This year marks the first Domotex has publicly announced the finalists of the Carpet Design Awards (CDA) prior to the actual show. In years previous the finalists were notified – so that they could obviously ship their rugs and carpets to the show – but were politely asked to keep the details of their involvement undisclosed. This was met with varying degrees of success mostly leaning toward the unsuccessful for it seemed everyone knew who and what was going to be there, at least when I was a finalist. Regardless, we welcome the change for it gives us a chance to fancy ourselves judges in our own mind, lauding critically the so called Un-Official Selections of the 2016 Domotex Carpet Design Awards.
These selections are based solely on images and descriptions of the carpets as provided to us by the entrants by way of Domotex. These ‘selections’ – which I am in no way describing as ‘winners’ – are the ones I would select (from the three choices) were I a judge of the Carpet Design Awards and reflect my subjective opinion. Please, by all means, feel free to disagree. As a point of contention however it should be noted that several of our non-selected carpets were disqualified carte blanche because the images provided were renderings, not actual photographs. I adamantly disagree with Domotex allowing submissions based on renderings. This is akin to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences allowing Oscar nominations based on trailers as opposed to finished films and I find it lessens the prestige one wants to associate with any award of high repute. But enough of that. Without further adieu, we present selections and commentary on the Domotex Carpet Design Awards.
Best Modern Collection
The Ruggist Un-Official Selection: Wool and Silk. I have long been attracted to and maintained my interest in the carpets of Erbil Tezcan. Certainly his willingness to use colour plays a part, as does his love of an inviting hand, but the enduring attraction is that just before you get tired of his work, he presents something new and refreshing. Though this particular carpet bears resemblance with some of his past work, it still outshines the competition in terms of colour and composition.
‘Free Verse Collection’ – Jaipur
Just think of all the ironing you would have to do with this carpet on your floor? Seriously though, there is a lovely ‘alpine’ feel about this piece, but is not so much design as it is literal translation. |
‘Origami Collection’ – Ayka Design
The textural design elements of this carpet are quite stunning providing a wispy shag like contrast to the field pile, but it also reminds me of the work of another designer I first saw in 2006 at NORS in Atlanta. |
Best Modern Design – Deluxe
‘Electric Taupe’ – Hossein Rezvani
I genuinely enjoy the carpets and approach to modern carpet making of Hossein Rezvani but I feel this carpet is not one of his more striking pieces. Had something like this been a finalist, the results would have varied, and we would be talking about stunning ‘yellow diamonds’. |
‘Taittu’ – Jaipur
It’s somewhat disappointing to see several carpets in the finals that are little more than, as I said about Jaipur’s other entry, literal translations. Perhaps this is related to my love/hate relationship with photorealism, but I fail to see the ‘design’ in this piece, even if the professed intent was the play between artist and machine. |
Best Modern Design – Superior
‘Ottoman Collection’ – Wool and Silk
As noted immediately above, this was the other strong contender in this category. I love the design elements and find the structure most appealing. At the same time, I find the colour palette a bit staid for a transitional collection. |
‘Sumak Special’ – Theo Keller
This is a mixed height soumak construction made entirely of silk that – according to the description – utilizes a dying technique imparting ‘hundreds’ of colours to the piece. That being said, I find the rigidity and regularity of the design a bit strong for my own taste. |
Best Transitional Design
‘Reflection’ – Choudhary Exports
If we are to define transitional as a style that bridges what we class as traditional with the modern, we should expect a blending of elements, colours, techniques, et cetera in such carpets. Sometimes we try to blend too many things and it ends up looking discombobulated. |
‘Secret Garden’ – Naziri
Honestly, I really wish this carpet had not been up against ‘Persy’ for it would have been selected in the other’s absence. That notwithstanding, the traditional tree motifs paired with the strong graphic chevron bands are very visually stimulating. If I could pick two (2) I would! |
Best Traditional Design

‘Oushak’ – Ozken Hali
There is no fault that can be found in this stunning, and we are to presume, exceptionally well made carpet. The colours are magnificent as is the symmetry, but at the end of the day it remains a carpet too rigidly adhering to the tradition of traditional for my current favour. |
‘Suzani’ – Wool and Silk
Now for the real irony in this category. Given the three (3) to choose for my own home, this is the one (1) I would take. I love, love, love the paisley border, the petit dot like elements, and the colour palette reminds me of growing up in Ohio. |
Best Studio Carpet
‘Re Orient’ – Studio Brieditis & Evans
It’s cute, it’s playful, it’s fun, it’s crocheted, but I’m not certain it has much merit outside of an overly artistic interpretation of a rug. Rugs and carpets must maintain function for it is their nature, and I worry such a construction would not.
|
‘Re Rag Rug Squeeze Me Hold Me’ – Studio Brieditis & Evans
It’s cute, it’s playful, it’s fun, it’s made of jersey knit cotton, but I’m not certain it has much merit outside of an overly artistic interpretation of a rug. Rugs and carpets must maintain function for it is their nature, and I worry such a construction would not. |
Best Innovation
‘Canvas’ – Papilio
Made of recycled army tents and sewn together with a decorative leather stitch, this carpet, and I’m quoting, ‘honours loved ones who lost their lives during the war.’ Uuuughhgh. Emotional pleas aside, recycling, or repurposing if you’d rather, is not new, nor in my opinion, should it even be in contention considering it won another award in 2014. Innovation is tied to time, and even if it was innovative in 2014 (it wasn’t) it most certainly is not now.
|
‘Stereogram’ – THIBAULT VAN RENNE
This carpet claims (we’ve not yet seen it in person to verify) to duplicate the stereogram effect that gives the perception of three (3) dimensional depth to an otherwise two (2) dimensional object. You may be familiar with the concept from those schlocky posters that were available in malls throughout America in the early nineties. If this works, it will add an interesting, if not novel, element to carpet design. I hesitate to call it innovative however as it is merely an extreme extension of skilled weaving and computer aided design. |