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
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- #(Unititled) Winter Sunset
- #AnaCunningham
- #BraidedRug
- #Chord - Chartreuse
- #Clémence Hardelay
- #Hotel
- #Marine Division
- #Muir
- #Origin
- #Royal Caribbean
- #Settle
- #StudioMunge
- #T-Mobile
- #Wonder of the Seas
- Abigail Williams
- abrash
- administration
- Administration
- Adwoa Agyemfra
- Aerial
- Aerial Collection
- Afghanistan
- Aga Khan Museum
- Alan Tanksley
- Ali McMurter
- Ambient Gradient
- Amie Suttie
- Aminster
- Ana Cunningham
- ana diosdado
- Ana Diosdado
- Andaz
- Ange Yake
- Anna Panosyan
- APEX Social Club
- April
- Arashi
- Arboreal
- Arcadian
- Arcadis IBI Group
- Architexture
- Arctic Collection
- Area Rugs
- Arney Fender Katsalids
- art
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- Artisans
- Ashley Solymar
- axminster
- Axminster
- Azura Condos
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- binding
- Blends
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- Blue Hat Studios
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- BOTI Interiors
- Bread for all
- Briggs&Little
- Burdifilek
- Cabernet Carpets
- Camden Cocktail Lounge
- Campaign for Wool
- Campaign for Wool Canada
- Canada House
- Canadian Embassy Paris
- Canadian Wool
- Canadian Wool Council
- Carol Sebert
- carpet
- Carpet Design Awards
- Carpet Diem
- Carpet Tiles
- carpet weaving
- carpets
- Cascade
- Celebrity Edge
- chairs
- Chapi Chapo Design
- Cheryl Krismer
- child labour
- Chord Gradient
- Christi Belcourt
- Circular Rug
- Clémence Hardelay
- collection
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- Collections
- colour
- colour lab
- Commercial
- concept
- Conference Room
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- corridor carpet
- Corus Entertainment
- COVER Connect
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- Covid-19
- Crayon Design
- creative
- Creative Matters
- CREATIVE MATTERS AND OUR WORK WITH FAIR TRADE AND LABEL STEP
- Creative Matters Collection
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- Deloitte
- design
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- dhurrie
- DIALOG
- Diamond Schmitt Architects
- Domotex
- Donna Hastings
- Doug Gellenbeck
- Dream
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- Dye-injected quality
- Dyeing
- Eco-bundle-dyeing
- eco-friendly
- EcoAx
- Elaine thorsell
- Elizabeth D'Agostino
- embassy
- Emerge
- Emma O'Neill
- Entourage Yacht
- Eric McClelland
- Estelle
- estelle muzyczka
- Ethical Production
- Eva
- Faces of Freedom
- Facet
- Faena Hotel
- fair
- Fair trade
- fashion
- Fernando Santangelo
- first
- Flatweave
- Flatwoven
- Fleur de Lis Interior Design
- Floor-to-ceiling
- Floored to be 20
- floorforum
- floral
- flowers
- Four Seasons
- Fragment
- France
- frost
- Frozen Bloom
- fun
- furniture
- Gabellini Sheppard
- Gachot Studios
- Gaudalupe
- Gensler
- Geometric
- geometry
- George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg
- Germany
- Glacier
- glass
- glass blowing
- Glenn Pushelberg
- Global Affairs Canada
- Glow
- Gluckstein Design
- Goodweave
- Government Conference Centre
- Great Hill Partners
- Greater Toronto Airport Authority
- Gucci
- Hacin + Associates
- Halcyon Collection
- Halycon Collection
- Hampton
- Hand Axminster
- Handcraft
- handknotted
- Handknotted
- handknotting
- Handknotting
- Handmade Rugs
- handtufted
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- hank
- Hathairat Suk-Iem
- Heenan Blaikie
- Highland
- Hillary Paulen
- Holt Renfrew
- Hong Kong
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- Hospitality Project
- hotel
- Hotel
- Hy's Steakhouse
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- IBI Group
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- inspired 2
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- inspired. look book
- Interior Design
- interior designers
- IWTO
- Jab Anstoetz
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- James Hotel
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- Jewel
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- Julie Baldwin
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- Karen Lim
- Karim Rashid
- Kat Pezzano
- Katie Ridder
- Kayla Bortolotto
- Kelly Hoppen
