Design Process
“Color is key – it transforms an environment, changes mood, creates excitement, ambience, interest and simply makes you happy. My aim is to add vibrancy, warmth and positivity into a room – this is where my passion for creating colorful, modern rugs stems from”
Sonya Winner, Founder and Creative Director
Beginnings
When I am beginning a new area rug 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.
I don’t follow trends, I think it’s really important that I do what pleases my eye rather than following particular fashions. 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.
Rug Inspiration
When designing a rug 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, Calder, Maija Isola, Bridget Reilly, Renzo Piano to name a few.
My sketch books are full of postcards, bits and pieces from magazines, screen grabs on my phone and notes and scribbles and reminders of things I find inspiring around me. Reviewing this imagery is exciting and gets me itching to start experimenting with collage, pens and paints to start the creative processes.
Concept to creation
When designing the rugs I’m always reminded that in a homogenous world, it can be a challenge to find something that stands out and adds depth and emotion to your home.
So, I create these floor rugs and wall hangings to fill a room with color, warmth and interest.
I see all rug designs as color experiments, demonstrating how colors overlay and mix often creating an illusion of transparency. It takes many hours and many versions of the design for the piece to be complete. The designs are complex combinations of color and shapes, ultimately refined into a visual simplicity that feels harmonious and complete.
Rugs Prototyping
When designing a rug 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, Calder, Maija Isola, Bridget Reilly, Renzo Piano to name a few.
My sketch books are full of postcards, bits and pieces from magazines, screen grabs on my phone and notes and scribbles and reminders of things I find inspiring around me. Reviewing this imagery is exciting and gets me itching to start experimenting with collage, pens and paints to start the creative processes.
