With news of their hand-knotted wool and silk Nepalese rug Nova Platinum being nominated for a Carpet Design Award in the category of Best Modern Design, Creative Matters co-founders Donna Hastings and Carol Sebert will continue celebrating their carpet design firm’s 20th Anniversary into the New Year. Nova Platinum is a fitting selection as the carpet design was inspired by a molecular image that the Creative Matters design team exploded graphically to reflect the exuberance of life itself.
According to Domotex, the world’s most comprehensive floor coverings expo, which runs from Jan. 17 to 20, 2009, at the Deutsche Messe in Hannover, Germany, “The winners are selected by a top-flight panel of judges and the deciding factor is whether the designs excite and inspire.” The internationally distinguished prize will be awarded Sun., Jan. 18, 2009 at the trade show, which is expected to attract well over 50,000 visitors from more than 100 countries. Nova Platinum will be on display during the show as a featured rug in the Carpet Design Award display centre in Hall 15.
The nomination – the second in a row for Creative Matters – is the icing on the cake for the veteran carpet designers who officially celebrated 20 years of carpet making with a gala and retrospective gallery show, entitled Floored, in Toronto in November. “We’re thrilled to have one of our creations nominated for such a prestigious award,” says Hastings, with Sebert adding, “It couldn’t come at more exciting time for us and our team.”
The 4th annual Carpet Design Awards (CDA) are worth a total of 10,000 Euros in prize money which is given for innovative design, creativity and quality in the handmade carpet sector. According to Deutsche Messe, the show’s organizer, “The CDA are the benchmark for this industry and the place to showcase new trends.” More than 200 carpets were entered in the CDA awards, which are presented by Deutsche Messe and HALI and Modern Carpets & Textiles for Interiors (MC&T) magazines.
In addition to this latest nod, the team recently helped pull off a successful fund raiser in support of the RugMark Foundation, a US-based non-profit organization that works to end illegal child labour in the carpet industry and offer educational opportunities to children in South Asia. Through the initiative Creative Matters helped generate more than $11,000.00 for RugMark by designing, donating and raffling off a one-of-a-kind, hand-made carpet.
Established in 1988, Creative Matters Inc., designs and manufactures original rugs and floor coverings. With carpets in more than 40 countries, Creative Matters’ international clientele ranges from such high-end retailers as Gucci, Tom Ford and Louis Vuitton to hotels, corporate offices and residences including St. Regis Hotel (Mexico City), JWA Marriott Hotel (Kazakhstan), Covidian Offices (Bermuda) and Canadian diplomatic residences and embassies in more than 35 locations.