Studio Knot

Sinead and Mark Hanlon’s idea to jump from their graphic design and marketing jobs to the world of rug design began right in their own home. In fact, it all started in their children’s rooms to be exact. “We couldn’t find any decent rugs for kids so we thought, ‘We’ll make one.’ So we did,” Mark says. And, of course, one thing led to another. The children’s rugs led to a bespoke service of elegant commissions and now, with their company, Manchester, England’s Knot Collective, the couple has assembled  a growing team of more than eight fellow graphic designers to produce colorful, one-of-a-kind and limited edition rugs for art- and justice-loving clients. “It’s important for us and our customers that the rugs are made ethically,” Mark says. “That’s why we joined GoodWeave.”

Sinead and Mark say that in addition to wanting to better the world their clients have something else in common that draws them to Knot Collective. Their generally modest-income and younger demographic share an interest in art, interior design, cultural exploration and a desire to own well-made interesting things. To that end, the company’s designs for the wool and silk dhurrie rugs are colorful, edgy and created by artists who are well-known for their powerful graphic work in other media.

Sinead and Mark point to artists such as Brooklyn-based illustrator, Mike Perry. His playful squiggles, circles, snaky shapes and whimsical use of typography are seen on posters, TV show openers and advertising. His 5 X 6.5 foot wool Knot Collective rug is a palette of pinks, blues and creams. “When you first see it,” Sinead says, “There’s so much to look at, you need time to drink it in.”

The couple has also enlisted nouveau-psychedelic artist Luke Insect. The London artist, whose work includes album covers for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and ads for MTV, has contributed a rug design inspired by an album cover he did for experimental duo, Psychemagik. Each of the other artists in the collective has equally interesting backgrounds and has created equally striking rugs for the company.

When asked if they have any favorites for their own home among their jaw-droppingly original new line of rugs, Sinead and Mark laugh and in unison say,” They are all amazing!” That’s not all they agree on and are passionate about. Mark expresses it this way: “We like that we can use our industry expertise to do something good in the world. People recognize that when they see the GoodWeave label. It’s known around the world.”

For more, visit https://studioknot.design/.