
Narrative Threads Blog
Scroll through our Narrative Threads blog to enjoy behind-the-scenes insight on special projects for leading interior designers and architects.
- 2013
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- #(Unititled) Winter Sunset
- #AnaCunningham
- #BraidedRug
- #Chord - Chartreuse
- #Clémence Hardelay
- #Hotel
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- Abigail Williams
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- administration
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- Campaign for Wool
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- Carpets
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- chairs
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- COLLECTIBLE
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- CREATIVE MATTERS AND OUR WORK WITH FAIR TRADE AND LABEL STEP
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- inspired 2
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- inspired. look book
- Interior Design
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- Madeleine Baigent
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- Menu 1
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- Striped Rug
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- William Sofield
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- Wool
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- Woven Axminster
- XXV Collection
- Yabu Pushelberg
- zero pile

THE ADMIN TEAM AND THE SMOOTH CLIENT EXPERIENCE
As our clients know from their own experiences, business rolls smoothly when a solid team operates behind the limelight of the designers. In our case this is Director of Finance Jane Addie, Manager of Logistics Julie Baldwin and Administrative Assistant Adwoa Agyemfra.
CREATIVE MATTERS’ GLOBAL FOOTPRINT IS OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. HERE’S WHY.
Creative Matters operates internationally, and our global supply chain is one of our proudest achievements. Our clients benefit from our multi-country manufacturing ecosystem, allowing us to be nimble in the face of changing trade regulations. A key differentiator is our in-house logistics team, who are able to stick-handle the complexities of the changing landscape. This team is empowered through the ability to strategically source while executing seamlessly, all while making sure we’re not compromising on our design vision. Here’s how we do it.

CREATIVE MATTERS AND OUR WORK WITH FAIR TRADE AND LABEL STEP
Clients who order handknotted rugs from us will notice the word STEP incorporated into our label on the back of the rug. This is our promise to you and your promise to your client that the rug was produced with the highest possible standards of fair trade.

ANA CUNNINGHAM AND ALI MCMURTER ON GUIDING CREATIVE MATTERS TOWARD INNOVATION, GLOBAL GROWTH AND DESIGN EXCELLENCE
Creative Matters’ Ana Cunningham and Ali McMurter, co-owners and managing partners, mark the end of their first year at the helm together. As we welcome 2025, we’re looking back at major milestones and looking forward to what will come this year under their ownership and leadership.

OUR NEW LOOK BOOK!
Following the incredible success of our first look book, we are delighted to announce the arrival of our second, inspired 2. Unlike our collection books that feature floorcoverings that have been fully-designed and produced as handknotted rugs, our look books present a large collection of carpet and wallcovering designs at a much earlier stage in their development.

EXPLORING DESIGN EXCELLENCE AT LES RENDEZ-VOUS DE LA MATIÈRE + FAIR(E)
In October, Creative Matters proudly joined the tenth edition of Les Rendez-vous de la Matière + fair(e). This year marked our third consecutive year at the fair, with our entire European team present, underscoring our deep commitment to the European design community and our dedication to exploring innovative material applications and design trends.

MEET ANA CUNNINGHAM, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT CREATIVE MATTERS
Ana's name pops up frequently in this blog because not only is she the Creative Matters Creative Director, but she has been with the company for more than 15 years. In that time she has managed a wide variety of projects and designed over 200 rugs but, here we ask Ana what being Creative Director means today.

CREATIVE MATTERS UNVEILS NEW DESIGNS AT COVER CONNECT NEW YORK
Creative Matters was thrilled to participate in COVER Connect New York for the fourth consecutive year. Hosted by COVER magazine, this boutique trade show presents a curated selection of handmade floor coverings from global rug brands. This year, we enriched our collections with a stunning array of meticulously crafted designs and sophisticated new colourways, expanding the Vista, Vanguard, Arcadian and Macrame collections.

STUNNING DESIGNS FOR A CONTEMPORARY BERMUDA HOTEL
Much excitement greeted the opening of The Loren at Pink Beach in Bermuda earlier this month because it introduced a contemporary hotel experience to an island draped in tradition. Led by President and owner Carol Sebert, our creation of nine floorcovering designs contribute much to its modernist appeal.

