Bridge For Design Spring 2014 Bridge For Design Spring 2014 Issue | Page 62

DESIGN TRENDS | view point

RISE OF TUFTED RUGS
Arash Yaraghi tells how today’s weavers are keeping an ancient art alive

U

ntil the housing crash of 2009 in the US,
hand-knotted rugs comprised more than 99
per cent of the residential designer market.
Companies that had specialised in hand-knotted
oriental and nomadic hand-weave carpets for half a century
or more suddenly noticed that the clients of interior designers
were postponing high end rug purchases.
Rising to the challenge, a few wholesale rug manufacturers
responded by upping the design and luxury quotient of handtufted rugs.
Innovation in this category began with special licensed
collections launched in 2009 by icons such as lifestyle leader
Martha Stewart and celebrity designer Thom Filicia.
In collaboration with these tastemakers, wholesalers
pushed the design envelope with hand-tufted rugs in
everything from yarn choices, to colour palettes and surface
textures.
These pioneering hand-tufted collections were crafted
exclusively of the finest New Zealand wool to ensure a luxury
look and long wear.
Yarns were dyed using the same ancient pot dyeing
techniques weaving families had been using for centuries to
create custom hand-knotted Peshawar and Tibetan rugs for
the interior design market.
Finishing techniques were developed to create the soft
patina of artisan woven carpets.
The idea was to make the transition as seamless as possible
by focusing on recreating expensive hand-knotted looks with
proprietary effects and ever increasing numbers of colours
for richness of detail.
Rug companies that survived the transition to handtufting banked on bringing exceptional value to consumers
who wanted quality, style and greater affordability in their
decorative home products.

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Bridge for Design Spring 2014

At first, weavers concentrated on capturing the detailed
motifs of coveted Persian rug designs.
At Safavieh we aimed high, choosing to reproduce the
famous Lavar Kerman rugs that have been prized as artistic
marvels since the city of Lavar was visited by Marco Polo in
1270.
In fact, the hand-tufted rug is a bit more structured than
its finely knotted counterparts. But the technology is so
exceptional, the hand-tufted version of a prized antique uses
25 colours, resulting in extraordinary value for the price.
Always a proponent of democracy in design and impressed
with the quick turnaround times and styling flexibility in
hand-tufting, Thom Filicia chose to launch his initial indoor
rug collection entirely in hand-tufted wool and viscose
highlights that were indistinguishable from silk.
“The result is pure, evocative design that is both essential
and highly practical,” Filicia says. Indeed, the rugs exude
classic simplicity and inject an unexpected, modern flair
reflective of his fresh yet timeless approach to design.
Using a balance of design, materials, textures and palettes
in unexpected ways, the pioneers in the hand-tufted medium
have sparked a revolution that has proven mutually beneficial
for interior designers and consumers, and has allowed
weavers across the world to transfer their skills to a 21st
century technique while keeping an ancient art alive. B

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Arash Yaraghi is a co-principal of Safavieh
40 Harbor Park Drive North, Port Washington, New York 11050

T: +001 516 945 1900 | www.safavieh.com