The black book of rugs sources in the UK (for all budgets)
As the weather starts to cool down and we head into Autumn, spending time indoors usually signals the need to start layering our homes. And there is no better way to add texture or colour than with a rug. Rugs cover a large area in any room and can help you bring a scheme together, much like the colour on your walls. Wether you opt for monochrome, multicoloured or patterned, this list of UK suppliers of rugs and carpets will surely come handy.
Floor Story
Branding themselves as East London's friendliest rug dealer, but also a maker of beautiful rugs, Floor Story is based in London's Shoreditch district, and champions young design talent and collaborations with established stars. Here you will find rugs designed by 2LG, Camille Walala, Kitty Joseph, Laura Spring and many more. Their latest capsule collection designed by ADAM NATHANIEL FURMAN (shown below) is inspired by the Mediterranean and is already making waves.
The Rug Company
Established by Christopher & Suzanne Sharp, The Rug Company has been creating some of the world's most desirable rugs since 1997. Their rugs are beautiful, distinctive and original. Their latest collaboration with Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou certainly inspires (we love the sun ray rug, an ode to Greece).
LOOMAH
If you are looking for something bespoke, look no further than Loomah. Known for working on high end residential projects and even superyachts, Loomah's design service is the result of 30 years of experience working with the best artisans and factories in the industry.
A RUM FELLOW
A Rum Fellow is a London based design studio dedicated to artisan textiles, rugs and statement interior pieces full of colour and intricate pattern. It’s a balance of contemporary and heritage design achieved with the finest materials and the skills of master craftsmen.
DEIRDRE DYSON
Blending the art and process, ancient skill and new technology, Deirdre Dyson rugs are commissioned all over the world. Quality – colour matching over 5,000 different hues of pure Tibetan wool and Chinese silk. Here you can find a comprehensive selection of works that are an inspiration for any visitor at her contemporary London gallery and the recently opened second gallery in Saint Germain des-Prés, Paris.
BELDI RUGS
Synonymous to Moroccan rugs. Think colourful, preloved handpicked Moroccan rugs.
TOP FLOOR BY ESTI
Esti Barnes trained as a graphic artist in her native Istanbul and founded Top Floor in Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, London in 1998. The company rapidly became a favourite of the interior design world with its distinctive textured rug designs and wide range of materials & production techniques.
Esti’s rugs soon started winning plaudits from the international design world, including British Design of the Year (ELLE Decoration UK) and Best of Year (Interior Design Magazine). In 2014, the ‘Esti B’ brand was launched.
SONYA WINNER
I can across Sonya a few winters ago during an interiors show in London. Very friendly and a lover of colour, Winner rugs are easily identifiable, vibrant and highly original. Her first area rug, After Matisse, caused an international sensation when she launched her rug business at London Design Festival in 2011. Since then Sonya Winner Rugs have been a favourite with discerning buyers, stylists and celebrities worldwide.
DESIGNERS GUILD
Established in 1970 by Tricia Guild, Designers Guild designs and wholesales furnishing fabrics, wallcoverings, upholstery and bed and bath collections worldwide. They believe in quality of design, product and service combined with a committed and motivated team. Their iconic King's Road store is a must visit for any interiors aficionado.
LARUSI
A Larusi rug has become the eponym for high quality Berber Beni Ouarain rug. Larusi tribal rugs and textiles was set up by Souad Larusi in 2000, specialising in the weavings of the Berber tribes of Morocco to bring them to a wider audience and to encourage their use for interior decoration; the rugs, although of humble provenance, are crafted from excellent quality wool, with subtly variegated designs that look uncannily modern to contemporary eyes.
LUKE IRWIN
Luke Irwin rugs are highly sought after, known for their texture and style. While the existing collections are available in the showroom, they often modify them to suit individual tastes. The colour range is almost infinite, and the shape, size and designs - whether geometric or abstract -are many and varied.
VANDERHURD
Based in Notting Hill, and specialising in hand woven flat weave Dhurries Christine Van Der Hurd is admired as one of the most creative minds in the industry. Over 35 years, her success has taken her into the ateliers of some of the world’s leading designers and architects, including Beyer Binder Belle, Pentagram, and Gensler, Selldorf Architects. She has collaborated on collections for Cappellini, Liberty London and Louis Vuitton, and worked with India Jane Birley on the carpeting for Annabel’s and designer Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels.
FRONT
Front are the first handmade rug showroom in the UK to exclusively present the work of multi-award-winning rug designers Jan Kath, Lila Valadan, Zoë Luyendijk and Michaela Schleypen. All challenge convention, developing new techniques and seeking the best creative solution in order to realize their design concepts and translate these into original floor art.
MARGO SELBY
Margo Selby is a renowned British Textile artist and designer. Her design philosophy is focused on pushing the boundaries of weaving to create contemporary stylish fabrics for a range of textile applications.
