Tania Johnson
Tania Johnson, textile designer, talks about how she got into designing custom contemporary rugs.
Shore Rug in Black Ecru - Design ©TaniaJohnson
FAME: Where are you from and how did your passion for rugging start?
TJ: I was born in England but spent my childhood in Wales. Growing up, I was always drawing and creating and was very drawn to colour and texture. When I finished school, I originally planned to study fashion before deciding on a degree in Fashion Textile with Business Studies in Brighton.
In the first year, we experimented with different textile processes Print, Knit and Weave. Prior to that, I hadn’t really known much about textiles but as soon as I tried weaving, I absolutely loved it. I think it was the creative aspect combined with the technical skill required to create a textural fabric that really appealed to me. I specialised in woven textiles and went on to do a Masters at the Royal College of Art in London which in turn led to a Postgraduate placement at a weaving mill in Switzerland. It was an amazing experience and I realised how much I loved being involved in the production as well as the design of textiles.
Following this, I moved to New York which was to become my home for the next 12 years. I worked as a textile designer for Calvin Klein Home for several years, initially working on their woven and printed bedding collections. I went on to design the brand’s first rug collection in 2002 and really enjoyed it. Having been used to working on relatively small-scale repeat designs for weaving and printing, it was wonderful to work on a bigger scale and not have to worry about the constraints of a repeat. It was more like creating art which felt very free. This experience really developed my passion for innovative rug design.
FAME: When, why, and how did you start your brand/company?
TJ: After having my first child, I swapped full-time work for freelance textile design consultancy, working with a number of high-end brands in New York. While I enjoyed the freelance work, I very much missed travelling to factories and working directly with the manufacturers. I had also gradually been putting together boards of photos that I had taken over the years, all of which I imagined translating into rugs. My dream at this time was to eventually start my own business and create a beautiful product in an ethical way that would benefit the communities involved in the production.
After having my second daughter, I decided it was time to take the plunge and started the process of creating my own rug collection.
Knowing that I wanted to produce exceptionally high-quality rugs, and to be sure that they were made in a socially responsible manner, I contacted a number of factories in Nepal that were GoodWeave certified. Having had samples produced in one of my most intricate designs, I visited Nepal to meet with these factories and, based on both their ability to successfully weave the design as well as demonstrating an ethical approach to the production process, I found the manufacturer that I have worked with solely since.
I launched my debut collection of hand-knotted rugs in New York under my own label in May 2010 and have since moved back to London where I continue to run the business.
Waterlines Rug in Navy Taupe - Design ©TaniaJohnson
FAME: What is your design process?
TJ: I tend to take photos whenever I am out and have always been particularly drawn to shadows and reflections and the microscopic details found in nature. My husband noted after a holiday that some photos of our family might be nice now, and again in between textural close-ups of the ground! For me though, even though they are abstract, the photos are visual reminders of so many events and times in my life.
It wasn’t until I had been running my own company for some time that I realised how important the photography was to my design process. As more and more clients started to ask where my design ideas came from, I realised that it had never really occurred to me that almost all my designs were based on my photos.
I particularly enjoy the process of translating the photos into the rugs. As I have quite a technical weaving background, I love the challenge of retaining the intricacy of the original photo while creating a design that can be woven. I colour-reduce every photo myself and then create the weaving graph which I send to the mill for the weavers to follow. That way, I know every rug will look exactly as I want it to. Every time a rug size is changed even slightly, I need to create a completely new graph for our mill.
Rainstorm Rug in Azure - Design ©TaniaJohnson
FAME: How are the rugs made?
TJ: The majority of our rugs are hand knotted and they are all produced at the same mill in Nepal. Hand-knotted rugs are the highest quality, most durable handmade rugs and we use the finest natural materials, Tibetan wool and Chinese silk. My designs are very detailed and the rugs are extremely intricate and difficult to weave, requiring extremely skilled weavers. Our manufacturer prints out in black and white the weaving graphs that I send, they then hand-paint each color onto the graph before attaching it to the top of the loom. Every square on the graph represents a knot, which can mix up to three different colours and fibres, and the talented weavers then hand knot the design by eye, glancing up at the graph as they go.
