special touch and create a unique look and feel.”

Full details of this latest collaboration are still under wraps. But there’s not long to wait. Ilaria’s new collection with Matthew Wailes will showcase on our stand during London Design Week. However, we can reveal that the name is The Impressioni Collection (which means Impressions in Italian) – and that texture will play a key role.

Different textures found in nature will be a key feature of The Impressioni Collection, the latest collaboration between Matthew Wailes and artist Ilaria Perra, which is currently under wraps

This artist's new collection

“The inspiration for this new collection comes from my passion for the textures found in nature. This combines with the emotions I feel while creating them,” Ilaria confirms. “The colours and the marks are traces and impressions of my emotions, memories, and feelings of specific experiences captured on paper.”

As an artist, Ilaria is used to working with a huge range of different materials and media. Which processes has she adopted – and adapted – in order to create rugs from her artwork? “I love experimenting with different tools and media,” she replies. “But my favourite is creating mono-prints of textures with acrylic paint on glass using a variety of objects such as knives, forks, cards, feathers. I consider anything that can leave an interesting mark on the surface. The result is always unexpected and unique to that moment in time - the emotion, the force, the speed and the direction of my marks.”

Interiors’ appeal

Ilaria’s broad portfolio spans many different industries, but fashion and interior design retain a special place in her heart. “I love the way fashion can transform and empower, adding confidence as well as disguising and minimising imperfections,” she explains. “Fashion is a fundamental expression of our culture, personal beliefs, identity statements, status and aspirations. It can convey a lot of meaning, and communicate so much about what we want people to perceive about ourselves. I find it extremely significant, as well as very fickle and superfluous at times.”

Interior design, in contrast, has much more to offer in terms of depth, sustainability and longevity. In fact, this partly explains the attraction of this latest collaboration with Matthew Wailes . “Interior design has always been my greatest passion,” Ilaria declares. “When I was studying art and design at Chelsea College, my most successful projects were spatial design, textiles and product design.” She continues: “What I love about interior design is the slower pace at which collections are created and consumed. [Unlike our wardrobes] we would not change our rugs or curtains every couple of months.”

She adds: “Interiors has a more relaxing approach. You can enjoy and appreciate products for a long time, unlike clothes, which you can discard much faster thanks to fashion cycles and trends. I think...interiors can really add long-lasting value and quality to people’s lives.”

In addition to ceramics, Ilaria doodles on many other materials, including stones, candles and clothes. One of her favourite designs is flip flops and swimsuits, in line with her ambition to one day design a limited-edition beachwear resort fashion collection

This artist's vision & experience

Ilaria’s artist credentials mean she is comfortable working with a wide variety of materials, from cork to ceramics. While she is no longer making her ground-breaking cork yoga mats, she remains a champion of this material. Ilaria doesn’t discount the possibility of using it to explore other options, including rugs, in the future.

Ilaria explains: “Cork is organic, durable, practical, eco-friendly, lightweight, anti-bacterial, anti-static, sound-absorbing, fire-retardant, anti-allergenic and rot-resistant. It’s also waterproof yet breathable – just like human skin. I came up with the idea of using cork material for yoga mats, as I was unable to use ordinary PVC due to an allergic reaction. Although I don’t make them anymore, over the years, many companies have since followed suit. In fact, I’m proud to be the creator of the very first cork yoga mat in the world.”

As an accomplished artist, Ilaria is used to working with a wide range of materials and media. She even created the world’s first ever cork yoga mat under the brand name Stileblibero! Here cork rugs are showcased here

The art of doodling

Co-creating with nature is a passion for Ilaria who enjoys creating extensive doodles on beaches. Each day, the sea wipes everything away to create a clean slate for her to create another masterpiece, which finds therapeutic

Then there’s the Doodle Art Ceramics collection. “Doodling has always been a way for me to relax and flow with my emotions,” Ilaria reveals. “It helps me release negative feelings, and transmute them into beautiful patterns on paper and other surfaces. I create my doodles in a trance-like state – I never know how they will turn out. The end result is always unpredictable. I am just a medium through which creative energy flows, guided by my emotional state. I doodle on almost anything, not just ceramics: sand, leaves, stones, paper, candles, food and clothes.”

