Tied Up

Rugs have a way of reflecting the cultural history of their makers while at once grounding those treading across their present. The second release from Campbell-Rey and Stockholm’s Nordic Knots embodies this with  three minimalist, geometric patterns that draw on influences from across Northern Europe. 

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“We loved the idea that we were the sort of colorful, eccentric cousin within their family of rug,” says Charlotte Rey of the contrast between her London-based design firm’s color- and texture-forward designs and Nordic Knots’ relatively conservative palette.

For the brands’ first collaboration, which came out in 2022, the creatives looked back to, among other things, Sweden’s Gustavian era, dating from the late-18th to early-19th century. Circumscribed by the reigns of Kings Gustav III and Gustav IV, the period coincides with a pronounced foray into Neoclassical aesthetics in the region. This time around, a trio of new rugs pull from diverging pockets of cultural narrative. There’s Garden Maze, which echoes the geometric hedges often realized by esteemed British gardener Russell Page. The rug puts forth the illusion of gridded, recessed squares with varied blue hues to mimic light and shadow. Folding Ribbon, meanwhile, displays four horizontal rows of zig-zagging lines, with the “ribbons” in burnt orange and the backdrop in a rich red—with the pattern harkening to Gustavian-era decor, flush with ribbon motifs. The third design, Climbing Vine, takes inspiration from the Hotel Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole, Italy. Suffuse with old-world luxury, the property has long attracted stars from Sophia Loren to Charlize Theron. With an olive-green backdrop, the rug features a rectangular wreath of vines, bringing to mind the natural setting of the hotel, nestled on a cliffside overlooking the Mediterranean.

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Asked what he’d imagine might be the ideal settings for the rugs, Duncan Campbell reflects that there’s no “right or wrong” placement. “One of the most satisfying things about being a designer is that you create something and you put it out into the world, and then people buy it, take it home and make it completely their own,” he says, adding that he’s seen the rugs placed everywhere from Milanese apartments to Swiss chalets. “We love seeing people’s creativity come out in how they put together a room with them.”

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‍Campbell-Rey and Nordic Knots's new collection is available online now.