DYNAMIC VARIETY OF RUG CONSTRUCTIONS FOR T-MOBILE
The Creative Matters rug for the break-out area of T-Mobile’s headquarters. Photo: Heywood Chan
In 2018 Project Manager and Senior Designer Sandra Ciganic-McKinney gave a Creative Matters presentation to the Seattle office of Gensler. Gensler is a global architecture, design and planning firm with 50 locations. “They really appreciated our experience with such a diversity of carpet constructions. And they particularly liked our innovative Stacked collection and the interesting samples we had of our outdoor carpets made from recycled PET,” said Sandra. One of Gensler’s clients is T-Mobile, and in 2019 they asked us to start work on the first of what would become a whole range of floorcoverings for their Headquarters Campus in Bellevue, Washington.
The first rug (above) brings free-spirited polish to the break out-area at T-Mobile. “We started with the concept of the Stacked Collection where dhurries are layered together,” said Sandra. “Because this is a commercial space, we kept the rug flush instead of layering, adjoining the sections together with decorative stitching.”
The break-out area’s rug design layout.
A close-up from a sample of the break-out area rug.
This graphic 100% wool rug comprises 10 different colour patches, four in a variegated solid colour and six in a variety of patterned weaves. “It’s an exciting rug with great colour (magenta is T-Mobile’s corporate colour) and texture,” said Sandra. “And the stitching between the patches ties it all together so nicely.”
Production photos from our mill in India for the break-out area rug.
Our second rug for T-Mobile was an artfully-shaped rug for the reception area. The design is a toned-down patchwork complement to the break-out area dhurrie. The colours are more subdued with understated greys blending into the neutral environment and perfect purples adding thoughtful colour accents.
The Creative Matters rug for the reception area. Photo: Heywood Chan
The rug was handtufted at our mill in Thailand in 10 colours, five in wool and five in shiny nylon. “We used pattern and two pile heights (6mm and 8mm cut pile) to create well-considered texture throughout this stunning rug,” said Sandra.
The reception area rug at the mill in Thailand. The rug is ready for shipping.
The edges are unfinished.
For the outdoor area of the headquarters, we created two matching rugs made from a polyester (PET) fibre that is 100% recycled plastic bottles. “The client sent a detailed picture of a particular weave they wanted and we experimented along with the mill in India to provide Gensler with a couple of options.” said Sandra.
The outdoor rug for the T-Mobile headquarters. Photo: Heywood Chan
Samples of wool the Creative Matters designer considered for the outdoor carpet.
Up close with the weave for the outdoor rug at T-Mobile.
For another lounge area, we created a folky pattern in five-colour greyscale that emulates embroidery on textiles. Different pile heights of the handtufted wool rug bring a crafty feel that helps soften the industrial space. It ties in well with the patchwork motifs of the brighter rugs and adds another layer of texture to its surroundings.
The full design for the lounge rug.
A close-up view of the details.
So far our portfolio of rugs for T-Mobile also includes some overdyed antique-style rugs, another shaped handtufted rug and the new dhurrie we are currently designing. Magenta continues to play a significant role. “It’s particularly gratifying when we can design rugs in a wide range of constructions and coordinate the colours and styles together,” said Sandra. “When I first picked the bright saturated pinks and purples with the Gensler designers, I was excited to work with such an unconventional palette. Now I see these photos and I see it is really fun and works well with the corporate branding.”