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Modern labels for rugs from around the world
For some time now, we have been observing that fancy, stylish carpets with high design standards are becoming more and more popular. Instead of the cheap models from the furniture store next door, it may rather be something more sophisticated and high-quality in your own four walls. That’s why we introduce you to some of our current favourites here in sisterMAG No. 61. Rug labels that put a lot of emphasis on the production of their products and that create special home accessories in traditional handwork. The feature includes Amazing Rugs, Hand in Hand, THEM., The Knots Berlin and Revival.
The Rise of Rugs
Popular rug labels from around the world
We have been observing for some time that fancy, stylish carpets with high design standards are becoming more and more popular. Instead of the cheap models from the furniture store next door, it may rather be something more sophisticated and high-quality in your own four walls. That’s why we present some of our current favorites here in sisterMAG. Brands that put a lot of emphasis on the production of their products and create special home accessories in traditional handwork. If you want to bring a bit of a »world feeling« into your home, you’ve come to the right place.
Website: https://amazingrugs.de/
What is special about your carpet selection?
Our collaborations with different family-run companies in Morocco make for an eclectic selection from calming to expressive. Our label also loves realising custom orders.
Where are the carpets made?
We only offer handmade carpets from Morocco.
Where does the inspiration for the designs come from?
Most designs are just developed by our talented weavers and that could be anything from a classic diamond-shaped pattern to a story told through symbols. In the future, our label will mostly represent our customisable collection of Beni Mrirt: especially fine, luxurious carpets that are inspired by graphic design and paintings and produced exclusively for our label. We suggest a design but the weaver has every freedom to interpret it in her own way, making every result a unique specialty. We unite the best characteristics of a Berber carpet with our customer’s individual wishes, from the colours to the fringe design.
Describe your shop and products in 3 words.
Keeping tradition, valuing, innovative designs
Website: https://handinhand.store/
What is special about your carpet selection?
The most special thing about HAND IN HAND carpets is that they unite traditional craftsmanship with modern design. This particular combination makes them unique. You know classic Berber carpets with their traditional Berber patterns. There also are countless machine-produced carpets with graphic designs. HAND IN HAND combines these two. And a HAND IN HAND piece only goes into production after it has been ordered, so we can avoid unnecessary overproduction and the pollution of our planet with waste.
Where are the carpets made?
Each HAND IN HAND carpet is completely made by hand so it’s one of a kind. We work with a family-run company just outside of Casablanca in Morocco who have passed on their craftsmanship for generations. Every carpet is made from 100% sheep’s wool, which has unique health benefits.
Where does the inspiration for the designs come from?
The designs by HAND IN HAND always hit the Zeitgeist-spot but are also classic enough so that customers can enjoy the products for a long time. For the first collection of HAND IN HAND carpets, I was inspired by my favourite pattern – the chessboard-check – and iconic cartoon characters that inspired the inspiration for the colours. That’s why some of the carpets also have the names of these original cartoons like Sleeping Beauty or Robin Hood.
Describe your shop and products in 3 words.
Slow, sustainable, soulful
Website: https://them.fr/en/
What is special about your carpet selection?
All my rugs are unique models. Each piece is the result of some months of weaving in the mountains of the Middle Atlas in Morocco. Each rug expresses the feelings of a Berber woman, her emotions, her loves, her sorrows. Each woman weaves according to her desires and movements. Each colour and drawing is a symbol. THEM rugs are not just an object of decoration, but a creation full of history. Every year, I make several trips to their source, the tiny Berber villages in the Middle Atlas Mountains, in order to seek out Béni Ouarain rugs with their graphic shapes, Azilal rugs with their vibrant colours, some rare Boujad rugs… The name of these Moroccan rugs come from the area they are handmade. I work directly with the craftswomen of the beautiful Moroccan mountains, and have eliminated the middlemen. My goal? Offering fair prices to my customers, an ethical way of working, which I believe is essential when you are dealing with craftsmanship. But also, more equality for the craftswomen, my customers and me.
Where are the carpets made?
All my rugs are handmade on traditional weaving looms in the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The weaving process is very long: around two months to weave a medium size.
Where does the inspiration for the designs come from?
THEM is not a brand but a retailer of handmade know-how. I don’t manage the design of my rugs. I let the weavers do that because they do it so so well! I don’t want to curb their creativity. Each woman weaves according to her desires and movements. Each colour and drawing has symbolism.
Describe your shop and products in 3 words.
Handmade, unique, colourful
Website: https://the-knots.com/
What is special about your carpet selection?
THE KNOTS is a label for handmade carpets that are being made according to the ancient rules of craftsmanship of each of their countries of origin. Every carpet is one of a kind because they differ in the details and all of them are made from natural materials. Our selection includes vintage Persian carpets that have been dyed for a monochrome and more modern effect than the original, traditional version. We also have different Berber carpets, those very cosy and shaggy carpets of which the Beni Ouarain is probably the most well-known. But we also carry beautiful vintage Zemmour and Beni Mrirt Berber carpets. Our collection also includes some Kilims, from traditional and classic pieces from the early 20th century to newer, colourful products.
Where are the carpets made?
Our Mid-century Vintage Persian carpets that are around 80 years old are from Iran, the Berber carpets from different areas of Morocco and the Kelims originate from a design collaboration produced from local wool in Peru.
Where does the inspiration for the designs come from?
The designs of our carpets are inspired by the traditional designs of the different countries of origin because they just work perfectly with the respective kinds of carpet and have so much potential to add a modern twist.
Describe your shop and products in 3 words.
Unique, handmade, traditional-modern
Website: https://www.revivalrugs.com/
What is special about your carpet selection?
Quality and quantity! Our rug selection is very large and basically has everything you could want: new pieces, vintage pieces, small to large, bright to neutral, flatweave to shag. All of our rugs are handwoven, and our teams who source them live in-country, so they have a meaningful and established rapport with the collectors we buy them from—which means we get access to better pieces for better prices, and then we pass that onto our customers. Plus, we’ve started selling non-rug products like handblown glassware, blankets, and handwoven baskets, all of which complement our rugs.
Where are the carpets made?
Our rugs are made in Morocco, from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert, in Turkey, from the Aegean coast to the plains of Malatya, and in parts of India. The cool thing about our rugs is they aren’t just made across space, but they are made across time, too, as some are vintage and are anywhere from 20 to 100 years old, and some are newer, made six years ago, or as recently as yesterday.
Where does the inspiration for the designs come from?
It depends on the weaver. The designs of our vintage pieces are all steeped in an intricate, elaborate weaving language that is centuries old and has morphed over time. It’s fascinating, and beautiful, and we’ve taken great care to identify patterns and symbols—so each vintage piece you look at on the site has information about the motifs it includes. For our new rugs, our in-house design team draws inspiration from all over: architecture, songs, paintings, weaving history, the natural world. They also collaborate with artisans and weavers who draw inspiration from their weaving cultural legacy and everything that touches.
Describe your shop and products in 3 words.
Timeless, travelled, light-hearted
Learn more about the history of rugs and the craft here.