SAND MEETS OCEAN IN OUR HARMONIOUS FLOOR COVERINGS FOR GOLDWYNN RESORT & RESIDENCES
In 2021, in collaboration with DIALOG, we started one of our largest projects, designing custom floor coverings for the Goldwynn Resort & Residences in the Bahamas. Our work encompassed the guest suites, master suites, corridors, atrium, lobby, restaurant, and banquet areas. We produced a range of techniques using a variety of fibres for the project, crafting harmonious floor coverings that enhanced the resort’s magnificence and relaxing ambiance.

THE JOY OF MACHINE-MADE CARPETING WITH NO REPEAT
In recent years, technology has opened up new opportunities, so producing machine-made carpet without a repeat has become a liberating design choice - it changes what used to be a very rigid way of producing carpet into a format with endless possibilities.

CARING FOR WOOL CARPETS WITH CONFIDENCE
Creative Matters has used wool in our floor coverings for over 35 years, highlighting our dedication to this natural material. Over the years, we have worked closely with The International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO), the leading global authority on wool standards. In 2022, Creative Matters' founder, Carol Sebert, was appointed chairperson of the Wool Interiors Working Group. This group includes members from 41 countries and collaborates with the IWTO Sustainability Group.
Recently, Carol spearheaded the creation of the IWTO Wool Carpet Care Guide with a group of the world’s leading industry experts and WoolSafe, an organization dedicated to advanced research into the care of wool products.

FLOOR-TO-CEILING FOR THE ANDAZ OTTAWA HOTEL
Creative Matters' "Floor-to-ceiling" service involves working with an interior design team to create both the wall and the floorcoverings for a project. In 2016, we provided this service for the new Andaz hotel in Ottawa.

INROADS INTO EUROPE: GROWING OUR GLOBAL PRESENCE
Creative Matters’ growth in Europe began with a landmark project — creating 19 carpets for La Samaritaine, the iconic Parisian department store’s grand reopening in 2021. Recognizing our exceptional range of handtufted and woven axminster carpet, Yabu Pushelberg chose us to enhance their prestigious project. This marked the beginning of our commercial entry into the European market.

PRESIDENT'S CHOICE: CAROL SEBERT'S 2016 RUG HIGHLIGHTS
She doesn't like to choose favourites because every design is a triumph of its own, but here - from the multitude of rugs designed by the Creative Matters team during 2016 - are president and owner Carol Sebert's top five rug designs of 2016.

A PINCH-ME MOMENT: CREATIVE MATTERS’ MILAN DESIGN WEEK DEBUT
April marked a major month for Creative Matters as we made our grand debut at Fuorisalone’s Milan Design Week. From April 16 - 21, we participated in the exceptional Menu 1 exhibition, hosted by COVER Magazine and Salon Magazine and curated by London-based designer Bodo Sperlein.

WHY WOOL IS SO PERFECT FOR RUGS
Take a look through our portfolio and collections and you will quickly notice that the vast majority of our floorcoverings - from boardrooms to bedrooms - are made of wool. As visual people, our love affair with wool begins with its aesthetic properties, but for interiors professionals there are a host of practical reasons why wool is the ultimate fibre.

DESIGN AND ARTISTRY CONVERGE AT COLLECTIBLE BRUSSELS
in March, Creative Matters took to Brussels to showcase at the seventh edition of COLLECTIBLE, a one-of-a-kind fair for 21st-century collectible design. Presented as an exhibition of art, rather than a traditional trade show, COLLECTIBLE serves as a pioneering international platform showcasing the best of contemporary artistic designs across all mediums.

CREATIVE MATTERS RUGS IN DELOITTE'S NEW WORKSPACE REDESIGN
We detail the interesting role played by large Creative Matters rugs in Deloitte Canada’s stunning new national office tower where design and technology are used throughout to provide a more collaborative and productive workplace.

