We are delighted to share that our brand-new showroom in the London Design Centre is officially open. We’ve had an incredible week in the Capital, welcoming guests into the new space. We’ve caught up with old friends and made some new ones, and have been delighted by the reaction to our new showroom.
London Design Week started on Monday, which meant a host of events within the design centre. The atmosphere was incredible – the centre was buzzing with designers, stylists, press and design fans. Monday was the official Press Day, which started with brunch and ended with a party in the evening hosted by the Design Centre.
Our showroom is located in the prestigious Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour
Kicking off with Access All Areas
We held our own event in the new showroom to a packed house. Our talk, part of Access All Areas, ‘Why you should start with art for your floor?’ was a huge success. The panel discussion between Wendy, and Jenny Weiss and Helen Bygraves, the founders of Hill House Interiors, was hosted by interior designer and lecturer Simon Hamilton.
Topics within the theme were wide-ranging, with one of the most important aspects about selecting a rug being size. Ideally, have a rug large enough to accommodate furniture, so table and chair legs are not sitting half on and half off, was one tip from the designers. The exception being a sofa, which can be placed with just the front legs on the rug when it isn’t possible to have the whole sofa on the rug.
Our wonderful Access All Areas Panel, hosted by lecturer and Interior Designer Simon Hamilton was a discussion around 'Why you should start with art for your floor?' with Wendy and owners of Hill House Interiors Jenny Weiss and Helen Bygraves
Choose a rug that makes you smile
In keeping with what we always say, the interior designers’ advice also included, ‘Choose a design and colour in particular that evokes a feeling for you and makes you smile.’ It is a sentiment we feel passionately about – a statement rug should be something you fall in love with and enjoy seeing every single day.
It was unanimously agreed that a statement rug is a wonderful place to start when planning a décor scheme, which is something we share tips about in our previous blog, Rugs – the natural starting point for room design.
Our opening party that evening was very busy and the perfect opportunity to meet in person interior designers, teams from other showrooms, designers we’ve worked with in the past and influencers that we have relationships with online. The feedback from anyone who has visited the showroom has been overwhelmingly positive, which makes us feel that all the hard work and moments of doubt have been well worth it!
Behind the beautiful doors of our new showroom
A space to showcase our design journey
One reason for our London showroom is that it offers a wonderful opportunity to showcase so many of our rug designs. ‘It’s also the ideal way to show how some of our designs have developed from the original rug, through to fabric, wallpaper and, in the case of Arc en Ciel, Eternal toile and Phoenix, the hand-embroidered crewel wall hangings too,’ Wendy explains. ‘We managed to upholster some pieces of furniture in our Arc en Ciel and Phoenix fabrics as well, which helps to show their full potential.
‘Because the showroom space is quite small, I had a good idea of how I wanted it to look before we started decorating,’ Wendy explains. ‘I loved the idea of creating the look and feel of an inviting curiosity shop, full of treasure, hopefully enticing people to come in, and see and feel our products, and be fully immersed in their colour and texture, from floor to walls to furnishings.
Our visual journey of discovery
‘I’m absolutely delighted with the result,’ Wendy says. ‘We’ve packed a lot in there, but that adds to that journey of discovery, the joy of finding something unexpected. Naturally it is an eclectic mix. I wanted to showcase our latest pieces; Talisman, One Hundred Birds and One Hundred Flowers and Solace, alongside a few favourites that always look fabulous hanging on the wall, such as Pink Moon. I really do feel we have managed to include something for everyone.’
Talisman is our newest hand-knotted heritage rug, which we launched alongside opening the new showroom. She features two powerful dragons and is full of colour, pattern and symbolism. Bold, vibrant and full of life, you can read her story in our previous journal here.
Our newest design, Talisman takes pride of place in our showroom
One Hundred Birds and One Hundred Flowers is also on display. Inspired by a beautiful pair of Japanese hanging scrolls, a renowned artwork featuring lots of different animals and birds co-existing in harmony. With the mythical phoenix – a symbol of good luck, harmony, peace and balance - at her heart, One Hundred Birds and One Hundred Flowers is a design full of life, joy, hope and vitality.
Gorgeous hand-knotted Solace, one of Wendy’s most reflective and contemplative designs, adds yet another element to the rugs on display. With a simple palette of gold, black, violet and warm white, she is a beautiful neutral nestled in amongst her colourful companions.
Our One Hundred Birds One Hundred Flowers hand-knotted rug is also on display
Our dramatic Pink Moon graces another wall, shimmering as the light washes over her, sharing a vivid story of peace, luck and positivity. Gold-etched cranes fly wild and free against the backdrop of a beautiful pink moon, with a black and white border that draws inspiration from peaceful symbols in Buddhism.
‘The look of the showroom has come together well, but it will constantly evolve as we add more pieces to the collection. In the end, we had to pull things together quickly, but it already feels very much like home and I feel excited to build on this.
‘I love being in the London Design Centre and being part of this design community,’ Wendy adds. ‘It feels incredibly supportive and just lovely to be amongst like-minded people. We are very happy to be here and delighted to have a showroom where we will be visible to the interior design community.’
Our Pink Moon hand-knotted wool & silk rug has certainly been making people smile this week
