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FLOOR_STORY Student Design

FLOOR_STORY have teamed up with the Campaign for Wool for the Student Design Competition to design a rug that will be produced in a limited number of 10 and sold from the FLOOR_STORY showroom.

The brief was to design a rug that would be produced using New Zealand wool in Nepal using the Tibetan hand knot technique. Labour intensive and painstaking, hand knotting is the most traditional way of making and creates rugs of exceptional quality and longevity. The production time of hand knotting can take between 10 to 12 weeks depending on the quality and the complexity of the design. Perfect for fine work, texture, mixing of colour and intricate patterns.

New Zealand wool is a white wool that can be dyed in bold, bright colours. We have over 2,600 colour poms that can be matched to Pantones, paint etc, which should result in some interesting colour combinations.

The winner will get to develop their design with our in-house designer from artwork to CAD, to gain experience preparing files for production including picking the poms and techniques for the rug. They will also make commission off each of their rug sold.

Inspiration can be found at the FLOOR_STORY website, to get a sense of the contemporary rugs that are featured, FLOOR_STORY were looking for something new and exciting using colour, shape, pile heights, texture and carving.

“As a textiles graduate, I understand the importance of engaging with students and promoting an industry that they may have not considered. To have a design produced and sold by a company while studying, it is a great first step into the design industry.

Wool really is a great all-rounder and that’s why it forms the base for most of our FLOOR_STORY rugs. Standing up well to wear, soft and easy to look-after, wool’s natural fibres keep springing back and take dye beautifully to give a rich depth to colour.” Gill Thorpe, Designer FLOOR_STORY

“The positive impact of these collaborations for students cannot be underestimated, FLOOR_STORY has given students the experience to see their designs and vision come to life. Having this relationship with the Industry is not only building students ambition but also nurturing yet more promising textile designers of the future. We are immensely grateful for the relationship we continue to build with companies such as FLOOR_STORY and Thank you for your support.” Derek Lawlor & Caitlin Hinshelwood, Course Leaders BA Textile Design

“As a first year student on the BA (Hons) Textile Design course at Central Saint Martins, I wanted to put some of what I’d learnt into practice and entered this competition as a learning experience. I felt it was important to push myself beyond my comfort zone by presenting my design work and aesthetic in a non-course context. I had a great time completing the research for this project, looking at colours and textures found in the wonderful brickwork of Kings Cross in London, where Central Saint Martins is located. As a designer, I love looking for beauty in unexpected places and was so pleased with the vibrant colour palette this brickwork provided. I also had a lot of fun experimenting with mark making at home, using bricks as tools to apply paint to paper and achieving quite unpredictable patterns as a result. I currently specialise in knitted and woven textile design, and am fascinated by the craft of textile construction. I’ve really enjoyed learning more about the skills and processes involved in making this rug from start to finish, and I am delighted with the outcome. It has been a pleasure to work in collaboration with FLOOR_STORY, given their knowledge and experience in the field of rugs. Furthermore, it is important that I, as a student of textile design, learn to place sustainability at the heart of my practice and I am proud to play a role in promoting the use of wool as part of this initiative by Campaign for Wool. I love the idea of creating textiles that can be enjoyed as powerful works of art and I feel that this rug achieves just that.” Abigail Weston, Winning Student

MATERIAL

100% New Zealand Pure New Wool, selected due to its whiteness and ability to take rich bright colours, hand knotted and Goodweave certified, Limited edition pieces (maximum 10) exclusively available to order in any size, shape and colourway from www.floorstory.co.uk

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