Brintons will launch the new Craigend Collection designed by long-term collaborators Timorous Beasties at Clerkenwell Design Week 2018. Taking over St Johns Square the collection will be debuted in a pop-up installation designed by Studio Shaw Architects.

Famous for their outstanding diversity of pattern, Scottish design duo Timorous Beasties will present Craigend, their third collection with Brintons. Named after Craigend Place, home of the Glasgow based Timorous Beasties studio and birth place of the designs, the collection name is also inspired by the old Gaelic word ‘Creag’, which means rock.

This commercial collection is inspired by textures and surfaces found naturally underfoot, including sand dunes, stone moss and lichen, all reimagined in the Brintons’ signature 80/20 blend of 80% wool and 20% nylon. With Craigend, Timorous Beasties have called upon their fascination with the often-brutal beauty of the natural world, as well as taking aesthetic inspiration from different crafting materials including paint, ink and fabric.

The installation at Clerkenwell Design Week will showcase a unique selection of woven carpets taken from the new Craigend Collection. Visitors will be taken on a journey through the pop-up installation, where the full-scale patterns will transport the audience into a world inspired by the textures and sights of the natural world.

The Idea:

Self-expression is not lost in the commercial flooring world – especially with custom axminster carpet.

Our designers, each creating from a particular paradigm, have their own style and methods of solving problems that are unique to the individual. This creative distinction, paired with the Brintons technology and weaving expertise, allows for our team to produce unparalleled solutions reflecting the expressions of the designer – and client.

The Project:

A piece of inspiration, in this case a Gordon Williams photograph (pictured above), was submitted to a small group of Brintons Americas designers – Amy LaGuire, Paul Andino, and Nona Thornton – with the task to simply respond to it. Just respond.

Due to the nature of the Brintons weaving capability, our designers have virtually limitless possibilities in terms of scale and repeat size. The creative team also have the freedom of utilizing the Brintons High Definition Weave technology allowing them to get their point across using thirty-two different color channels – the most advanced in the industry.

Designers worked independently for two weeks, convened for university-styled critiques, then fine-tuned their work through the lens of studio culture and peer review.

See the collection here: The Self-Expression Project, Group 1

The Response:

The result – a handful of authentic and artful designs, born directly from the brains of Brintons Americas designers, showing process and highlighting skillful self-expression.

Download the collection brochure here: The Self-Expression Project, Group 1​

“Looking back on the process – I was immediately drawn to the material nature of hanging fabric in the photograph due to my background in studying fibers. I saw the entire piece as a whole and wanted to deconstruct it like a sewing pattern by concentrating on the areas of light vs. shadow in the fabric folds."

Nona Thornton, Designer, Brintons Americas

Design: Q01/A17019ZSE

“The idea of being inspired by a photo image and designing without losing our own design aesthetic was truly powerful. Once we establish a design style and maintain that confidence with the client, the results are a continuous successful relationship. To me, this is what we aim for as carpet designers.”

Paul Andino, Senior Designer, Brintons Americas

Design: Q01/A14888ZSE

“Because of my background in interior design, I tend to look at the inspiration and work backwards with the understanding of what the end manufactured product will be – axminster carpet. The palette, based on the contemporary hospitality-appropriate colors, keeps the design versatile and applicable.”

Amy LaGuire, Designer, Brintons Americas

Design: Q01/A15577ZSE

In celebration of Blokwerk from Oren Sherman turning two this month, we've revisited five original corridor patterns. The building blocks of color; red, yellow, and blue, bring us back to the true basics of this De Stijl inspired axminster design collection.

Immersed in the widely influential waters of the De Stijl movement, Blokwerk from Oren Sherman presents a collection of carefully composed designs offering an innovative solution to corridor design. Oren Sherman brings a restrained simplicity to the world of axminster, resulting in the truly collaborative collection of elementally flexible designs.

Constructed with harmonious textures and contemporary color, Blokwerk offers a multitude of ways to balance color and shape, manage scale and proportion, turn corners, and extend perspectives.

In case you missed it – Oren Sherman shares his behind-the-scenes inspiration with Interiors+Sources. Read the article here: 'The A-Ha Moment' by Jenna Lippin.

#discoverDSO – dso.brintons.net

In the past few years we've seen a massive uptick in the use of blue acting as a neutral base for hospitality carpets. This contemporary color treatment was not forgotten in 2017 – here are some of our favorite moments from last year washed in oceans of cool moody texture.

Project: JB Duke Hotel

2017 kicked off with the grand opening of JB Duke Hotel in Durham, NC fit with 9,600 SY of custom axminster carpets and 600 SF of custom hand tufted rugs from Brintons. Inspiration for the carpet designs was drawn from fallen forest leaves, dappled light shining through a tree canopy and flowing river rock patterns which intertwine throughout the building in hues of deep blue and bronze. Read more.

Collection: Terra-Grit

In April, Brintons Americas launched Terra-Grit globally at BDwest in Los Angeles, California. The overall theme of the collection is rooted in the need for authenticity in design: utilizing hand-made textures and brushstrokes, celebrating a design's humble beginnings. Read more.

Trends: Retrospective

We ended 2017 taking a step back, slowing down, and reconnecting with our roots. After reflecting on our prolific relationship with Stacy Garcia, Retrospective was created to celebrate almost a decade of collaborative success. See the full Retrospective collection here.

Trends: Surface Tension

We see equal parts exposed aging surfaces harmonizing with the deluge of watery texture flooding the hospitality scene. For added interest, thin geometrics float in and out of these conflicting elements. See our January 2018 #discoverDSO for a collection of contrasting axminster carpet designs recolored with a moody palette of blue-grays.

January color story inspired by oceans of blue-gray texture:

#discoverDSO - dso.brintons.net