Bespoke Rug Design _ In Conversation with
Abigail Le Marchand
Abigail is a Design Director with over fifteen years of experience working globally for HLW in both New York and London.
Your project is based within Shoreditch, East London. Did this connection to place influence your colour palette and your choice to opt for monochromatic patterns within the rug design?
Absolutely. The design concept for the project celebrates the spirit of Shoreditch by referencing its deep roots in Art, Music, Fashion, Architecture and Tech. Each floor is influenced by these themes, which set a clear direction to develop the bold, graphic patterns in the rugs. The monochromatic approach references the raw character of Shoreditch and creates a bold, energetic statement in the space.
How do you choose how and where to introduce rugs throughout such a large project?
When planning the space we create intentional social or lounge moments, and rugs are a tool to anchor and define these areas.
Their placement is always considered in relation to circulation and the way people interact with the space. Each rug contributes to both the design language and the experience of the environment, and softens or balances against a harder architectural palette by adding tactile warmth.
We went from initial design, to sampling to delivery all within 4 months. What would be your advice for designers looking to do bespoke while at the same time keeping the process simple and time efficient?
The communication & clarity on both sides helped keep things moving. It was so fun to work with your team on this - balancing our design intent with your expertise to design rugs that will look great & stand the test of time.
My advice would be to simplify some aspects like we did:
Choose a standard line (like the flatwoven) and then play around with the patterns
Have a consistent palette, or swap out only one or two colours
Use the online tool to test out options and refine the designs before requesting samples