- Kimpton Saint George
- Krause Sawyer
- La Samaritaine
- La Tour Deloitte
- Label STEP
- Las Vegas
- Lauren Mead
- Leah Phillips
- LEMROSE
- Les Rendez-Vous de la Matière + Fair(e)
- LGA Architectural Partners
- Linda Fargo
- Linseed
- LOMA
- London
- look book
- Louis Vuitton
- low tight loop pile
- Luba Huzan
- lucky 13
- Lucy Upward
- Lumina
- Luxe Nylon
- luxury
- Luxury Rugs
- Macrame
- Macrame Collection
- MacrameCollection
- made in exile
- Made in India
- Made in Nepal
- Madeleine Baigent
- March
- Mario Testino
- Marlowe
- Marshall Cummings
- Mason Studio
- Matthew Rowe
- May
- Mengting Shen
- Metropolis
- Mexico City
- Michelle Bouchard
- Milan
- Milan Furniture Fair
- Mill
- Modern Carpets and Textiles Magazine
- Modern Weave
- Moriyama & Teshima
- Museum
- natural
- Natural Carbon Cycle
- natural dye
- Natural Dye Collection
- nature
- Needle Felting
- Nepal
- Neutrals
- New York
- New York International Carpet Show
- Ningikulu Teevee
- Nova
- NYICS
- Nylon
- Orchestra
- Origin
- painting
- Palms Casino Resort
- Paris
- Paris Design Week
- Park Hyatt
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- Pendry Manhattan West
- people
- Percolate
- Perennial
- Perennial Collection
- Persian knot
- PET
- pink
- Pom Card
- poms
- Printemps
- Prism Nylon
- process
- quotes
- Raffia
- raffle
- Rainbow Room
- Raleigh Hotel Miami
- Raven Rug
- red
- red carpet
- Red Carpet
- Redoux Passager
- Renée Isaac-Saper
- Residential Project
- Restaurant
- Retail
- Retail Project
- Reto Aschwanden
- Retreat
- Ritz-Carlton
- Robyn Clarke
- Rory Platinum
- Rosa Wharton
- Rose
- Royal Caribbean
- Rubato
- Ruche
- Rug Collection
- Rug Design
- Rug Designers
- RugMark
- rugs
- Rugs
- Salone 2013
- Sandra Ciganic-Mckinney
- Sandra Ciganic-McKinney
- Sarah Richardson
- Sarah Stevenson
- Scatter
- Scratch
- Senate of Canada
- Serena Yu Khine
- Shale
- Shaped rugs
- Shaped Rugs
- Shard
- Shattered
- Shelley Kirsch Interior Design
- Shibori-dyeing
- Shinola
- Shiver
- silk
- Silk
- silk rug
- Silverplate
- Soho Grand
- Sonance Collection
- sophie williams
- Sophie Williams
- Sound Absorbtion
- special
- Spiral staircase
- Spring
- St. Regis Mexico City
- staff
- Staircase runner
- stairs
- Stantec
- Story Telling Collection
- Strata
- Streets of New York
- Striped Rug
- studio
- Studio Munge
- Studio Sofield
- style
- Suhindhar Raveendiran Santhi
- summer
- Sunlife Financial
- Suspension
- Sustainability
- Symphony of the Seas
- T-Mobile
- TD Conference Centre
- Teri Ly
- Terra Collection
- Textiles
- TGF Law Firm
- Thailand
- The Pearle Hotel & Spa
- The Telegraph
- The Westside
- The World Bank
- Theodore
- tibetan weavers
- Tibetan Weavers
- TIFF
- Tiffany
- Timing
- Toronto
- Toronto International Film Festival
- Trade Show
- traditional
- tradtional
- Travel
- Trip
- tulips
- Turquoise Mountain
- Unionville Gardens
- Vanguard
- vegetable dyeing
- Versante Hotel
- Video
- Vista
- Viva
- Wallcovering
- wallcoverings
- Wallpaper
- Water Stewardship
- watercolour
- Weaver
- Weavers
- Weavers Art
- William Sofield
- Winter Garden
- wool
- Wool
- Woven Axminster
- XXV Collection
- Yabu Pushelberg
- zero pile
A STUNNING SPIRAL STAIRCASE
Late 2018 Cheryl Krismer of Crayon Design came to us with two detailed hand-drawn sketches for two flights of a spiral staircase in a spacious contemporary Toronto residence. We then worked together to turn her exquisite sketches on small pieces of tracing paper into fully developed designs for each runner.
CARPETS FOR THE SENATE OF CANADA
As a Canadian company we were particularly delighted to be selected to create the carpets for the Senate of Canada’s temporary new home in Ottawa.
CARPETS FOR CRUISE SHIPS
In the last few years, designing carpets for cruise ships has been a bigger part of our business. Clémence Hardelay is the Project Manager at Creative Matters who works most closely with this sector, so to start out we asked for her favourite piece. She chose the irregularly-shaped inset carpet for the jewellery store on board Celebrity Edge.
277 RUGS FOR THE NEW SHINOLA HOTEL IN DETROIT
Imagine our delight in 2017 when New York’s Gachot Studios invited us to create all the floorcoverings for Detroit’s new 129-room Shinola Hotel, one of the many projects that are creating massive renewal in the city.
