Sonya Winner: The Story – Extracts from an Interview

Your family seems to have been filled with creative minds. Growing up, did you always think that you’d like to be part of the art and design world?

From an early age, I was always interested in design. My grandfather was a printer; he was at the forefront of colour printing technology. He set up a printing company called Chromoworks, specialising in colour printing technology. My father was a creative thinker in business and also an accomplished artist, and my mother is musical—a very accomplished pianist. I was not particularly academic at school and now realise I am quite dyslexic, but art was one of the few subjects that I enjoyed and excelled at.

My dad always encouraged me to keep being creative—we used to go sketching on Saturdays. We would sit by the River Thames and paint together on Saturday mornings. We’d have a fold-up stool that we’d take with us, our watercolour paint box, and our sketchpads. We would sit together, sketch, paint, and chat to passers-by. That was one of my favourite times of the week! Afterwards, we would go for a delicious piece of cake and hot chocolate.

You’ve spent some years before the rug business working across different design industries. What have been some of your highlights?

I studied graphic design. To start with, I was very interested in packaging design—designing logos, brochures, and promotional materials. Using the language of design to communicate with people was fascinating to me, which is why I chose to study graphic design rather than become an artist. I wanted to solve communication problems through visual cues—i.e., design!

After finishing my degree, I worked at a graphic design company, but I was quickly offered projects of my own. So I bought one of the first Apple Mac computers and set up my own little business in my bedroom. I was in my early 20s. I quickly became busy and soon had a couple of helpers working from my bedroom studio too!

We worked on a variety of different projects, including designing board games, creating brochures for Credit Suisse First Boston, and designing logos for theatre companies and record labels. The variety of the work was very interesting—each project was a new challenge.

I also had some ideas for books, which I developed and sold to publishing houses. These were fun and creative projects that I really enjoyed. These books were my first products that were available for sale.

In the early 2000s, I became interested in digital photography, which was just starting to emerge. I set up a photographic studio in my home and bought a very large printer that could take rolls of canvas measuring 1 metre wide by 20 metres long. I started a portrait photography business.

One day, my neighbour invited me to go horse riding. I had set up my camera to take advantage of the early morning light to photograph some flowers. I left the camera set up on a tripod and went riding with my neighbour—but I didn’t return for six weeks! I had fallen from the horse, broken my back, and fractured my wrist in six places. I was unable to move from my hospital bed for five weeks. That was the end of my photography business.

Just before the horse-riding accident, my friend Ruth invited me—alongside 39 other designers—to design a rug for her modern furniture showroom, celebrating their 40th birthday. During my recovery, my rug was launched, along with all the other designers’ rugs, in their exhibition. To my surprise, my rug design was shortlisted for an award by Elle Decoration magazine and subsequently featured in press articles worldwide!

The recognition my first rug received gave me the encouragement I needed to start designing more rugs—and before I knew it, I had started a business designing rugs!

What captivated me about rug design was the endless creative possibilities. There are no limits to the shapes, colours, yarns, and pile heights you can play with. I was very bold in my approach because I had nothing to lose. At the time, I was in a dark place, and while much of the interiors world was focused on greys and beiges (a trend known as “greige”), I turned to colour to lift my spirits—and found that others responded to it too.

So, following the initial success of that first rug, I decided to launch a new business designing a collection of rugs and selling them online. In the first year, I exhibited at the London Design Festival. As a result of the publicity surrounding the exhibition, we had 450,000 visitors to our website in a single day, generating enquiries from all over the world—and from that point on, a real business was born.

After so many enquiries came in from your first design, did you think your business would be a success?

I didn’t really know what I was doing at first. I only had a few sample pieces made and no rug stock to sell—even though I already had customers wanting to buy them. So, I set off to India to meet with weavers and discuss how to bring my rug designs to life.

Initially, it was a real challenge. The weavers wouldn’t make the rugs to match the samples. They said the designs were too complicated—too many colours, irregular shapes. But eventually, I found a small group of weavers who were willing to produce rugs that matched the samples. Over the years, this has grown into a close collaboration, built on learning and mutual support.

