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Introducing the artist Ilaria Perra

Monday 10th January 2022
  • Meet the team

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.

Topics: artist, London Design Week, Ilaria Perra, multi-media artist, art, rug designs, The Impressioni Collection, Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, Decorex, luxury rugs, rugs, Doodle Art Ceramics, cork yoga mats, Stilelibro

Decorex 2021: on with the show!

Monday 20th September 2021
  • Decorex

Established in 1978, Decorex provides unparalleled opportunities for the international design community to meet, exhibit, flourish and grow. This year, the physical event takes place at Olympia London, from 10-13th October. "As the leading destination for high-end interior design, I’m so excited to return to Decorex this year,” declares director Matthew Wailes. “There is simply no substitute for face-to-face events like this.”

“In line with my commitment to eco-friendly creativity, our key focus this year will be on upcycling and sustainability,” notes Matthew. “For the first time, we are joining forces at the show with interior designer Juliette Byrne and her team, to preview our new ‘green’ collaboration.” In addition, we will showcase a number of new collections and initiatives, including new Fusion rugs. We will also present our ground-breaking SoteriaAV anti-allergy/anti-viral fibres. And you can expect to see selected designs from The Earth Collection – our collaboration with artist Jan Erika. Other innovations on show at the Matthew Wailes' Decorex stand are the brand new ‘Inside-Out’ collection featuring product, which is suitable for both indoor and outdoor living.

The power of partnership

“I have had the privilege of working with Juliette on numerous projects over many years,” notes Matthew. “I have always greatly admired her sophisticated style of interior decoration. During our time together we have created many specifically tailored custom pieces on a project-by-project basis. We felt that a natural progression would be to formulate a collection of unique rug designs. These would complement Juliette's project schemes. However, they would also have a wider appeal to the interiors industry as a whole. We will be launching eight designs at Decorex, three of which will be full rugs on display.”

Matthew continues: “Juliette and her team are strong advocates for sustainability and the re-use of waste materials as are we. For example, we have used regenerated waste plastic and nylon within both hand-knotted and hand-tufted production.” He adds: “We regenerate this from land and ocean waste, such as discarded plastic bottles and fishing nets, which would otherwise be destined for landfill, or abandoned within our natural environment.”

“We have worked with Matthew for 15 years, and count him as one of our most reliable suppliers,” notes Juliette, whose multi award-winning Chelsea-based studio specialises in high-end residential projects in the UK and Europe. Juliette and her team have a reputation for designing elegant, functional and tailored interiors. Her portfolio ranges from English country houses and Grade II listed buildings, to contemporary riverside penthouses and boutique hotels.

“Matthew’s innovative collection of rugs and carpets are easily customisable to suit different styles and budgets, and our clients especially appreciate his extensive knowledge and flexibility,” Juliette explains. “Both Matthew and I are motivated to promote sustainability in our design work. So, we are looking forward to launching our new ‘green’ collaboration in a fair as prominent as Decorex.”

The importance of upcycling and sustainability

Full details of Matthew Wailes’ new collaboration with Juliette Byrne are still under wraps. However, we can reveal that three rugs will be previewed at Decorex. “We wanted to develop a range of contemporary, stylish rugs that are practical, easy to clean, and don’t contribute to the spiralling issue of plastic pollution,” Juliette explains. “Our collection uses a type of upcycled fibre that is constructed by melting down clear plastic waste recovered from the ocean and extruding it into a new polyester fibre. We will also feature rugs made from natural sustainable fibres like bamboo and wool that have been treated with non-toxic dyes. The design industry can be very wasteful. So, our hope is that these eco-friendly rugs will be become the norm someday.”

Juliette continues: “Three rugs from our exclusive collection will be displayed alongside information on the eco-friendly material and methods that Matthew is using to manufacture them. Our section of the stand will have an “ocean” theme to shine a light on our need to preserve the beauty of nature. We are also sharing the stand with Objet Luxe, one of our favourite suppliers for luxury home accessories. They have kindly loaned us a variety of marine-themed bowls, jars and objets. So, these will complement our upcycled rugs very well.”

New opportunities

“Decorex is an amazing opportunity to network with our industry partners. In addition, it provides the chance to catch up with other suppliers, who may not have showrooms in London,” concludes Juliette. “We also like to invite our clients to see the show. So, they can gain inspiration from current trends and the latest design innovations.”

She adds: “We are also looking forward to seeing stands from other brands. It’s always interesting to see new ways of exhibiting new collections. It will be great to meet new suppliers that we can work with on future projects too.”

The big reveal

There will be no shortage of innovation on display at the Matthew Wailes Decorex G178 stand. One of the highlights will be our new Fusion collection. “This features various heavily textured designs created by combining two different production techniques,” Matthew explains. “We are producing every Fusion rug and carpet (both back cloth and pile fibres) with 100% upcycled fibre, which has been produced from plastic ocean waste.” This collection follows on from our original Upcycle LuxuryEco collection. If you recall, this pioneered the process of transforming plastic ocean waste into new added-value products.

Our new Fusion rugs can also incorporate our unique SoteriaAV anti-allergy/anti-viral fibre. All SoteriaAV products have been independently tested to ISO18184 in microbiological laboratories both in the UK and USA. Results show that our AV Technology inactivates viruses with 90% + more effectiveness than non-AV products. SoteriaAV textile products use technology, which disrupts the food chain of dust mites. This is the main cause of asthma allergies. AV Technology also prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi.

An artistic alliance

Other innovations on show at the Matthew Wailes' Decorex stand are a new Inside-Out outdoors collection. And, at long last, the official reveal of The Earth Collection, by Jan Erika for Matthew Wailes. Both ranges are available for design and creation using our upcycle yarn.

“A mutual friend introduced me to Jan Erika in 2019,” Matthew recalls. “We very quickly recognised the potential for her beautiful artwork to be used within our products. We set about transferring pieces into workable designs for rug production. The difficulty was ensuring that her use of texture and colour was adequately represented within the final collection. We have used combinations of fibres such as wool and silk, and added texture by means of high/low pile, cut and loop. We are absolutely thrilled with the outcome. As a result, we are very excited to finally officially launch the collection, which was planned last year.”

Featuring six stunning designs all inspired by our natural environment, The Earth Collection rugs feature traditional Nepalese hand-knotted techniques. Each design celebrates the bold use of colour and pattern, creatively reinterpreting elements of nature, such as oceans, forests and mountains. “I’m really excited to showcase six stunning pieces of original art for the floor,” Matthew confirms.

The Matthew Wailes team (and partners) look forward to seeing you at this year’s Decorex show on Stand G178.

Topics: Decorex, Decorex 2021, Olympia London, Juliette Byrne, rugs, carpets, sustainability, eco-friendly, LuxuryEco, Upcycle, Chelsea, Jan Erika, The Earth Collection, SoteriaAV, Fusion

Recent Blogs

  • Introducing the artist Ilaria Perra
  • Decorex 2021: on with the show!
  • SoteriaAV: our new anti-viral, anti-allergy collection
  • Luxury rugs: flooring solutions with Matthew Wailes
  • The Earth Collection...by Jan Erika for Matthew Wailes

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