WE EMPLOYED HUNDREDS OF AFGHAN WOMEN OVER FIVE MONTHS
In 2018 we were delighted to participate in a project that required 97 handknotted rugs. Until this year, we have assigned handknotted rugs to our trusted fair trade suppliers in Nepal and India. In 2018 however, we had the good fortune to work with a slightly different style of handknotting and create an incredible opportunity for Afghan women.
CREATIVE MATTERS TAKES NEW YORK
In November we celebrated 30 years since our President Carol Sebert founded Creative Matters. To honour the occasion the whole team flew from Toronto to New York for three days staying at a big house in the country and taking the train into the city each morning.
DESIGN MATTERS: OUR 30 YEARS OF CREATING RUGS
As Creative Matters will celebrate its 30th anniversary in November, our management team took the opportunity to look back at our designs - and the process of designing - through the years.
WINNING CARPETS FOR LAS VEGAS RESORT
In May 2018, the Palms Casino Resort completed a $620 million renovation which was heralded as the grandest in Las Vegas history. It included the creation of two new nightlife venues, both designed by Studio Munge and both featuring carpets by Creative Matters.
OUR RUGS SHINE IN MARRIOTT REDESIGN
HANDLOOMED FLATWEAVES FOR THE NEW KIMPTON SAINT GEORGE
When Kimpton opened its first boutique hotel in Toronto last month, its many interior treasures included 21 delightfully artisanal rugs by Creative Matters.
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.
THE DESIGN MIND: UNVEILING THE SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY OF A CREATIVE MATTERS DESIGNER
We’re offering exclusive glimpses into the insights of three of our designers at Creative Matters: Madeleine Baigent, Mengting Shen and Sophie Williams. Explore each of these designers' creative journeys, and how they shape their approaches to creating one-of-a-kind custom pieces.
REVAMPING TGF LAW FIRM’S RECEPTION WITH OUR ROUND RUG
Recently, Creative Matters had the privilege of collaborating with InSTUDIO interior design firm on a custom rug design for the reception area of the TGF Law Firm office. We provided a comprehensive design service, creating a stunning custom round rug to serve as a captivating centerpiece, infusing the corporate interior with vibrancy and character.
STRIKING SHAPED RUGS ELEVATE CONDO SPACES
We were delighted when Arcadis IBI Group asked us to collaborate with them again, this time on three shaped rugs for the new Azura condo building in Toronto. Their Associate Director Heidi Rose provided us with the specific shapes that they had designed to enhance the interior architecture.
WHY WE THINK WOOL IS BEST
Since Creative Matters opened its doors 35 years ago, the vast majority of our floor coverings have been made from wool. This includes our custom projects for hotels, offices, retail spaces and homes, and our 14 rug collections. We sat down with Carol Sebert, Managing Partner and Founder of the firm, to discuss the reasons for this decision both historically and moving forward.
THE SHAPED RUG - AN UNDENIABLE STATEMENT PIECE
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.
FOUR REFINED RUGS ADD DIMENSION TO HYBRID WORK SPACE
In 2022 we welcomed the installation of a project started back in 2018 with Gensler Toronto. Four large, perfectly-designed rugs are now gracing a spacious, high-end lounge accessible to tenants of the new CIBC Square two-tower development in Toronto’s financial district. Named The Canopy, this area is designed to elevate…
5 WAYS RUGS CAN EVOKE EMOTION
We consider our designs works of art that have the ability to arouse emotions in the people that are perceiving them. For example, it feels natural to experience a general feeling of aesthetic appreciation when faced with something beautiful. In addition to evoking this visual sense of pleasure (happiness), we found
OUR DESIGNERS’ FAVOURITE FLOOR COVERINGS OF 2022
As the demand for Creative Matters’ carpets continues to increase so must our design team grow bigger. This year we have 13 designers not including our three Partners (Ali, Ana and Carol) who still love to fit in some design among their other responsibilities. We asked each designer to select their favourite 2022 carpet and they came up with 12 different answers, testament to the diversity of our creations.
INSIDE A DYNAMIC PROJECT WITH PARK LANE NEW YORK AND YABU PUSHELBERG
In 2019, international design firm Yabu Pushelberg (YP) was commissioned with the complete renovation of one of New York’s landmarks, the Park Lane New York hotel. YP is a long time client of Creative Matters and that same year they asked us to work with them on the carpets which were installed in early 2022. Partner Ali McMurter managed the collaboration at our end. “They chose us for the project because …
PEARLE HOTEL SHINES WITH OUR HAND AXMINSTER RUGS
During the summer, impeccably designed and crafted Creative Matters rugs were installed throughout the new Pearle Hotel & Spa in Burlington (just outside Toronto). It was a special project because it was the first time we used the hand Axminster method of production for all the rugs in a hotel.