Nordic Knots

Licensed Brand
Products: Rugs

A decade ago neither Felix Berglund nor his brother Fabian would have ever imagined that they would be in the rug business. Their father was a decades-long purveyor of carpets in Stockholm, but early on, the brothers chose to strike out on their own adventures. Fabian worked in advertising in New York and London and Felix seized adventures in entrepreneurship and even a stint as a pro-poker player. Today the brothers, along with Fabian’s wife, designer Lisa Laserow, are co-founders of Nordic Knots and are producing contemporary rugs inspired by the functional simplicity that drives the Scandinavian aesthetic. “We wanted to make rugs people will love, but also rugs that are made sustainably and that have a good effect on everyone we touch in the production.” To that end, they chose GoodWeave®. “GoodWeave’s approval,” Felix says, “is an easy way to communicate to customers that we are a company that you can trust.”

After lives lived away from home and from the family business and perhaps driven by childhood memories of playing among the giant piles of rugs in their father’s warehouse, the brothers came “home” professionally. As Felix puts it, they felt something was missing in the rug scene both in terms of design and operations. They wanted to provide rugs for a new generation of buyers with a different aesthetic and different way of shopping that would appeal to a generation of digital natives. And, Felix laughs, “It also meant we could spend more time together.”

They soon set their idea in motion and the results of the collaboration are Bhadohi, India woven 100% New Zealand wool rugs that have already made their mark. They are found in stylish homes, art galleries, and hotels, such as the award winning, El Rey Court in Santa Fe, New Mexico where their “Tiger”-Red/Black and Charcoal/Cream pieces are found throughout the popular lodging.

Nordic Knots’ rugs are born from inspiration the team finds right around them, Felix explains. For example, Stockholm’s architecture with its multi-colored facades led to the “Solid” Series with hues such as Cream/Green and Sand/Tobacco. The “Bastad” series, a blue geometric pattern, is sentimentally named after the small town where the Berglund family has a summer home. That rug is definitely a family favorite, Felix says.

Felix admits that another of their favorites, “Archipelago”, was initially a bit of a tear-your-hair-out process because it was surprisingly complex to make. The result, however, was absolutely mesmerizing. And, he adds with obvious joy, the customers seem to like it too. Of course satisfying their buyers is at the top of the young company’s to-do list and for Felix, Fabian, and Lisa the GoodWeave certification is part of that. “This is important for customers. They really want to know what they are buying!”