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ABC CARPET & HOME INTRODUCES LUKE IRWIN'S LUXURIOUS MOSAIC COLLECTION
ABC Carpet's Graham Head and Luke Irwin celebrate the debut of the Mosaic by Luke Irwin collection at the renowned New York retailer's 6th floor rug department.
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NEW YORK-- Elevating rug weaving to new levels of artistry, ABC Carpet & Home's vice chairman Graham Head introduced guests to the Mosaic collection by Luke Irwin -- and to the U.K.- based rug designer and bespoke carpet maker himself -- at the renowned retailer's recent launch party celebrating the line's arrival.
The intricate one-of-a-kind collection was inspired by the Deverill Villa, discovered in an ancient archaeological site at Irwin's country estate outside of Bath, England, where workers initially unearthed an elaborate Roman mosaic under an out-building adjacent to his home.
"It's ridiculous," said Irwin, at the ABC Carpet & Home opening reception, "that 20 yards from your front door when you design rugs, which are the mosaics of today, you find a 2,000-year-old luxury floor design."
To detail the discovery of the ancient Roman ruins, Irwin composed a video taking viewers behind the scenes of the unearthing of the Deverill Villa (and the basket-weave mosaic) that launched the collaboration with ABC Carpet & Home,
to view the video click here.
ABC Carpet & Home debuts Mosaic by Luke Irwin's Deverill design (pictured above and below) based on the original Roman mosaic unearthed on Irwin's estate near Bath, England.
The collection, which includes 17 one-of-a-kind designs, however, is not a simple portrayal of classic Roman mosaics. Rather it attempts to recast this ancient symbol of luxury for modern interiors.
At the event Head told RugNews.com, "It is amazing how technically well done the collection is. Mosaics were something that were lost in history but now get recreated in an art form that is extraordinary, It probably took longer to make this rug than the original mosaics Irwin found."
ABC Carpet's Graham Head, center, and Zollanvari's Sanjay Purohit, left, at the New York home furnishings emporium's unveiling of Mosaic by Luke Irwin, a long-time friend.
Rugs range in price from $15,000 for a 7'11" x 9'10" to $25,300 10' 1" x 13'9". Made in India, Mosaic features "tesserae" (small stones used to create mosaics) rendered in silk and accents of wool, and utilizes oxidization as well as a hi-low effect to create a timeworn appearance.
Pictured above and below guests at the opening reception got to sip champagne and enjoy the Mosaic collection by Luke Irwin on ABC Carpet & Home 6th floor rug department.
"The mosaic cubes are made from hand-woven silk, around which are thin lines of wool," Irwin explained of the elaborate process used to create each oeuvre. "When you wash the rug in iron oxide, there's a reaction to the wool that eats it back to the warp and the weft. We plot on the design the area of distressing, and that section will be woven in wool so that, when it is washed, it gets worn away."
"If the rugs were created with no wear or aging incorporated into the design, then I think we would have slightly missed the point," Luke continued. "When you own these rugs, not only will you have something that is beautiful to look at, it should also be - if you have any form of inquisitiveness within you - something that you look at that will always make you think, hopefully on a bigger level, about our place in time and history, and of all of these things that have gone before."
The mosaic cubes of the Mosaic collection by Luke Irwin for ABC Carpet & Home feature an intricate construction that pairs silk and accents of oxidized wool for a worn effect.
Distressing and artful weaving simulate the look of ancient mosaic floors worn by age in the Claudius rug by Luke Irwin for ABC Carpet & Home.
The bespoke Mosaic collection by Luke Irwin for ABC Carpet & Home is offered in wool, silk and cashmere, and in custom color and knotting options.
The Claudius rug in red, blue and cream from Luke Irwin's Mosaic collection at ABC.