Ilaria has transformed her love of doodling – which helps her to relax and release negative feelings – into a successful ceramics collection

A powerful design force

But how did Ilaria make the leap from cork and ceramics to rugs? “I met Matthew at Decorex last October,” she reveals. “I was interested in making some samples of my prints to see how they would translate as luxury rugs. Fortunately, he loved my designs, and decided to welcome me onboard as one of his artist collaborations. I am so excited and I cannot wait to make this collaboration a great creative success.”

Ilaria is confident that her designs will translate well into rugs that suit the high-end market perfectly. “I believe my designs are unique and diverse. They are particularly suitable for private residential and boutique hotels, yachts and luxury resorts,” she explains. “My designs appeal to art and design lovers, as well as creative audiences seeking a bold and vibrant aesthetic.”

Ilaria is hugely looking forward to exhibiting on the Matthew Wailes stand at the 2022 London Design Week. This takes place at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, from 13-18 March.

She concludes: “I have always dreamt of showcasing my designs at a high-profile show. So, I feel really grateful and excited to be part of such a prestigious professional exhibition and trade show thanks to this golden opportunity.”

Watch our Instagram feed to find out which stand we will be showcasing Ilaria's works on and more details on London Design Week.

I chatted to UK blogger Sarah at Style & Décor recently in a Q&A for her blog. She wanted to discover more about luxury rugs and I even showcased some of my favourite and latest collections. Just in case you missed it, you can see my interview with Sarah here:-

How would you define the term luxury rug?

Good question; I guess that the definition of luxury is something that would not be experienced or purchased every day – a treat; something you remember, remark upon & appreciate; a luxury item would be admired every day. We tend to think of luxury within rug as meaning a sumptuous, soft, deep silky pile. However, I tend to think of craftsmanship, design, texture, fibre & colour. We create our rugs to very specific customer requirements, taking position within & complimenting beautiful interiors; beautiful luxury!

Why are luxury rugs becoming so popular for interior designers?

Here, in the UK, we have seen a dramatic shift with how flooring is used within the home; Over the past 20 years or so, we have seen the majority of wall-to-wall carpets being replaced with solid surfaces within the lower floors of residences. This has given rise to a huge market for area rugs. We now have product entering the market from many different regions of the world servicing the demand. Within our own market area, a very specialised niche has emerged. This utilises the relatively untapped skills & craftsmanship of carpet makers in the creation of bespoke products. This in turn gives huge flexibility to our interior designer customers. Therefore, they can include luxury rugs as an integral component of their interior schemes.

Our Monet rug which is available in a fibre you can choose

How do you work with interior designers on projects?

We work with our clients on a project-by-project basis. The initial consultation will be to assess & determine specific requirements; Design, texture, colour, fibres etc. Budget of course may also play a part. We therefore have many different options, either in production methods or the type of fibres we use. In fact, this allows us to tailor luxury rugs to suit. Our usual process is as follows:

Consultation
Design selection
Colour & fibre selection
Visual presentation
Custom sample for approval
Product production
Installation

When working with custom products it is of vital importance that very stringent procedures are in place; we need to follow and check the production path at all stages to ensure we meet customer expectations. After all, we are creating an item that will hopefully be present within a home for many, many years to come. We want our customers to take delight in our creation. So, this is why we only work with the very best partners within our industry.

Tell me about your recent collaboration with the artist, Jan Erika:

Jan and I were introduced by a mutual friend around 18 months ago; we had been following each other on social media for some time. There was mutual admiration for the creative aspects of our respective products. Both of us felt that Jan’s work would translate beautifully into area rugs. We then set about collating her work into a shortlist of designs. You can now see six in this collection. It was very important to us both that we were able to take her original art and make the conversion to product without losing authenticity; I think that we have managed to achieve this extremely well on our luxury rugs; bold designs with vivid colours and abundance of texture – truly striking!

Seaweed Lovers designed by Jan Erika for Matthew Wailes

What was Jan's inspiration behind The Earth Collection?

Jan has a love of the natural world, as do I – it was very easy to agree on the theme; you can see Jan’s inspiration from nature in every piece.

Do you have a favourite luxury rug design in The Earth Collection?

Navajo rug designed by Jan Erika for Matthew Wailes

I love them all but I think my favourite would be Navajo; It is a beautiful design with amazing use of colour. But there is something more within; Native Americans have an ethos deeply rooted within their natural environment. This is similar in many ways to Buddhism. It's an understanding that we are merely one component within the intricacies of our natural world. And we need to live harmoniously with all if the equilibrium is to be maintained.

