‘I draw badly, and I used that as my initial starting point.’ London-based Philippe Malouin has turned his weakness into a rug pattern for cc-tapis – his first two-dimensional product design. ‘I actually had a very functional approach when it came to my requirements for a rug. I wanted it to be comfortable like a pile rug, yet, be architecturally sound like a flat weave.’
Malouin’s idiosyncrasies is was what drew cc-tapis’ art director Daniele Lora to his work, especially when she was planning for the Milan-based brand’s 2020 collection. ‘I immediately thought that his style could play a strong part of what we had in mind.’ For the Lines rug, Malouin took this wobbly sketching of straight lines further by using wax crayons to accentuate the flaws – ‘it also left an irregular deposition of pigment onto a clean page of paper’.
When taken off paper, the artwork is identifiable through the distorted pattern and colours that fluctuate in tone – an effect which Malouin says was hard to achieve when translated to wool. ‘This was ingeniously solved by Daniele Lora by coming up with the idea of dip-dying bunched wool yarn before knotting it,’ he says.
This nifty dying technique for the Himalayan wool was paired with Tibetan craftsmanship that takes place in the production facility in Nepal in a performance of trial and error – ‘rather than printing lines we wanted to have a more natural and imprecise effect that came after many trials of dyeing the raw material and that could only be achieved through hand-knotting.’
The Lines rug is part of cc-tapis’ digital launch of Gesture – a project that looks at ‘how the motion of hands and tools can quietly lead the creative process, creating entirely new aesthetic languages.’ In addition to Malouin, Lora and the team invited Sabine Marcelis, Mae Engelgeer, Yuri Himuro and Patricia Urquiola to realise designs too.
‘We always start by making things,’ Malouin explains of his creative operations. Lines has a process full of glitches and abnormalities, which would usually be tossed away, but here they were turned into something beautiful and functional.
Watch Philippe Malouin take us through the process
INFORMATION
-
Find yourself at Six Senses Kyoto, the brand's breathtaking Japan debutSix Senses Kyoto opens its doors boasting tranquil, luxurious interiors by Blink Design Group
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
-
Artist Mickalene Thomas wrestles with notions of Black beauty, female empowerment and love'Mickalene Thomas: All About Love’, a touring exhibition, considers Black female representation
-
RH takes over historical Aynho Park, UKAynho Park becomes American furniture brand RH’s first destination outside the US, a new venture that merges architectural history and hospitality
-
A lamp for Millennials and Gen Z: Philippe Malouin’s lighting debut for FlosAt Euroluce 2023, Flos unveils ‘Bilboquet’ by Philippe Malouin, a new table lamp that marks the London-based designer’s debut with the lighting brand
-
Chatsworth House design exhibition explores contemporary design themes in an eclectic setting‘Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth House’ (18 March – 1 October 2023) offers a novel point of view on the house's interiors and contemporary design, through a series of works by some of today’s most celebrated designers
-
Brexit and the design industry: ‘It’s hampering creativity’Three years after Brexit, we asked designers, design entrepreneurs and representatives of British design organisations how the withdrawal from the European Union has affected the design industry
-
PAD London celebrates the past and present of collectible designPAD London (until 16 October 2022) returns for a new edition presenting historical and collectible design
-
Carpenters Workshop Gallery opens in Ladbroke HallThe new west London location includes gallery space as well as a restaurant, a hidden garden and events spaces, and makes its debut with displays of works by David Adjaye and Jose Zanine Caldas
-
Made in London dives into the city’s rich collection of 21st-century factoriesMade in London is a photographic journey through the capital’s surprisingly rich and diverse manufacturing scene, capturing everything from aircraft interiors to cardboard boxes, and everything in between
-
Park benches in unexpected materials nod to Scottish landscapeFive designers breathe new life into the traditional park bench as part of a project with Design Exhibition Scotland (until 15 October 2022)
