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Knots Rugs presents the Textures Collection

August 28, 2020

2020 marks the thirteenth anniversary of London-based Knots Rugs. The company's strapline—‘Happiness is a Rug Called Knots’—captures the purpose behind each handmade rug—complete customer happiness

Founded by Bernie and Bonnie Sutton, the father-daughter duo carry on a family legacy in the rug world that dates to the early 20th century. Knots Rugs’ new Texture Collection is a subtle collection of handmade rugs that reflects a continued shift in global consumer behaviour towards home products that provide a sense of security and warmth—attributes inherent to the natural fibre and texture-rich rugs in the new collection. 

<em>Checkerboard Charcoal<em> by Knots Rugs

COVER spoke with Managing Director and Head Designer Bonnie Sutton and asked her to describe the collection and the inspiration behind its creation. ‘Textures is a collection of handwoven flatweaves, handloom, and hand-knotted rugs with high-low pile surfaces created by hand-carving the pile or by varying the rod size during weaving. The collection’s organic, rustic look and feel complement the sophisticated artistic collections we’re known for. We spent time understanding the needs of our interior design community in the UK. We’ve responded with rugs that require less lead time and with more muted, natural tones that don’t dominate design concepts.’

<em>Diamond Cross Aqua<em> by Knots Rugs

Knots Rugs’ new collection continues the company’s exploration of natural, sustainable fibres. Fibres in the collection include hemp, linen, cactus and nettle. Curious about cactus and the collection’s other fibres, we asked Bonnie to elaborate. ‘We continue to look for fibres that can be farmed or grown using fewer precious natural resources like water. One of our Nepalese rug producers uses cactus fibre and has done for years now. They source it from India as it’s hard to get hold of in Nepal these days. Other similar materials we use are hemp and nettle both of which use far less water than cotton. As they’re all organic fibres they are easy to dye as well as weave. Natural fibres also have inherent abrash—the subtle variations created by dye uptake—which means every rug is different and unique.’

<em>1920s Shapes Ivory Gold<em> by Knots Rugs


The collection’s initial release of four rugs focuses on geometric weaves but includes an intriguing flatweave described by Knots Rugs as ‘1920s Shapes‘. These geometric shapes float on an open field in a manner reminiscent of some traditional Berber rug designs, but the design also resembles an abstract flatlay view of traditional drawing and technical instruments including a set square, compass and protractor. The pleasure of this rug and the others in the Textures collection is grounded not only in subtle designs, but in the finesse and quality of the weave, attributes rooted in the multi-generational legacy of the Sutton family’s connection to weaving, collecting and teaching the art of handmade rugs. 

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