Scandinavia’s new atelier rug company Cappelen Dimyr

Cappelen Dimyr sets the scale for conscious consumerism and slow consumption with its quiet but luxe line of handmade rugs

The name hints at a Welsh origin, but new artisan rug company Cappelen Dimyr is decidedly Scandinavian. Based in Copenhagen and Stockholm, Cappelen Dimyr is a creative collective of two sisters, one couple, and one friend—designer Maja Dixdotter, interior architect Jacob Holst, tech entrepreneur Kristoffer Hernemyr, and brand and communications specialist Ellen Dixdotter. Founded in 2019, the company name is a loose linguistic blend of the founders’ names.

‘We all go way back!’ says Ellen Dixdotter when asked how the group met. ‘It’s a friends and family business; Jacob and Kristoffer are friends from kindergarten, Maja and I are sisters, and I’m married to Jacob. When we started out the majority of us lived in Stockholm, but now we’ve become very good at Skype!’ The long-standing and intermingled relationships help fuel creativity although Ellen adds that meetings can be ‘intense’ but are always productively ‘dynamic’. 

Designed in Scandinavia, each rug is handmade in India with unbleached, undyed wool with minimal environmental impact in ateliers with GoodWeave and Care & Fair certification. The look of the rugs is a cross between the ‘quietude’ evoked by the natural materials of classic Scandinavian design and a sophisticated bohemian look. The company’s lush, dimensional, signature high pile rugs merge the techniques of hand-knotting and handweaving. The u-shape with long fringe of rug No 1 makes it adaptable as a floor-based rug and wall hanging, while No 3 would fit seamlessly into a contemporary apartment as well as a prop in a Norse mythology Netflix film. 

Chapter 1 of three rugs dropped October 2019 with two more designs for the launch Chapter on the way and future Chapters planned. But undue haste and meaningless ‘seasons’ are not part of Cappelen Dimyr’s vision. ‘We embrace slow consumption and long-lasting, seasonless design’ says Ellen, an approach championed by small companies like Cappelen Dimyr, but only recently adopted by a few major brands like Gucci. The impact of Covid-19 has made Cappelen Dimyr’s stance all the more relevant. 

The company’s decision to be e-commerce reflects the increased willingness if not preference of consumers to buy online. No longer is there a stigma of not seeing products IRL. ‘We’ve had a huge success with this,’ says Ellen, ‘we’re impressed our customers are brave enough to place an online order.’ Her modest response to the question masks the strategic approach the quartet employs to ensure their website provides the right tone, stories, materials provenance, and technical information. For diehards or romantics who prefer an in-person experience, Cappelen Dimyr have selected partners that display their rugs in their showrooms, while short-term pop-ups are likely for the future, ‘not only to display the rugs,’ Ellen says, but to invite people to experience their ‘world’ in a physical setting.