Next guest of RotaGiorgino’s In Conversation with... series continues with Esti Barnes, an international multiple award-winning rug designer and owner of Topfloor rugs.
Esti Barnes receiving an award for Best New Product , Decorex 2000, from the Countess of Wessex
RG: How do you relate to designers during the development process of a product or project?
EB: We work hand in hand with our designer clients from a to z during the projects.
With the synergy we build with our clients, we establish the ideal relationship, I listen to their needs and they trust my judgements .
As a result, the project goes very smoothly, all the way from the design selection to completion.
We regularly get thank you emails, comments and even hand-written notes from them which results in loyal clients that keep returning and it is very motivating and very rewarding!
One of the many ‘Thank you notes’ that Esti Barnes usually receive
RG: A unique and original aspect that characterise your brand?
EB: For us, being unique and authentic is crucial, as there are many of us in the market.
We won many awards for our hand-sculpted rugs (e.g. ‘Esquire’- best product award both in New York and in London) over the years.
Then we added very gradual water colour-quality colour gradation into our hand-tufted and hand-knotted rugs, both of which were very innovative.
We are also well-known for our wide variety of textures in different materials and weaves. We are constantly on the look out for novelty, be it yarns, types of weaves, new constructions and combinations of these.
Lately, we started to collaborate with artists and came up with beautiful rug collections such as ‘the script collection’ based on the works of calligraphy artist Hassan Massoudy and the ‘muse collection’ based on the abstract art of Nicolas Galtier.
We now have a new collection in the making with an American artist which is very different from anything we made before.
‘Esquire Evolution’ rug detail
RG: How important is craftsmanship for your studio?
EB: We have long-standing relationships with very talented weavers. I am passionate about texture and without their help, it would not be possible to realize them.
We create dreams and concepts some of which cannot be drawn on paper or explained with words. Sometimes we need to make models; sometimes we make 5-6 samples or even more before we go into producing our prototype. When I believe in a design, I don’t give up, I push the boundaries but the result is usually well worth the effort.
Sometimes there are nice surprises: in the process of developing our award-winning ‘Esquire’ rug, we came up with another design we called ‘Everest’ that has been as successful.
‘Ethereal’ corner detail-rug-craftsmanship
‘Pavee Dusk’ rug detail
RG: What do you think of when you hear the word “Design”?
EB: ‘Design’ adds a new dimension to the world; it’s aesthetic, it’s artistic, it’s colourful, it’s innovative and it is avant garde!
It is what makes the world more attractive.
It is making everyday objects appealing to the eye, as well as being functional.
When I purchase goods for myself or for the house, my priority has always been their shape, colour and how they look rather then how they function.
‘Design’ is very important to me.
‘Emmenthal’ rug in place in a luxury apartment in New York
RG: Who do you think of when you hear the word design?
EB: Mariano Fortuny, Rene Lalique, Martin Margiela, Phillippe Stark, Marcel Wanders to name but a few!
These are designers that left and will leave a mark in the world by making it more colourful and more exciting.
Mariano Fortuny’s iconic design Delphos gown
Mariano Fortuny’s Pendant Lamps
See more amazing pieces by Esti Barnes following the links here below:
© All images copyright of Esti Barnes unless otherwise specified
© RotaGiorgino – Interior Designers and Architects in London – Luxembourg – Milan
