Carrfields’ Just Shorn® Rugs Reach Artwork Status in US

Carrfields’ Just Shorn rugs reach artwork status in the US

October 10 2017 – American interior designers have elevated humble New Zealand wool to artwork status in a recent rug design competition in San Francisco.

Carlisle, which distributes Carrfields Primary Wool (CP Wool)’s range of premium New Zealand wool carpets and rugs in North America under the Just Shorn® brand, invited designers from the California Bay Area to submit their designs for rugs that could be crafted from 100% Just Shorn® New Zealand wool.

Colin McKenzie, CP Wool Group CEO, said the results were “stunning”.

“The winning design can easily be described as a work of art for floors. We’re immensely proud that our New Zealand-grown yarn will be used to craft such a beautiful piece. All the submissions were stunning, and the competition was a great success when you consider the profile it gives New Zealand wool as a premium option for soft flooring among US interior designers.”

Participation exceeded expectations, with 26 designers contributing submissions. Designers were invited to submit an original rug design that could be crafted in a 6’ x 9’ size in a cut, loop or combination of textures. Participants were given a selection of 30 colours to create their one-of-a-kind design. A panel of judges voted on the designs, which were displayed in Carlisle’s San Francisco showroom.

The winner, James Hunter of the Wiseman Group, created ‘Michelangelo’: a smoky-brown pattern in a cut texture with loop accents.

Michelangelo will be featured in an upcoming issue of California Home + Design magazine as well as on Carlisle’s website. The rug will also be added to Carlisle’s retail collection and will grace the floors of upscale homes across North America.

Under CP Wool’s partnership with premium flooring supplier Carlisle, the Just Shorn® range of carpets and rugs is now available through six showrooms across the US following a formal launch in May this year.

Carlisle, which is well known across North America for its luxury wide plank timber flooring, recognised the potential for New Zealand wool carpet as a complementary product among its customer base, said McKenzie.

“Americans have been slow adopters of wool carpet in their homes to date. It made sense for Carlisle, which supplies the high end of the market, to offer a premium, natural soft flooring option alongside their wood product. So far the response has been great and Carlisle is now working with interior designers to put Just Shorn® carpets into the homes of customers.”

The Just Shorn® range is being produced by selected carpet and rug manufacturing partners across the US. The wool is ethically sourced from contracted CP Wool growers and naturally derived from pasture-based animals around New Zealand.

CP Wool, which is spun by NZ Yarn, gives these manufacturers an innovative product to work with, resulting in a superior end product, said McKenzie.

“We are providing yarns that showcase the beautiful unique characteristics of wool, that designers and customers love and that our competitors find difficult, if not impossible, to replicate.

“Our whole product innovation strategy is to purposely step off the commodity curve, to become global leaders in cutting-edge woollen yarn systems for carpets and rugs.”

This strategy has resulted in a product that stands apart from the rest, distributed through a supplier that is already very well known for its iconic hardwood flooring in the US, McKenzie said.

ENDS

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