B
espoke rugs of Jennifer Manners is all for rugs and everything they entail. Carving out a unique pace for herself in this niche, the former international news journalist started this company after having created herself a piece suited to her own preferences as she couldn’t find anything as eclectic as she desired.
While she had been hunting for that perfect rug for one of her interior designs she couldn't find anything that convinced her enough and she stumbled upon this idea of creating herself her own rug. So she scoured places to find the most skilled artisans around the world to earn herself the satisfaction of having created the perfect rug suited to her space. This strange journey led her to starting her own business and thus Bespoke Rugs was launched in 2011.
The company boasts of a new line, that offers rugs modifiable in color and size, but also embraces purely bespoke rug commissions which have taken place in the US, the UK and the Middle East. To give her passion a professional rock solid stance, Manners trained in interior design after completing her career in international journalism.
Her background can be seen reflected in her works, as there are glimpses of culture, language and traditions from all over the world in her designs.While there are African tribal patterns as well as a certain Islamic geometry adorning her work, there are South American and South East Asian bright colours projecting a playful facade ,juxtaposed with more neutral and subtle designs.
Skilled artisans from India and Nepal have been employed to instill beauty and precise craftsmanship in the works, done using the finest New Zealand amd Himalayan wools. Back home Manners designs her rugs in her South West London studio where the best of her innovative ideas come to life.
Manners says she likes jotting down all kinds of ideas, even the mad ones, and utilize her bizzare creative instincts to the maximum. She loves making a piece by collaborating well with the individual who commissions the rugs, because the personal style and aesthetic of the individual mingles into the design making it unique and special. For a purely bespoke version, she can get inspired from anything from a carving in the wood to an etching in glass to a painting.
Her clintele incorporate all kinds, from trade to private, but she loves working with the trade ones because they know exactly what they want, and the process gets smoothened out for quick and easy completion.
Working with an individual on the other hand is a tougher road, for her but regardless, a more rewarding one. An individual who is going to put up with that piece at his home will explain what he wants in deep and precise details as he is emotionally invested in the piece and cares a lot more, and is going to be affected great bounds if anything were to go wrong. So the process gets much more complicated and intimate. But she enjoys it nonetheless as sometimes the clients give great suggestions which she and her team might not have even thought of, and she likes to know others' perspectives. She says her team keeps exchanging pictures of the rug into weaving with the client and it becomes a completely stellar, emotional journey all in all, for herself as well as the team and the clients.