I have worked with the same manufacturer since starting the business and have developed a very good relationship with him over the years. He understands the aesthetic and we often talk about the inspiration photos behind each rug. He told me a little while back that when the weavers first saw our ‘Waterlines’ design, they didn’t think they could weave it. It is now our bestselling rug and the weavers apparently love weaving it.
In addition to our hand-knotted rugs, we also have a range of hand-loom rugs. These are produced at the same mill and while still handmade, they are produced on a more traditional, mechanical loom which is a quicker, and therefore less expensive, process. While it is not possible to create abstract, intricate designs with handloom, it is a lovely quality for simple hand-carved, graduated and geometric designs that perfectly complement our signature hand-knotted rugs.
Rainstorm Rug in Azure - Design ©TaniaJohnson
FAME: What are 3 common misconceptions people have about rugs?
TJ: People are often scared to walk on the rugs or worry about their durability, particularly with silk. Both wool and silk are extremely strong fibres, however, and when combined with the hand knotting technique, will last generations. The wool we use in our rugs is Tibetan wool from sheep that live high in the Himalayas. The unique natural qualities that help protect the sheep in this harsh environment provide a high level of lanolin which makes the wool used in our rugs naturally durable and less likely to stain. We use Chinese silk which is a very high quality and again, being a natural fibre, it cleans well.
We have found a lot of our clients are misinformed or unclear about some of the other fibres available and the distinction between these and real silk. There are many alternative fibres such as viscose, bamboo, and ‘art’ silk – these can provide the sheen of silk but at a lower price. While we prefer not to use these fibres in our hand-knotted rugs, as they are still very labour-intensive and therefore expensive regardless, we do offer bamboo in some of our handloom rugs. We like to be very clear, however, that bamboo, as with viscose or ‘art’ silk, is not in fact a truly natural fibre and therefore does not clean well nor is it as durable as real silk.
Another misconception we have encountered a few times is people thinking that our rugs are printed because the designs are so detailed. Even when we explain that they are hand-knotted, people don’t really understand the process or understand that they are truly handmade. From the dyeing and spinning of the yarn to setting up the loom, weaving the rug before hand washing, hand trimming and hand binding the final rug – everything is done by hand!
London Rug in Gold Stone - Design ©TaniaJohnson
FAME: What do you love most about what you do?
TJ: It’s hard to know where to start as I love so much about what I do!
Creating new designs is certainly one of the things I love the most about my job. I could spend hours taking photos, it brings me real joy to spot a shadow or reflection or some aspect of nature that looks beautiful. And I love then the process of figuring out how best to translate the photos into a rug, keeping the look of the original photo while creating a design that can be produced. And probably the most exciting is unrolling the new rug once it is finished.
I also love travelling to Nepal to visit our mill. I generally visit at least once a year – each time is amazing both to view the incredible production process and see my designs being woven in person but also to have the opportunity to learn, and be immersed in, another culture. I have worked with the same manufacturer since starting the business and have got to know his family and seen his children grow up. My husband and children have also visited with me and we have spent time together as families which have really deepened my connection both to the mill and to Nepal as a whole.
Another aspect of my job that I love is working closely with our clients to provide the perfect rug. Whether it’s creating a colour palette to work with a piece of art or a design to work with furniture in the space, I love the process of developing the perfect, and individual, rug for each and every client.
Flow Rug in Blue - Design ©TaniaJohnson
FAME: Any tips you want to share with our reader on selecting rugs?
TJ: In terms of production, I would recommend checking they are ethically produced. Child labour is still widespread in countries such as India and Nepal. All of our rugs are certified by GoodWeave which for us is the best assurance that they have been produced ethically.
