Tania Johnson Design

British-trained designer Tania Johnson loves the technical challenges inherent in working closely with weaving mills. She brings intimate knowledge of the weaving process and years of experience in textile design to the custom wool, silk and Pashmina hand knotted rugs her company, Tania Johnson Designs, offers. “I enjoy being inside the mills. I love the weavers’ skill and I respect the people involved in the process,” she says. “It’s important to create good conditions for the weavers and their children.” Joining forces with GoodWeave® helped Tania make that happen.

Having experienced the gamut of textile design, including designing Calvin Klein’s first rug line, Tania realized that she loved working with rugs. Inspired by the industry leaders that work in a socially responsible manner, she set out on her own path.

A longtime photographer who spent her childhood in rural South Wales, Tania is stirred by nature. Designing “Branches,” for example, Tania translated the shadows and light falling on branches in the rain in one of her photographs into a 200-knot-count, all-silk carpet in an olive green palette. The inveterate traveler also uses her exotic photographs for inspiration as in “Stupa Lines,” a low-pile Pashmina and silk close-up of a Nepalese Buddhist shrine.

According to Tania, making rugs is much more than just doing business. Working with Nepalese weavers and her affiliation with GoodWeave have given her a powerful podium to do something she loves while bettering the lives of others. “I get to make something beautiful and do something good. It doesn’t get much better than that,” she says.

For more about Tania Johnson Design, visit www.taniajohnsondesign.com.