Sonya Winner

Vibrant, Contemporary Rugs

Sonya Winner creates exceptional rugs that are graphic, vibrant, colorful and highly original. Her AFter Matiise rug caused a sensation when it first went on sale, and was promptly shortlisted for an Elle Decoration award. It has been a favourite with discerning buyers, interior decorators, stylists and celebrities internationally ever since and has been sold in over 30 countries worldwide.

Described by style bible Wallpaper* magazine as ‘Matisse like’Sonya’s rugs showcase her rare talent for colour blending. Her design process involves layering colors and textures by hand to create something truly unique, that her many fans consider to be as much works of art as rugs and wall hangings. Her iconic designs have been featured in over 300 international publications and numerous blogs and web magazines.

Sonya designs and creates the rugs in her London studio with her small team, working on a number of new designs each year, in addition to limited edition series, and bespoke commissions for area rugs. She is delighted to have been nominated for The Homes & Gardens Awards, The German Design Awards, Red Dot Awards and was awarded "Top Pick" at the Architectural Digest show New York by the American Society of Interior Decorators.

“ I’m fascinated by exploring the design possibilities of knotting and tufting with wool. There are so many ways to create original pieces working with juxtapositioning colours, texture, pile height, weaving techniques, yarn type and the overall shape of the design – it’s a very exciting medium”

The Design Process

Beginning a design

I find a calm place and put on some peaceful jazz and immerse myself in my library and sketch books full of ideas I've jotted down. This helps to eliminate all other distractions and allows the creativity to flow. Disturb me at your peril at that time!

The inspiration

When I am designing I like to be playful and spontaneous and not restricted by convention. I am inspired by many artists and designers but particularly love Matisse, Henri Moore, Vivianna Torun Bulow-Hube, Karim Rashid, Maija Isola and her Marimekko fabrics, Bridget Reilly, Renzo Piano, Thomas Heatherwick and Ron Arad. I am a big fan of the Contemporary Arts Society and enjoy their talks and tours that take you to lesser known galleries and art spaces throughout London to meet artists/makers and curators.

I have a library of inspiration that I love adding to. I keep a camera and sketch book close to hand adding postcards, bits and pieces from magazines and notes and scribbles of things I find inspiring around me.

Trends

I think it’s really important that I do what pleases my eye rather than following particular fashions. My designs are evolving and growing. Everything I create has to feel right, I believe that you have to be true to yourself as an artist. I want to create pieces that are timeless, rather than pinned to a particular season or fashion.

How the rugs work

My rugs often are the focal point but the great thing about a bespoke rug is that you can incorporate the colours and design elements of the room into the rug which then harmonises and makes the room complete.

The vibrant rugs from my collection are often chosen as focal points to lift and add interest to more neutral homes. I will always advise clients on the right size and specification so that the rug adds cohesion to the room and satisfies the clients’ needs.

Rugs can tell a story and I find that many of my clients like to have different rugs for different rooms – they can match but be different, for example in a double length reception room two rugs will reflect the separate functions of the room. Under a dining table you would tend to choose a different colour palette than in front of an area with sofa and armchairs. The theme in the pattern of two rugs with in one large multi functional room can repeat or be a progression from one rug to the next and this works to great effect.

Manufacturing

All our rugs are handmade which means all processes involved in manufacturing the carpet are done manually - we believe that this adds another layer of beauty to the final product and also means each piece is never identical to another.

Yarn Preparation

Wool yarn is the main material for the majority of our carpets: New Zealand and Tibetan wool. Depending on the design we also use silk. Once the wool has been sorted by hand it is then washed and dried removing impurities. It is then carded and spun using a hand wheel. The wool is spun into coarse or fine yarn - the finer yarns are used for higher knotted carpets.

The dye master then prepares the dyes for the yarn using Swiss dyes to achieve the vibrant colours we like to use (these dyes are free from Azo-based compounds that can be harmful to human skin). After the yarn is dyed and dried in the sun, it is spooled into balls which are then ready to be woven.

Manufacturing

We use 2 different types of manufacturing processes: hand knotting and hand tufting. For both processes a graph of the design is produced on squared paper so the weaver(s) have a detailed plan of the design to follow.

Hand Knotting

Once the yarn and graph are ready, cotton threads are vertically warped in the loom to provide the base over which the carpet is woven. The length of warp is adjusted to the desired length of the carpet. The rug is woven on wooden looms based on the size of the final piece. The yarn is woven / knotted around cotton threads stretched horizontally and vertically across frames.

Hand knotting is typically done at 100 knots per inch and each day 1 weaver will weave 10cm on a 1m stretch of the loom - so a 2m rug will have 2 people working on it and a 3m rug requires 3 weavers.

Finishing

After the carpet has been woven the front-side of the rug is cut with giant scissors to the correct tuft height specified. Designs and patterns can be carved into the woven carpets with scissors by expert hands. The smoothing of different pile heights according to the design is also done during this stage. Trimming smooths the surface of the rug and accentuates the design. The trimmed rug is then washed using Himalayan water to wash off small scrap fibres and enhance the colours.

The rugs are then dried on the roof tops in the sun. The dried rugs then have to be stretched to bring them back to the specified size. Stretching of the carpet also removes shrinkage and twisting that results from the process of washing and drying the rugs helps straighten the corners.

Our rugs are washed with chemical-free eco-friendly washing techniques to avoid irritation to human skin once the rug reaches the customer. All rugs are washed with natural spring water under tight supervision to maintain the quality of our rugs this brighten the colors and brings out the shine in the fibres.

Hand Tufting

This is a quicker method of rug production by hand and is now often used for modern and contemporary designs. This method uses a hand held tufting tool that is loaded with yarn which is woven into the canvas backing of the rug to create the design.

Once the design is completely woven the rug has a jute backing attached by adhesive. The rug is then hand carved using the same techniques as the knotted rugs described above.

Ethics

On our last trip to Nepal we visited the Helpless Children's School which is a residential orphanage caring for 9 children aged from 2 years old upwards. These children have become orphans due to the recent political troubles in Nepal. We were overwhelmed by the positive spirit of these wonderful children - their smiling faces were so bright and welcoming. Mrs Laxmi Heera Tuladhar showed us around the school she created and we are proud now to support her fantastic work by giving a percentage of every rug we sell from Nepal to the Helpless Children's School. With this donation we hope to help ensure the school can plan confidently for the future to have the funding to accept more children and extend and improve their facilities.