Stay on the carpet

Carpets with a look entirely of their own and yet can function in combination with others are few and far between. One reason is the way they are created: Usually, different room typologies play a subordinate role in the design of the floor coverings. The Ippolito Fleitz Group has teamed up with Object Carpet to develop a collection that is destined to support interior architects and enable the latter to enjoy far greater freedom in defining the atmosphere and purpose of differently sized surface areas – by means of the carpeting. “The collection was devised firmly with a spatial perspective in mind,” explains Tilla Goldberg, Director Product Design at the Ippolito Fleitz Group. Despite the variations in possible designs, the carpets also seem harmonious when combined: “Object Carpet x Ippolito Fleitz Group” is the name for the result of the intense collaboration and consists of eight carpets that boast such zestful names as “Move x Groove”, “Walk x Talk” or “Flow x Glow”. The monikers are intended not only to provide orientation within the collection but also to convey a joy in the textiles and encourage you to design your rooms using the large range of colors and textures. And “Object Carpet x Ippolito Fleitz Group” offers plenty of choice in this regard: Individual versions can be created from no less than 111 color tones. The spectrum extends from dynamic versions that attract the eye with many small color details, through to a homogeneous surface that discreetly sets the tone in a room without insisting it take pride of place. Moreover, respectively different haptic qualities can be chosen for the collage of carpets, from short to long pile. “In the form of the Ippolito Fleitz Group we have a partner that takes an interdisciplinary approach straddling interior design, product design and branding to dream up and realize new solutions,” says Daniel Butz, who along with Lars Engelke manages Object Carpet.

Object Carpet and the Ippolito Fleitz Group devoted a total of three years to implementing the idea. They had originally intended to present the collection by impressively displaying it in the tunnel vault a Milan’s main railway station, the Ventura Centrale, during this year’s Salone del Mobile. Similarly to the presentation at the Object Carpet plant in Krefeld, an outsized strip of carpeting was to glide softly through the vaulted space, sometimes vertical, sometimes horizontal, sometimes on the ceiling, sometimes on the floor. When the international furniture fair was cancelled owing to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, the creative partners did not see this as a reason for things to grind to a halt: The stylish collection has now been elaborately staged such as to be experienced digitally and three-dimensionally, and this includes a 360° panorama. And the photographic presentation leaves you as floored as the carpet, while you get your head round the ideas: Renowned fashion photographer Monica Menez has staged “Object Carpet x Ippolito Fleitz Group” in a series of aesthetic images, with elegantly clad protagonists interacting with the carpet against a fantastic backdrop. “Object Carpet x Ippolito Fleitz Group” is a statement – sometimes strident, sometimes quiet, entirely as the respective space or use requires. And the high-grade collection makes a clear statement in the choice of materials, too. All the carpets are made in Germany, are completely free of any harmful substances or emissions. The material is in part made of nylon thread from recycled fishing nets. At the end of their lifecycle the carpets can themselves, moreover, be completely recycled. “The collection goes down new paths, and encourages you to live on the carpets and really use them,” comments Lars Engelke.