Bridge For Design November Issue 2015 November 2015 | Page 60

design news | rugs

People:

Roger Oates
It was the discovery of a historic flatweave
sample more than 25 years ago that inspired
Roger Oates and Fay, his wife, and design
partner (right), to use their respective
textile training backgrounds and focus on
reinventing, designing and producing this
very specific type of floorcovering for the 21st
century.
Today, ‘Venetian’ Flatweave is synonymous
with the name Roger Oates, though nothing to
do with Venice; it is a generic term given to a
particular style of twill floorcovering that was
popular in the 18th century, when narrowwidth woven runners were frequently used to
protect better quality carpets in smart country
homes, and textiles appeared for the first time
on floors in poorer homes. Flatweave lost
favour when mechanisation made pile carpets,
such as Wilton and Axminster, more affordable.
But textured flatweave, with its finished
selvedge edge, is ideal for stairs. It can also
be joined to create distinctive rugs and fitted
landings. Its flexible, supple nature
enables it to be expertly fitted and
sculptured around almost any winders,
with the stripes miraculously aligned.
Perfect tailoring for stairs adding colour
and texture in an often overlooked area.
New designs are sampled and trialed
by hand, in the Roger Oates studio,
but production takes place in the UK,
woven on vintage Hattersley looms,
run by skilled operators. The complex
drafting and lifting creates the variety of

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Bridge for Design November 2015

textures that gives the cloth its unparalleled
personality and ‘hand-finished’ quality.
So while a centuries-old weaving process
gives flatweave runners their unique texture, it
is Roger and Fay’s distinctive designs and bold
use of colour - they use British wool dyed to
their own colour palette - that sets them apart.
Roger said “While classic colours and
designs continue to be favourites are looking
for something unusual or unique, we offer
bespoke tones and can customize widths for
those who want personalisation.”
www.rogeroates.com