We are delighted to introduce our second Hare + Klein x Designer Rugs collection, which launched recently in Sydney and received a Highly Commended award at Denfair on the weekend for Best Textile Product.
The collection consists of six hand-knotted rugs designed in-house by our talented team and skillfully produced by Designer Rugs in Kathmandu.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
This collection is a collaborative Hare + Klein initiative. Our designers were invited to submit designs that reflected our practices’ ethos of texture, colour and comfort. There is a universal consciousness which forms the basis of the colour palette, however individual designs have embraced breakout colours. An example of this is the beautiful orange silk highlights in ‘Aceto’, a design inspired by the elements of balsamic vinegar and olive oil as they begin to blend.
We had many designs to choose from to form this collection, and with the help of David Clark, with his skilled editor’s eye, and Christine from Designer Rugs, we chose nine designs that we felt were varied but held together as a collection. Designer Rugs then arranged for hand trials of nine designs that had been shortlisted, and we made our final selection of six.
HANDCRAFTED ARTISAN TECHNIQUES
For this collection – as with our first – we have applied our philosophy of timeless design. The rugs are all hand-knotted and will last for many years. For this reason, the designs are mostly abstract and employ a combination of materials such as Tibetan wool, hemp and silk; and range of colours that will complement both classic and contemporary interiors as well as many furnishing styles.
Having had the experience of our well-received first rug collection, we embraced the techniques of hand dying and hand-knotting. A journey to Nepal with Designer Rugs, where we met the makers and saw the processes from beginning to end, was a profound experience and gave us a new respect for both the processes that go into making these rugs and the skilled people that make them. From spinning the raw wool, silk and hemp through to the dyeing, weaving, washing, stretching, drying and finishing, everything is done by hands that are skilled and follow long-standing traditions that originated in Tibet. One of the techniques that are used in making our rugs is called ‘abrash’, where the wool, silk and hemp is deliberately spun unevenly. This creates an uneven intensity of colour when dyed by hand. We love this method, as each rug is unique and results in a beautiful slightly unstructured texture. ⠀
To better demonstrate the process involved in creating the rugs, Designer Rugs compiled this video which brings it to life.
THE COLLECTION
Our collaboration with Designer Rugs has been a great pleasure as we share the same vision, to create a range of rugs that are textured, tactile and artisan.
The rug collection features six rugs:
“The kitchen is the heart of creation – the sanctuary of all that sustains and connects us with living” – Margaret Lichaa
“I grew up in Sydney’s south, spending my childhood roaming around bay and beaches. Inlets is informed by these days. An impression of tidal ebb and flow; coastal colours and detritus. I have tried to translate these feelings and impressions into something others can love.”
Received the Highly Highly Commended Award at Denfair 2018 for Best Textile Product
Hand-knotted rug made in Nepal
Tibetan Wool + Silk + Hemp
240 x 300cm
Custom sizing, shaping and colouring available
“Refraction, he called it. The way light is broken up into component colours when it passes through a prism. I felt like a refraction of a person. So many different shades that layer to create the illusion of a solid thing.” – ‘The Last Days of Night’ by Graham Moore
Hand-knotted rug made in Nepal
Tibetan Wool + Silk
240 x 300cm
Custom sizing, shaping and colouring available
Traditionally the word Palimpsest refers to re-used ancient manuscripts where traces of earlier texts are discernible. Palimpsest is a concept I have explored in my mixed media artwork, layering, printing, painting and text only to scrape back and rework the surface. The design of this rug is a vignette of an original artwork where the multiple layers bleed into one.”
Hand-knotted rug made in Nepal
Tibetan Wool + Hemp + Silk
240 x 300cm
Custom sizing, shaping and colouring available
“The most familiar landscape is from my bedroom window – moody clouds at sunset above the trees and water, glistening and reflecting the sky above. This is my landscape.”
The Hare + Klein x Designer Rugs collection is available from Designer Rugs
View the collection in more detail on our website.
Photography of the rug collection by Richard Whitbread
A special thank you to Catapult Design for hosting our photo shoot in their incredible Sydney studio.
Photography of the Sydney Launch event by Sean Foster