You have led the way for using Upcycling in your LuxuryEco carpets and rugs collection. How did that feel?

I am not sure that we have led the way as such; upcyled materials have been used in the production of floor-coverings for some time now. However, we are trying to pioneer the use of plastic ocean waste material specifically for our bespoke, handmade products; this hasn’t really be exploited before. I think this is partly due to the complicated processes that are required to turn clear plastic waste into fibre which can be used for custom dyeing and production. It is extremely gratifying to know that every piece we produce reduces the quantity of waste in the oceans in some way.

Nautilus rug Upcycle LuxuryEco by Matthew Wailes

Why was this so important for the luxury rugs market?

It is important for every product within every market; the quantities of waste that human beings produce is truly staggering. In fact, every one of us should be making an effort to reuse and recycle our waste, use sustainable materials, use materials and production methods that leave a very shallow ‘footprint’ behind. We happen to produce bespoke rugs for the ‘luxury’ market. However, this should in no way impair our belief that waste materials can be reused in the creation of our products. There seems to be a really positive ecological ‘surge’ within the carpet and rug industry. This is driven by the demand for green and sustainable materials. Therefore, the greater the demand the greater the need for everyone to get onboard.

What’s your connection with GoodWeave?

I have been visiting Nepal now for over 20 years. It's a wonderful country with wonderful people, but like many other countries around the world there can be exploitation within industry. Traditionally, hand woven carpets and rugs in regions such as India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc have been produced within small, relatively poor communities. Child labour has, and still can be an issue. Low cost production means potentially higher profits. So, children and their families have been targeted as a means of exploiting low cost labour within supply chains which are typically long and complex. I think this clearly needs to be addressed. GoodWeave directly addresses this issue. They have both manufacturing and importing licenced partners, all of whom are dedicated to the eradication of child labour.

An example of a factory in Nepal courtesy of GoodWeave

As a charitable organisation Goodweave depends on their licenced partners to generate the required funds that allow them to operate; feet on the ground, inspection facilities, transit housing and schooling for children lifted from labour, support for their families. It is a far from simple operation. We are very proud to be one of their licenced partners. This way, we are delighted to dedicate a portion of our import costs towards the vital work that they do.

I hear you are working on another new project - tell me more:

Anti-allergy technology has been around for some time now within our market area; treatments & fibres that kill or inhibit replication of dust mites, fungus etc; the main causes of allergies. In the early stages of the pandemic last year we, together with one of our manufacturing partners, submitted our anti-allergy/wool product samples to a microbiological testing facility here in the UK. We wanted to see what outcome would be obtained against viruses, including Covid-19. We found the results were extremely positive In fact, the majority of the virus was eliminated very quickly after coming into contact with our fibre and all of the virus neutralised in less than 30 minutes.

The new Fractured rug from the SoteriaAV collection at Matthew Wailes

Further developments were then made to combine our unique anti-viral/allergy (AV) fibre with Upcycle fibre. This way, we would have a product with both health & environmental benefits. The result is our new SoteriaAV luxury rugs and carpets brand. So we are now manufacturing bespoke handmade products using this new fibre blend.

We have also launched a range of SoteriaAV Facemasks, again using the AV/Upcycle blended fibre. We see a multitude of applications for this fibre within the interiors industry. You can also wash the fibre multiple times without reducing its efficiency. This is because the technology is incorporated within the fibre itself rather than being simply a surface layer.

Why do you think this will revolutionise the way we think about hygiene in commercial properties and residential homes?

One thing that has been unavoidable for us all during the past 12 months is an increased awareness of the importance of hygiene to help curb the spread of the virus. I think that any product of this type that can be incorporated into our daily lives will increase in demand, both within the commercial sector and residential homes. Although Covid-19 is generally transmitted from one person to another through airborne particles, it can also spread through contaminated surfaces. As yet, it is still not entirely clear how long the virus remains ‘live’ on different materials. However, we have designed our SoteriaAV products to provide another layer of protection within homes and commercial properties. I would imagine that, given the choice, customers will opt for anti-viral products wherever they are available. This could be in the form of fabric, luxury rugs, carpets, etc.

When will this new collection launch and what can we expect?

We are in the process of launching the SoteriaAV brand right now. We have promotional introduction packs which we will send to customers over the coming weeks. These contain a handmade rug sample, fabric face masks and full information. Further products are on the way!

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.