All The Way To Paris × Wool carpet / HOTTA CARPET [Story2]Dense, yet light

How to draw and how to combine.The first sketches for the 50cm x 50cm carpet tile design arrived from ATWTP.

A square carpet was used as a canvas, and on each of them were drawn various “lines” expressed with one to three lines. This very simple design is combined vertically/horizontally, regularly/irregularly, and expressed with graphical color patterns.

“One of the most difficult parts of the design process was the way the squares fit together; it was like trying to figure out how to make a single square or a combination of squares work, and tuning it little by little, like an orchestra conductor.” by ATWTP

“When I saw the first design sketch, I frankly felt uneasy, thinking, ‘How am I going to express this? ‘ Because of the nature of the machine, AXTILE has to express the graphics created by the designer in illustrator with dots, so there is a possibility that the designer’s intentions might be off. So it’s very difficult to get designers to understand our manufacturing process. However, we would not have been able to come up with this kind of design if we had done it by ourselves, and we were very much looking forward to the challenge of how to commercialize the wonderful sensibility of ATWTP and how it would be evaluated.” By Hotta

What was the first sketch that made Mr. Hotta think so? If you look closely at the “lines” drawn on the carpet, you will see that they are not straight. There is also a touch of unevenness in the color, although it is only one color. This simple yet deep design with the texture of a hand drawing was what the girls were aiming for.

“There is warmth and individuality in the simple and beautiful lines. We wanted to express the Japanese sense of beauty that we perceive in this carpet. In addition, we wanted to create a carpet that would also convey the high level of technology that Hotta Carpet possesses. While there are many carpets made of synthetic fibers, the philosophy and production technology of Hotta Carpet, which uses natural wool and produces high quality carpets, is excellent. The company’s philosophy and production technology are excellent. The aesthetic sense of manufacturing by human hands and the high-tech production process. It is a challenge to create a product that fulfills both of these requirements, but I am excited about it. ”by ATWTP

The first step in the production process is to make the wool yarn. This is the first and most important process, as only after the material and color are decided here can the preparation of the raw materials begin. A yarn sample called “pom” is made by selecting the most suitable wool (material) for the design and application and dyeing it in the desired color, and then the final material is decided while imagining the finished product based on the sample. After a detailed verification based on the knowledge of the spinning factory that produces the yarn and the experience of Hotta Carpet, a proposal is made to the client.

ATWTP requested four colors for the carpet: beige, orange, and two shades of blue. From the pom on the palm of my hand, I imagined the actual carpet to be laid on the floor, and adjusted the shade of the colors. In order to express the unevenness of color, which is the key to the hand-drawn look, Hotta Carpet suggested using two types of British wool. The proposal was to use two different kinds of British wools, as different yarn varieties would have slight differences in the way the colors are dyed, which would bring the texture closer to what they were aiming for.

Once both parties have decided on a material they are happy with, they prepare 156 threads per color and proceed to the actual weaving process.

WOOLTILE is made by melting a 50 x 50cm base with original adhesive on a hot plate and planting yarns one row at a time on the melted adhesive. 156 yarns per row are selected according to the pattern, planted on the base, and planted 156 times in a row to complete a sheet. 156 x 156 yarns A total of 24,336 yarns are used to make one carpet tile. This time, thicker yarns than those used in regular WOOLTILE are used, so the weaving process requires the skill of craftsmen who are familiar with the AKI style and who make adjustments as needed to prevent the carpet from swelling back and forth, left and right, and the yarns from getting tangled. After that, the fabric is put through a dryer to make sure that the adhesive is thoroughly absorbed into the yarn, shirred to remove the surface yarn, and processed to prevent slippage. The products are carefully inspected by hand, and if even one thread is missing, it is repaired by hand.

“Carpet design is a 2.5-dimensional world because you can change the texture of the yarn and that changes the way the colors look and are expressed. Graphic design is an important element, but if you only think in terms of a flat surface, you cannot successfully incorporate it into a product. Especially for WOOLTILE, it is important to be able to combine these 50cm squares and convey the fun of design and combination, so we definitely didn’t want to make anything that would distract from the essence of our own manufacturing. ”by Hotta

“This is a completely different product than the traditional carpet, we love the interaction that happens when someone else puts together their carpet with the squares. We have provided a design and a visual rhythm but someone else can play with it and find a different rhythm, another tune. ” by ATWTP

There is an uncompromising dedication, inquisitiveness, and respect for hand and manufacture work.

This simple carpet is actually full of meticulous processes, but the playful and light design does not let you feel the stoicism. Perhaps this is the expression of the Japanese sense of beauty that ATWTP was aiming for. And with the completion of this project as a starting point, the possibilities of the new WOOLTILE will expand.

>>Continue in Story3

All The Way To Paris

All the Way to Paris (ATWTP) started as a graphic design duo based in Copenhagen, founded by Tanja Vibe and Petra Olsson Gendt. They met at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts where they both studied graphic design and soon after founded their own studio. From graphic identities, digital designs, illustrations, art and museum catalogues, exhibition graphics and books to rugs, fabrics, intriguing design objects and interiors － they work conceptually with visual communication in small and large scale. 

allthewaytoparis.com/

HOTTA CARPET

Hotta Carpet is a maker specialised in producing by wilton woven wool carpet. Founded in the 1962 in Izumi, Osaka, the company has been producing the product from home to hotel use, in addition to rug and DIY carpet. Through using one of the oldest ways of making carpets on machine-driven looms, Hotta is re-defining the culture of carpet in Japan as their long term vision. Their fine quality textured carpets are recognised by high end hotel, luxury brands, and government ministries.

hdc.co.jp/