STEP BACK IN TIME: BECKFORD HOUSE’S PREWAR-INSPIRED RUG DESIGNS
In 2021, Beckford House, located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, underwent an impressive renovation. Working directly with Studio Sofield, we designed eight custom floor coverings specifically tailored to the unique spaces of Beckford House. We created handknotted, handtufted and woven Axminster floor coverings to complement the residential building’s interior.
EXPLORING ARTISANAL RUG MAKING EXCELLENCE IN NEPAL AND INDIA
Remarkably talented artisans handcraft our artistic floor covering designs. They are masters in traditional weaving methods, turning our designs into beautifully crafted rugs and carpets. In December 2023, Managing Partner Ali McMurter and Creative Director Sandra Ciganic-McKinney explored our mill in Nepal. In January 2024, Director of Design Development Anna Panosyan and Logistics Specialist Suhindhar Raveendiran Santhi ventured to our mill in India.

STEP ABOARD: EMBARK ON A LUXURY VOYAGE FEATURING OUR EXQUISITE RUGS
Welcome aboard the Entourage, a superyacht by Moran Yacht & Ship, and experience Creative Matters’ inaugural custom design project for a vessel of this kind. Created in collaboration with interior design studio Burdifilek, our team designed and installed 100% prism nylon handtufted rugs to enhance Entourage’s serene ambiance.

LOOKING BACK ON 2023, OUR 35TH YEAR OF EXCEPTIONAL RUG DESIGN
As 2023 draws to a close, our team is reflecting on a momentous year. Filled with groundbreaking achievements, innovative designs, and a transformative shift in leadership, the past 12 months have been enriched with great success and creativity.

INTRODUCING ECOAX: A BIODEGRADABLE WOVEN AXMINISTER CARPET
When it comes to design, it’s often hard to decipher greenwashing from a true commitment to a product’s ethical life cycle. We have always tried to reduce our impact on the planet as much as possible and have been dedicated to finding solutions for every step of our process. This is why we are thrilled to share a breakthrough innovation in commercial carpeting — our new 100% biodegradable woven Axminster carpet, EcoAx.

CREATIVE MATTERS RECAPS LES RENDEZ-VOUS DE LA MATIÈRE + FAIR(E)
On October 10 and 11, Creative Matters had the pleasure of participating in the ninth edition of Les Rendez-vous de la Matière + fair(e), an industry event dedicated to the exploration of innovative, artisanal materials for architecture, decoration and interior design.

INTRODUCING YOU TO OUR NEWEST RUG DESIGNS, LAUNCHED AT COVER CONNECT NEW YORK
For the third consecutive year, Creative Matters had the pleasure of participating in COVER Connect New York, a boutique trade show for top-tier global rug brands, hosted by COVER magazine. This year was our most momentous show yet, unveiling three new collections: Vanguard, Arcadian, and Vista. Additionally, we unveiled our collaboration with Burdifilek and presented new additions to our Sonance and Macrame collections.

THE END OF AN ERA AS FOUNDER CAROL SEBERT CLOSES HER CHAPTER AT CREATIVE MATTERS
After an incredible 35 years at the helm of Creative Matters and on the world stage of floor covering design, it is with mixed emotions we announce that Carol Sebert is moving on to other creative endeavours. While Carol creates more beautiful art in her studio at an old Ontario country house, Managing Partners Ana Cunningham and Ali McMurter are well-prepared to lead the firm into an exciting future. We asked Carol to look back on some key moments that made Creative Matters what it is today.

PARIS DESIGN WEEK: BEHIND THE SCENES OF CREATIVE MATTERS’ REDOUX PASSAGER INSTALLATION
Earlier this month, the Creative Matters team took to Paris Design Week to unveil our highly anticipated Redoux Passager art installation. Collaborating for the second time with Paris design studio LOMA, known for their responsible and innovative design ethos, we set out to create an immersive experience representing our commitment to water stewardship in our rug design.

FUTURE-FOCUSED SOLUTIONS: UNVEILING CREATIVE MATTERS’ 2023 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
Creative Matters is committed to the earth and the people on it. Our 2023 Sustainability Report highlights this commitment, exploring our current and forward-thinking practices for ensuring sustainability, fair trade and corporate social responsibility.

STEP INSIDE CHALET: A NEW ADDITION TO THE MACRAME COLLECTION, LAUNCHING AT COVER CONNECT NEW YORK
Introducing the latest addition to Creative Matters' Macrame rug collection: the Chalet rug. The never-before-seen rug is set to make its debut at COVER Connect New York, the boutique trade show, held in central Manhattan, bringing together leading high-end rug designers, buyers and retailers from around the world.