I didn’t know if the business was going to be a success. I was working from my spare bedroom and wasn’t sure whether people would be bold enough to buy these really bright, vibrant designs for their interiors. But I’ve been thrilled to discover that people all around the world relate to my designs—the shapes and colours have created the emotional response I originally set out to achieve!

I get an enormous amount of satisfaction from the feedback I receive. Over time, a colour-loving community has grown around me, which is incredibly exciting. We love sharing the things that inspire us—whether it’s art we admire, niche creators we’ve discovered, or home pieces that complement our vibrant rugs—with our customers and followers.

Tell us about your studio space and have you always had a clear vision of what you wanted your studio to be?

I really believe that if you work out how you want to live your life, you can make your dream a reality! I realised I wanted to work close to home but didn’t want to work from my home anymore. So, I decided to sell my home and downsize so I could have both a home and a showroom/studio space.

First, I found a new home and—as if by magic—soon afterwards an ideal showroom space became available just a few minutes’ walk away! With much perseverance, I was able to acquire the space and immediately set about designing it to suit the rug business I had developed while working from home. I wanted to create a practical, inspiring space that also felt home-like and cosy.

The space was big enough to include a large kitchen (I’m passionate about artisanal food), and I love inviting guests, customers, and friends to join us for a snack and a drink here.

I also always wanted to have a curated selection of other designers whose work is handmade and produced in small batches. This showroom space was ideal for that too. I enlisted my friend, Stella Dourtme, who works for Zaha Hadid’s architectural practice, to help me design the space.

I’ve realised a dream in creating this space—to work with my small team and invite our customers to see our rugs in person. It took two years to design and renovate the space into a modern yet cosy gallery, showcasing our rugs alongside a selection of jewellery, glass art, and ceramics.

We have a beautiful central fireplace that helps customers imagine how our rugs would look in a home setting. The showroom has now become a design destination in North West London!

Have you faced any difficulties being a female entrepreneur in a male-led world? What would be your advice to other women who also want to start their own creative business? 

I experienced a lot of challenges as a female entrepreneur—even trying to obtain the showroom was difficult, as the property world is very male-dominated. I realised, after many unsuccessful attempts to find a home for the business, that the only way to get the property I wanted was to have a man represent me!

There have been many times when I felt like giving up—but success isn’t a linear process. I’ve discovered that if you keep taking small steps in the right direction, they begin to compound and gain momentum, and suddenly you find yourself in the place you were aiming for.

Along this journey, I’ve met many other women entrepreneurs. There are some wonderful communities out there that support each other through the challenges of growing a business. Seeing inspiring women fight and succeed is incredibly motivating—and it’s so important that we continue to help one another.

Just in general, what makes Sonya Winner Rugs so special?

I think it’s the passion and the work that goes into the design. Some of the designs take three to four weeks before I’m truly happy with them. I always like to start working with my hands—collage, pens, paint, etc.—rather than on a computer. I play around and observe how colours interact, how they mix, how they overlay and create new shades on top of one another. Colours reveal themselves to me and teach me more every time I experiment with creating a new design.

I find colour fascinating—I never tire of it. I believe there is an alchemy in these rug designs. It’s like perfecting a recipe: when you get a cheesecake recipe that’s just right, you know it. It’s about achieving that perfect balance—where it’s not too much, not too little, just the right amount. I can’t stop fiddling with a design until I’m totally happy with it—and that takes a lot of time. That’s just the way I’m wired.

Alongside the design process is the intricate work of our artisan weavers, which makes the rugs truly special. They translate a flat design plan into a beautiful, three-dimensional object that people can enjoy in their homes. The weaving of our rugs is done in rural communities in India and is based on centuries-old traditions.

I strongly advocate for ethical trading, which is why we are a member of GoodWeave, an organisation committed to eliminating child labour, improving working conditions for adult weavers, and developing educational programmes for women in rural communities. Every rug you buy contributes to the GoodWeave ethical programme, supporting rural weaving communities and their future.