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cc-tapis Presents an Array of New Rug Collections at Milan Design Week

04.28.23 | By
cc-tapis Presents an Array of New Rug Collections at Milan Design Week

cc-tapis, Italian producer of contemporary handmade artisan rugs, continues to collaborate with some of the best talents in design. During Milan Design Week 2023, several groundbreaking techniques and design approaches were introduced that further expand possibilities within the industry. New collaborations with Formafantasma and Objects of Common Interest, alongside 2023 collections by Patricia Urquiola and Bethan Laura Wood made their debut. There was also a site-specific installation at Chiesa di San Celso that featured the Le Arcs collection by Charlotte Perriand, finally brought to life.

three abstract shaped floor rugs

Moire, Objects of Common Interest \\\ Photo: Michele Foti \ Art Direction: Motel 409

Moiré Collection

In Moiré, Objects of Common Interest – Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis – shares its take on the natural moiré-like patterns that can be found in the grain and rings of wood, erosion, and decomposition. The collection juxtaposes the contemporary, the traditional, and the experimental through the visuals the duo observed in nature. OoCI combined these studies with three unconventional monochromatic shapes that expand in all directions, acting as an ever-evolving pattern.

three abstract shaped floor rugs

Moire, Objects of Common Interest \\\ Photo: Michele Foti \ Art Direction: Motel 409

In a first for cc-tapis, a complex two-century-old jacquard technique was brought into play that’s rarely used in rug making. The method was used to create three rug designs: Zig-zag, Splash, and Quadratic. “The three shapes are almost like cutouts of an endless landscape, frozen moments in time, samples extracted to be studied up close,” said Petaloti and Trampoukis.

The design reflects light, an effect achieved by combining wool and Tencel – a sustainable fiber which has a shine similar to silk. Jacquard weaving allows for designs which would be near impossible to create using cc-tapis’ Tibetan hand-knotting techniques, making Moiré a reality.

abstract shaped purple floor rug

Moire, Objects of Common Interest \\\ Photo: Mattia Greghi

Telegram Collection, Formafantasma \\\ Photo: Michele Foti \ Art Direction: Motel 409

Telegram Collection

Formafantasma introduces its Telegram collection of rugs, woven with personal messages chosen by the rug makers themselves. Beyond the handmade aspect, these rugs call out the individual behind the creation.

“We wanted to remove the veil between us and the makers,” said Formafantasma’s Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi. “It’s the beginning of a dialogue, instead of merely a finished product.”

Telegram Collection, Formafantasma \\\ Photo: Michele Foti \ Art Direction: Motel 409

Formafantasma posed several questions to the artisans: Where they come from, what they see out the window as they work, a favorite band, and more – which revealed personal aspects of each craft person’s life that became motifs. Using a restrained color palette, each rug represents names, places, and thoughts that each maker holds dear.

Telegram Collection, Formafantasma \\\ Photo: Mattia Greghi

colorful abstract shaped floor rug

Pipeline Collection, Patricia Urquiola \\\ Photo: Michele Foti \ Art Direction: Motel 409

Pipeline Collection

Patricia Urquiola reveals her Pipeline collection of digitally generated tubular artwork that has been transformed into artisan-made rugs and wall hangings. A series of connected tubes emerge from the surface of each rug, creating a maze of color with plenty of volume and depth. Circular shapes create movement, overlapping layers of Himalayan wool and highlighting the space outlined by the tubes.

Artisans rethought the original Pipeline designs for both horizontal and vertical applications, blurring the line between design and art. Some tubes all but grow from the surface of through pile heights!

colorful abstract shaped floor rug

Pipeline Collection, Patricia Urquiola \\\ Photo: Mattia Greghi

Pipeline Collection, Patricia Urquiola \\\ Photo: Mattia Greghi

two multicolor abstract rectangular floor rugs

Guadalupe Collection, Bethan Laura Wood \\\ Photo: Michele Foti \ Art Direction: Motel 409

Guadalupe Collection

Bethan Laura Wood debuts her Guadalupe collection, inspired by the 1974 stained-glass windows of the famed church of Our Lady of Guadalupe located in Mexico City. Using her own archive of “public patterns” collected during travels, Wood applies color, texture, symbols, and detail to capture the graphic shapes of the church’s stained-glass windows. Rhythmic and expressive, the patterns loosely resemble tradition Otomi embroidery on each hand-knotted piece made with Himalayan wool, linen, silk, and aloe.

multicolor abstract rectangular floor rug

Guadalupe Collection, Bethan Laura Wood \\\ Photo: Mattia Greghi

multicolor abstract rectangular floor rug

Guadalupe Collection, Bethan Laura Wood \\\ Photo: Mattia Greghi

striped floor rugs on display in a church

Les Arcs Collection, Charlotte Perriand \\\ Photo: Alejandro Ramirez Orozco

Les Arcs Collection

Designed by Charlotte Perriand in 1972, this collection is finally having its moment. Created for the Les Arcs ski station in the French Alps, she intended to include textile panels in the interiors, but budgetary constraints nixed the plan. After 50+ years, cc-tapis worked with custodians of the Charlotte Perriand archive to give life to the designs.

Color is the central theme, and cc-tapis was challenged in reproducing Perriand’s 12-shade palette. Each color – with the exceptions of black and white – was created by hand using an abrash dying technique. The collection of five knotted rugs were made entirely by hand in Nepal by Tibetan artisans.

striped floor rugs on display in a church

Les Arcs Collection, Charlotte Perriand \\\ Photo: Alejandro Ramirez Orozco

Presented in the San Celso church, Milan-based curator and set-designer Michela Croci, took advantage of the church inviting visitors to engage in the space from the floor to ceiling, introducing a new perspective on rugs. “My ambition was to work on a purely imaginative level, elevating the rugs from a purely domestic dimension,” Croci said.

To learn more about cc-tapis and the brand’s latest collections, visit cc-tapis.com.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.