EVA SONAIKE
Creative Director Eva Sonaike graduated with an MA in Fashion Journalism from the London College of Fashion, where she specialised in contemporary African fashion and textiles. She then pursued an editorial career working as UK Fashion Editor for Hubert Burda Media for six years, working for titles such as German Elle, InStyle and Focus.
Driven by her enormous passion for African fabrics and interior design, she set up the company in 2009 with the mission of bringing the vibrancy of African colours and aesthetics to the luxury home-décor and accessories market.
ANGIE PARKER TEXTILES
Featured on Seasons in Colour in 2018, award winning Angie Parker is a fellow colour lover as you will see below. Her vibrant textiles derive from traditional Scandinavian rug weaving techniques. Working in reclaimed high quality rug wool, Angie meticulously hand-weaves and finishes all the pieces herself on her Glimakra Floor loom at BV Studios in Bristol.
JACQUELINE JAMES
With her work already in public and private collections in the UK and North America, Jacqueline James is the recipient of multiple awards and has had commissions for Westminster Abbey, York Minster and The British Library.
CLAIRE GAUDION
Claire studied design at the London College of Fashion, part of University of Arts London. After her studies, she worked for a luxury fashion brand but her passion for woven textiles and the weaving process has led her on a path of founding Claire Gaudion studio.
Committed to responsible design since her beginnings, the Recycled Plastic Bottle Rug is possibly her most sustainable product to date. This collection of patterned flat weave rugs is made of repurposed plastic bottles. The collection takes its design cues from patterns seen on the surface of and under the ocean.
The Rug Seller
I love the team at The Rug Seller. They source beautiful rugs for all budgets and offer a number of paying options. It's therefore not a surprise that 95% of customers recommend them and that they feature an impressive 4.73/5 rating in over 17,600 reviews. This is truly unique!
I have worked with The Rug Seller on a number of occasions, including the Boys Bedroom in Blue and Red featuring their Block Rug, the living room makeover featuring a bold geometric rug from Plantation Rugs in purple and more recently the bedroom makeover featuring a natural fibre rug in herringbone pattern.
Above: KIDS BEDROOM MAKEOVER | LIVING ROOM MAKEOVER | ADULT BEDROOM MAKEOVER | OFFICE MAKEOVER, all using The Rug Seller area rugs, shot by Seasons in Colour.
La Redoute
La Redoute offers are well known. Running promo events throughout the year, you could get your favourite rug with up to 40% off. Be quick ! They have some pretty good designs for kids rooms too.
ACCESSORIZE
Known for its fashionable accessories range, Accessorize has in the last few years's also delved into the world of interiors. You can find their (fairly pink) designs on The Rug Seller online store. Best for: teenager rooms, young families, rental homes, small spaces.
BENUTA
Offering a great variety of rugs and free delivery, Benuta is an online rug seller with an easy to use website and well shot images of rugs. Would recommend their lighter coloured rugs, they seem to have a good variety of those that would suit a farmhouse or coastal decor.
BEUT
Beut is a curated interiors store for “life’s (beut.) iful things”. A beut product should be a statement! indeed our products should be the focal point of your space, turn heads and start conversations. We strive to ensure these statements are top quality, design-led, value for money and have choices for any interior spaces. They sell Muuto, Normann Copenhagen and Tom Dixon alongside handcrafted artisan products from designers you might not find anywhere else.
French Connection UK
FCUK have managed to create capsule interiors collections for the last 5 years and one particular rug (Poppy Field) remains a top choice for budget decor with a twist around the UK.
IKEA
They have created some of the most iconic designs for our homes, and their STOCKHOLM Rug is still a firm favourite of many interiors lovers. IKEA offer most of their designs online and have a variety of colours and sizes, always favouring budget decor.
HABITAT
Habitat updates its stick with new collections, sometimes collaborating with young talent to deliver mini capsule collections. The perfect place for good quality and budget friendly low pile and flat weave rugs.
Land of Rugs
Located in the picturesque village of Darley Abbey which is part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, Land of Rugs is situated within the renowned historic mills that were once home to a cotton industry and now serve a variety of businesses on the banks of the meandering River Derwent. Some of the rug designs they source are unique as far as I could tell (see pictures below) and are perfect for zoning in larger rooms.
KUKOON
Head to Kukoon for colourful rugs that are also suited for the outdoors. They have a large selection of washable and weatherproof rugs. An outdoors area rug can help create zones in your patio area or even hide an unsightly decking area.
WOVEN
Their philosophy is simple; good design doesn’t have to be expensive and should be available to all, irrespective of budget. This is certainly striking a chord with us here. We love the Linie Design colour block rugs (shown below), perfect for a Scandi inspired home that is looking for a little colour.
COX & COX
Inspired by Berber carpets with a shaggy pile of soft cream and a striking grey arrow pattern running its length, their monochrome rugs are sumptuous underfoot. They also offer up to 20% off to new subscribers to their newsletter, so the price is getting better !
