Narrative Threads Blog
Scroll through our Narrative Threads blog to enjoy behind-the-scenes insight on special projects for leading interior designers and architects.
Scroll through our Narrative Threads blog to enjoy behind-the-scenes insight on special projects for leading interior designers and architects.
Art Day - when our whole team takes time away from regular work to indulge in pure creation on a particular theme - is at the heart of the design culture of Creative Matters. Imagine everyone’s delight this month when Senior Designer Sandra Ciganic-McKinney announced that she had booked four Tibetan rug weavers complete with mini-looms to join us for our next Art Day.
We know how very important colour is to every project. All our designers have a trained and keen eye to see the relationship between colours and how they affect one another. Our studio is set up so the designers (and visiting clients) have ready access to the thousands of colours of yarn to help our clients achieve the look they are seeking.
We were delighted to debut our Raven rug at the Maison&Objet design show in Paris last month. Raven is the first in a series of rugs we are currently calling The Storytelling Collection. Each of the rugs will be based on the artwork of a Canadian indigenous artist and recreated in a handtufted or handknotted technique.
As President of Creative Matters I am often asked to choose some 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.
Last month Hy’s Steakhouse returned to Toronto’s financial district with a spectacular new flagship.The impressive 18,000-square-foot space was designed by our long-time client Elaine Thorsell of BOTI Interiors. Creative Matters President Carol Sebert was tasked with developing the carpet designs for all three storeys.
Erica and Alan McLaughlin undertook the revival of an old home in Winnipeg's River Heights neighbourhood. They spent a good year refinishing and updating the rooms, and once complete, were ready for the final touches.
Following on the success of our two previous look books, we’re excited to announce that Inspired 3 is now available in hard copy (request one here) or for online viewing. Unlike the brochures for our collection rugs, each of our look books contains almost 200 images of original designs that can be used as a jumping off point for custom rug or wallcovering creations.
Private equity firm Great Hill Partners looked to Gensler Boston to create a workplace that distinctly reflects their culture. Gensler designed a welcoming environment that pairs a dramatic palette with statement features and asked us create a series of six rugs in four complementary designs for the locations most visible to clients.
Rug designer may not sound like a career path that involves a wide variety of international travel but at Creative Matters it surely does. As in many jobs there are trade shows to attend, but what really racks up the passport stamps are the trips we make to supervise production of our rugs.
As we write 11 new rug designs are currently on the looms in Nepal. Talented weavers are recreating our two-dimensional compositions into textural beauties comprising thousands of hand-tied knots in wool and silk. Due for delivery in early September, they will form our Halcyon Collection.