ANA TALKS THE COLLECTIONS

A custom Orchestra (from the XXV Collection) area rug for a corporate office. With Bullock + Wood Design.

When a client comes to us for custom floorcoverings the first time and they are seeking inspiration, we often recommend they review our handknotted rug collections to hone in on what appeals to them, be it an overall feeling, a colour palette or a detail. Often a client will ask for a custom version of a certain design and there are some like Orchestra (XXV Collection) and Glow (Aerial Collection) that have been asked for so many times, we’ve lost count. Of course our collection rugs are also available exactly as originally imagined, either made to order or within our new online Shop. 

There are now 10 full collections and two smaller collections. Assembled over the last 14 years, they are a wellspring of Creative Matters’ techniques, sensibilities and ideas. How to make your way through what are now 79 designs? We asked Vice President Ana Cunningham - who has contributed to several of the collections - to guide us through them.   

HALCYON

Halcyon, our most recent handknotted collection, is one that I really think speaks to the desire for soothing shapes and calm palettes for the current time. Balthazar answers the call for a more minimalist approach while Eva captures the imagination with its curious overlapping shapes and complex colour combinations.

The Creative Matters Eva design from the Halcyon Collection.

ARASHI

This collection has its origins set in one of our Art Day sessions. For this one, we played with classic Shibori techniques, pleating and binding cotton fabric in various ways. We also knew we wanted to use natural dyes and looked to Kat Pezzano - one of our in-house designers - for her expertise. She suggested that madder, brazilwood and turmeric with iron would give us the best results. I recall the excitement in the studio when we were able to open up our creations with the hopes they would make a worthy addition to the collection. Mind you, there was quite a bit of design work required to get the compositions and palettes just right. Clients have been mostly drawn to Imprint and Shadow for their custom requests. Shadow, in particular, is quite versatile, as it can easily be interpreted into a runner for a corridor project.

Shadow - Raspberry from the Arashi Collection.

ARCHITEXTURE

This collection is a nod to structures that make up the architecture around us. Duomo satisfies design requests that require a more classic approach while Scaffold is more abstract with sumptuous textures created by varying pile heights.

Scaffold - Day from the Creative Matters Architexture Collection.

ARCTIC/PERENNIAL

It was one of our coldest winters when we gathered for an Art Day to create these two collections. Arctic was a direct depiction of the season but then the designs being created slowly transitioned, for there was a real yearning for springtime foliage. Some are depicted just after the thaw while others are expressed in full bloom. Crystallize from the Arctic collection has garnered much attention for its gentle shapes and cool palette, while Emerge and Scatter are often requested by designers because they strike a perfect balance between the feminine and masculine.

Crystallize - Blue from the Arctic Collection .

XXV

This 25th Anniversary Collection is still a standard go to for many of our clients. The Orchestra design has been interpreted in a variety of ways since it was first realized as a stunning handknotted rug. It has been used as wall-to-wall in retail settings, such as the Women’s Footwear Department at Holt Renfrew Square One, or as a printed rug for a hospitality setting.

Custom Orchestra from the XXV Collection for Dymon Wine Cellar. With Twofold Interiors.

Custom Orchestra from the XXV Collection for the Women’s Footwear Department at Holt Renfrew.

ART DAY

Derived from the many Art Day sessions that preceded it, this collection explores various markings, textures and line work. Art Day #40 has been one we’ve used often, not only as it is, but also as a textural layer to build upon.

#40 - Dark, a particularly enduring Creative Matters design from the Art Day Collection.

AERIAL

There are so many pieces in this collection we are consistently referred to by our clients. Glow for example - used for a project we recently featured on social media -  has been used several times for hospitality and corporate projects. Arboreal has also been a standard favourite. The colourways developed for this design go from the quiet and serene Silver palette to the more boldly accented Platinum palette. This really demonstrates how colour and contrast can really change the feeling of a design, which is something we like to explore with our clients.

A Custom Glow runner from Creative Matters for a private residence.

TERRA

Exploring earthly textures, from Wish (a field of dandelions) to the magnificent Northern Lights with Lumina, this collection has always had an other-worldly sensibility to me. Strata has been a standard for clients looking to bring some of these outdoor textures onto their mood boards and into their spaces.

Lumina - Silver from the Terra Collection.

To wander the collections yourself, all our designs are online here. And if you’d like to talk about them with Ana directly, please email her at ana@creativemattersinc.com. We are always working on new designs and are pleased to announce that we will have a new ethically and sustainably made collection in the spring and another in the fall.