THE SHAPED RUG - AN UNDENIABLE STATEMENT PIECE

Apr 3

Shaped rugs steal the spotlight, they’re a conversation piece on the floor and they make spaces exciting. Over 35 years we’ve designed a lot of rugs in abstract shapes so we’d thought we’d have a little retrospective. We chose five rugs designed in recent times and five rugs from our 90s archive. From the elegant to the eclectic to the practical, scroll down and enjoy them.

First up, a stunning rug we designed for a hospitality interior. Named Agate, it was inspired by the stone of the same name - an organic shape with edges that mimic eroding rock. Its angular curves and contrasting bands are heightened by selective veins of Chinese silk in cut pile which shimmer against the wool in loop pile. Handtufted in Thailand. Creative Matters designer: Kayla Bortolotto.

Creative Director Sandra Ciganic-McKinney has designed a number of rugs in unconventional shapes. “A shaped rug can be more dynamic in a space than a rectangle, adding a new shape inside of an already rectangular room,” she said. “A shape can be a really nice way to customize a rug without adding extra cost. It adds another layer of uniqueness to an already custom piece.”

An asymmetrical shaped rug with three various levels of cut pile designed with simple lines and shapes in a modern palette to suit the client’s space. New Zealand wool and matka silk. Handtufted in India. With LEMROSE. Creative Matters designer: Kayla Bortolotto

Sometimes clients request a shaped rug for practical reasons such as working around fixtures or pieces of furniture. “I think shaped rugs with softened edges, either rounded corners or curves, work really well with the furniture currently trending - soft round couches and chairs. The curved rugs can accompany them beautifully,” said Sandra.

This is a fun colour theory rug in cut pile. Variegated rectangular shapes shift in different directions while vibrant colours overlap. 100% wool. Handtufted in Thailand. With Shelley Kirsch Interior Design. Creative Matters designer: Sandra Ciganic-McKinney

“To design a rug with a unique shape, we often create a mask on top of the artwork as a separate layer so that design can be moved around to ensure it works best inside the shape,” said Sandra. “Sometimes we need to make a paper template onsite if the rug is particular to a room or fixture.” As far as methods of production go, just about any construction will work - handknotted, handtufted, and handwoven. Even dye-injected carpet can be cut and bound into any shape.

The Puzzle - Charcoal design from our Stacked Collection uses a combination of materials, textures, colours and shapes. Each piece is handwoven separately and then stitched together by hand. Creative Matters designer: Sandra Ciganic-McKinney

A remarkable shaped rug in a rose motif for a living room. Its irregular borders offer both custom-made positions for the furniture and provide compelling detail for the space. 100% wool handtufted in Thailand. Creative Matters designer: Leah Phillips. Photo: Michael Stavaridis

“When we started the firm, shaped rugs became really popular,” said Carol Sebert co-founder of Creative Matters. “The handtufted method of production allowed for unusual shapes which wasn’t an option with off-the-rack rugs offered by retailers. Interior designers were able to convince their clients of these customized shapes which really showed off how customized their entire homes had become. For the really unusual shapes (like the second and third photos after this paragraph) we would create templates to ensure a perfect fit. With today’s computer-aided design, drawings are so accurate we don’t have to do that so often.”