Give your clients a truly unique piece of handmade art for their floor
We know many architects and designers who long for the unique, original or one-of-a-kind item to be the focal point for their their design. Sharp Creative has made it its mission to find that item’s source and offer it to the A&D profession in the Northeast and we have done exactly that. We have found products that can easily become focal points in award-winning projects while making a memorable design statement for the client without requiring the use of routinely manufactured products.
Some of our products are so unique that the design professional will have to be immersed in the project from the initial inspiration to the very end. This effort will make a statement of elegance coupled with creativity that produces a superior quality, high fashion medium.
Perhaps one of the most individual, unique and rewarding mediums Sharp Creative makes available is custom carpet. What a wonderful place to center a project. It can be any shape, color, size, texture and design to complement the overall look and it will be particularly luxurious and elegant. The carpet is produced with exceptionally high quality New Zealand wool, Merino wool, 100% European silk, and 100% Upland cotton. Both area rugs or broadloom carpet are available for the discriminating taste one encounters in the finest homes and businesses in this country and around the globe.
Since 1919, Carter International Custom Carpets has been at the forefront of the trade continually adapting to the changing trends set by leading architects and designers. Boasting 342 standard colorways and with more than 200 textures available, Carter provides the design foundation one can rely on at the start of the creative process. From that foundation the designer’s creativity and imagination are the limit. Throughout this process Sharp Creative’s experts as well as the production team at Carter are there to make sure that this unique creation is of the highest quality is carefully produced and delivered on schedule and as ordered. Everything is produced in Rome, Georgia with production reports and regular updates provided as a standard service practice. It goes without saying that anyone who has created a design and has had it produced overseas has experienced the frustration and anxiety of not having immediate and direct contact with the production team. We are here to eliminate the stress and focus on the job at hand.
Russell Sharp and I had the pleasure to visit with Eugenio Barnet-Cortina, Carter’s President and owner, at his Rome production plant this past January. We were impressed with the direct oversight and total hands-on management control throughout the entire process. Mr. Barnet-Cortina’s knowledge and expertise with fibers, textures and colors imbue themselves into each masterpiece created as originally designed and ordered. This is only part of the value-added that makes Carter such a special resource you can always rely on.
The process of creating a unique, one-of-a-kind piece is really quite simple; rely on the experts at Sharp Creative and Carter for help. We have worked with design concepts and ideas inspired by everything from a gallery show or a Florentine paper design to fully inspired renderings and CAD drawings. There were many times we have been invited into a project during the inspiration phase (which, by the way, is the best time) so both teams could absorb the full intent of the project to help the designer achieve his or her goals. Again, one should create a piece for the room or area being designed rather than providing the client with a piece that happens to fit from the inventory on a shelf.
The design of a one-of -a-kind artistic area rug should be imagined at the inspiration phase of a project. The creative inspiration can take root by clicking through the existing portfolio of individual carpets and whole collections that are featured on Carter’s website. They also have an awesome Facebook presence of their latest efforts. To help simplify the process we also have actual carpet samples demonstrating the textures and color choices available at our showroom.
The broadloom availability of Carter custom wools should not be overlooked. This is a dynamic option since the company can produce virtually any size roll up to seventeen feet wide. Keeping in mind that dye lots can have variations, Carter yarn is produced using the highly desired “one dye lot” process throughout the project applying color to the yarn for the entire project before tufting occurs ensuring consistency throughout. Carter creates and produces these premium broadloom pieces for the prestigious domestic market as well as the commercial market.
Choosing this medium as a focal point to surround your design sends the message of respect and sustainability for natural and renewable fiber which is the hallmark of wools, silks and cottons for centuries. I know the carpet industry has, since the 1940’s, turned its focus to synthetic chemical formulations for the ease of production in mass quantity and earning its share of the commodity market. The concept of premium quality hand-built carpet I write about does not and will not attempt to replace mass production since that is a sheep of a different color!
Word of the Week
Wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other animals including cashmere and mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen and angora from rabbits. What distinguishes wool from hair or fur is that it is crimped and elastic. New Zealand produces about 11% of the world’s wool but 50% of it comes directly from the farmer. One interesting fact is that wool ignites at a higher temperature than cotton and some synthetic fibers which is why wool is usually specified for high safety environments such as trains and aircraft.