Using a system of spot checks, GoodWeave facilitates transparent monitoring and verification of working conditions ensuring no child labour is used and campaigning for fair wages and decent working conditions. I have visited GoodWeave’s rehabilitation centre in Kathmandu a couple of times, along with my own daughters, to run art projects with the children there. This has given me a personal insight into the work GoodWeave does and the very tangible results of rescuing children from forced labour, as while it is illegal in Nepal for children under 14 to work, many are forced to do so, some as young as five.
Rug brands may present themselves to be GoodWeave certified simply because their manufacturer is. This can be misleading as both the manufacturer and the rug supplier need to be certified to ensure the looms being used by the rug brand are being checked. GoodWeave only inspects the looms of the companies that are certified. It’s always worth seeing if a rug supplier is GoodWeave certified by checking on their website via this link: https://goodweave.org/where-to-shop/
In terms of the type of rug a client may need, there are many different possibilities. Hand-knotted rugs are the highest quality, the most durable and generally take the longest to produce - they are therefore also the most expensive. Other options are hand-tufted, handloom and flat weave – so the choice of the rug may depend on what room the rug is for, how much foot traffic it will see, what budget the client has and also perhaps how many pets and children will be hanging out on it!
Another aspect to consider is whether the rug will need to be custom. All of our rugs are completely bespoke and can be produced in any colour, size or shape.
Splash Rug in Blue - Design ©TaniaJohnson
FAME: What is next for your brand?
TJ: 2023 will be the ten-year anniversary of our Glass collection so I am working on some new designs and colours to show next year. I am at the fun part of the process where I am playing with some new photos and experimenting with different colour stories. We are planning to launch these later next year and I am excited, as always, to start developing and seeing the new colour poms and samples.
Another exciting new development we are working on is software that will allow clients to view our rugs in room settings via our website. We are currently developing this and hope it will go live early next year. We think this will really help our clients visualise better how a rug might look in a space or even in their own room setting. Watch this space….!
FAME: Anything else you would want to share with our readers?
TJ: As all of my designs are based on my photos, I thought it might be nice to share with you some of my favourite inspiration photos and the rugs they have since become!
Stupa Lines:
This design is based on a photo I took during my first visit to Nepal visit factories back in 2009. It is a close-up of the textural lines on an ancient Stupa in Kathmandu. When I went back a few months later to work on my first set of designs with our mill, I explained to my manufacturer that it was a photo of the Stupa. A few days later he took me there and asked me to show him where exactly I had taken it as he couldn’t figure it out! I love this rug design as it reminds me of my first time visiting Nepal. I didn’t know then what a big part of my life it was to become.
Ripples:
The photo behind this rug is of a lake in Central Park, New York. It shows a reflection of reeds briefly transformed into a pattern of ripples as a breeze blows over the water’s surface. This theme is something I have always loved, the idea of capturing fleeting moments in time. A pattern is momentarily created and then disappears again a second later - I have taken numerous photos like this and love that each one is just slightly different.
London:
I took the inspiration photo for this rug just after moving back to the UK after living in New York for 12 years. Much as I loved England, I was quite worried about living back in an often grey and rainy country and, I have to say, it did take a couple of years to get used to it again! However, I did love the inspiration to be found on rainy days including this photo showing a single drop of water as it makes its way down a window pane of condensation. The photo always reminds me of coming back to England after a long time away and a reminder that beauty can be found on a grey day too.
Rainy Daze:
The inspiration for this rug was taken while in a car on my way from London to Wales. It’s a trip I do frequently to visit family and the photo is reminiscent of many a family car journey when I was a child. It invariably poured with rain and I loved watching the patterns of water build up and run down the edge of the window screen as in this photo.
Winchester:
This photo reminds me of an unexpected detour to the beautiful city of Winchester following a day out at the seaside some years ago. After a sudden downpour (again, the weather…) the sun came out and this beautiful reflection of leaves fleetingly appeared in a puddle. My daughters then happily jumped in and splashed around the puddle which this rug design now always reminds me of.
