HIGHLIGHTS OF 2019 BY CAROL SEBERT
The Lucas design from
Creative Matters’ Halcyon Collection.
As President of Creative Matters I am often asked to choose some project highlights from the closing year. This time however, I find myself most excited by the major initiatives we took in 2019 to move our business into the new decade.
THE NEW SHOWROOM
We had dreamt of taking over the second floor of our 1920s building for so many years, so what a treat it was in September to gain another 1000 square feet of operating space and to be able to see our rugs and samples in sunlit surroundings. We are still discussing potential creative uses for the space outside of Creative Matters showroom - craft sales, lecture theatre, workshop space for interior designers … who knows?
Creative Matters’ new showroom above the Toronto studio.
THE STACKED RUG COLLECTION
I love this newest collection as it incorporates a number of handmade details into the rug. From the area rugs being made with texture (flat weave and cut pile) as well as the coloured fringe on the edge of the rugs and then the stitching overtop which holds them together and adds an entirely new additional detail to the surface.
While we love our custom work with interior designers on site-specific projects, it is also a really interesting endeavour to design rugs with no plan for their final destination.
Anna Panosyan designed the first rugs in this collection. Since then we have expanded the collection to include other designers in our team. Some of the new designs will be launched at Domotex 2020 in Germany in January with the rest following in the middle of the year.
NEW TEAM MEMBERS
We now have our largest team ever having added new positions in 2019. Ana Diosdado, Mengting Shen and Sophie Williams have joined the design group bringing a splendid variety of skills and design aesthetics. Estelle Muzyczka is filling a new role as the Administrative Studio Coordinator - along with these duties she manages our new showroom.
THE HALCYON RUG COLLECTION
Two years in development, I think 2019’s Halcyon Collection is a remarkable group of carpet designs. We began with some Art Day concepts and the idea of “disruption”. But once the samples arrived at the studio from Nepal, we realized they weren’t edgy and aggressive or disruptive, but rather had become soothing elegant patterns - perhaps just what we need in this disruptive political climate.
We hope that the designs we created for these handknotted wool and silk rugs will add an element of calm to their surroundings and be kept in residences, hotels and offices for many many years. The colours are harmonious throughout the collection but each piece has its own unique personality, due to the fact that many of the Creative Matters design team were involved in the development of this collection.
THE BEGINNING OF OUR WORK WITH AFGHANI ARTISANS
Completed in January 2019, the Shinola Hotel project in Detroit was exciting for Creative Matters as it was the first large scale project we had made by artisans in Afghanistan. Working with Turquoise Mountain and our fair trade endorser Label STEP, we were ensured that the rugs we ordered for this major hotel would be ethically made and produced on time. With additional support from the World Bank we were able to employ hundreds of Afghan women for five months. From this success we are now working on more large scale projects promoting the beautiful Afghanistan quality.
Samples of the Shinola Hotel rugs woven in Afghanistan.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone - our team, our clients and our suppliers - whose inspiration, talents and hard work have made these initiatives possible. Looking forward to seeing what 2020 brings.