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Talking about carpet (and gin) with the fabulous Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

How would you describe your interior style in one sentence?

Gin-fuelled maximalism.

What is so important about getting the flooring right into your design schemes?

You’ve got to think of the floor as being the carbohydrate.. get it wrong and it’s a miracle of stodgy underwhelming under-excitement.

Get it right and the floor nourishes the room, stabilises the room, and provides an appetising basis for the flashes of chilli-infused protein that all create a mouth-watering scheme.

What made you choose Brintons for your renovation, and why the Perpetual Textures collection?

Brintons and I are old old friends. Brintons are nearly always my go-to because I know their carpet will always be right.

Perpetual Textures is such an incredibly well-behaved collection of patterns and sits so eloquently with the more exotic themes within the scheme.

You've used the carpet in the bedroom - how does it add a new layer of design to the space?

The master suite is a big area that leads into the dressing room and on into a raised bathroom. The offset of diagonal geometry of Perpetual Textures is a perfect way of linking these different sized spatial experiences.

How does the grey of the carpets interact with the rest of the colours in the space?

The grey is the perfect partner to coral, taking out any of oranges, excess heat and bringing dignity and elegance to this classic (lets face it very 1980s colour scheme).

Any reader tips for how to choose your perfect carpet?

Drink Gin and be brave!

A Modern Twist On A Plain Carpet

Carpet can completely transform your home making it feel cosy, warm and inviting. There’s nothing quite like getting home, kicking off your shoes and sinking your feet into a luxurious wool-rich carpet.

It’s often the last thing to be considered when it comes to planning a room, but at Brintons we firmly believe that you should start with the floor and work your way up.

Afterall, a wool-rich carpet will last for years so it's important to make the right choice.

The first thing to consider when choosing your carpet is colour. What kind of ambience do you want to create in your room?

The trend for all things natural and timeless uses simple and understated pieces and embraces natural materials such as wool, wicker, earthenware and sun drenched woods with a colour palette of warm whites and neutrals.

Maximalism is all about breaking the rules and letting your imagination run wild. Create bold colour clashes and mix with your favourite trinkets, mismatched textiles and art to create a haven of beautiful, bright colours.

From warm neutrals and creams through to bright reds, blues and greens, our Bell Twist collection offers  a complete specturm of colours so the most difficult decision you’ll have to make is deciding which one is your favourite from over 60 beautiful colours.

Inspired by the latest trends, we’ve added a range of ocean blues and soft dusky pinks to the collection. The new colours take inspiration from our beautiful planet Earth, from the warm earthy tones of Scorched Earth; a soft pinky tone to the rich blues of Azure and Ionian; greyed off green blues and the deep forest green of Mangrove, these colours all evoke the calming effects of nature bringing a contemporary feel to your home.

The new soft earthy tones like Burnt Sienna, Scorched Earth and Red Ochre will add warmth to any neutral interiors scheme making your space cosy and inviting. On the opposite end of the spectrum the deep forest green of Mangrove when paired with wood and leather give the effect of being in the depths of nature. Choose the gentle blues of Atlantic, Blue Juniper or Azure to bring a sense of calm and serenity to your interior.

Bell Twist is the ultimate hardwearing option that is suitable for any room in the house including high traffic areas like hallways. This carpet yarn has an extra twist added to the spinning process, which creates the renowned and textured surface.

Covid-19 Coronavirus

Dear Customer, client and followers of Brintons worldwide.

These past few months have been difficult for people and businesses as we all learn to live with the scourge of this global pandemic. Throughout this period, at Brintons the safety of our people has remained paramount, and we have taken all the necessary measures in line with advice from governments around the globe.

The majority of our operations are on going as we benefit from having sites abroad in locations where either the pandemic has had minimal impact, or advice has been given to return to work.

These are however unprecedented times.

For commercial enquiries your usual contact remains only a phone call away and we are able to work on custom and Quickweave projects alike. Alternatively you can contact the UK commercial team through our central number 01562 634884.

Our UK Residential Service has now reopened for business and telephone orders can be accepted for despatch. In the first instance please contact our Residential Hot-line on 01562 748000.

We urge that you to stay safe and heed the latest government advice, and hopefully soon we shall be through the worst of this pandemic.

Best wishes

Duccio Baldi

Chief Executive

Brintons Carpets Ltd

An update message from our Chief Executive, Duccio Baldi

Covid-19 Coronavirus

Dear Customer, client and followers of Brintons worldwide.

These are very clearly difficult times for the world as nations try to combat the global pandemic. At Brintons the safety of our people remains paramount and in line with advice from governments around the globe we have taken measures to close our offices worldwide and ensure our colleagues can work from the home environment.

We have also had to face the difficult decision to begin the process of suspending operations where appropriate to ensure the safety of our workforce.

These are unprecedented times. Please rest assured that your usual contacts are only a phone call away and much of the early stage work on custom projects can still continue, but we appreciate that for many businesses this will not be a priority.

Furthermore any orders for UK residential stock are therefore temporarily suspended with immediate effect.

We urge you to stay safe and to heed the medical advice , and together we look forward to the conclusion of this terrible pandemic soon.

Duccio Baldi
Chief Executive
Brintons Carpets Ltd

A message from our Chief Executive, Duccio Baldi

Dear Customer, client and followers of Brintons worldwide.

Firstly I hope and trust that you and your families keep safe during these uncertain times as the world struggles to cope with the global pandemic.

At Brintons the safety of our people remains paramount and we have taken measures to ensure where appropriate our colleagues can work from the home environment, and in our manufacturing plants in Europe and India we have adopted protective measures.

These are unprecedented times but please rest assured that we remain operational and your usual contacts are only a phone call away.

Product samples, design and commercial specifications are available in all areas of the world so feel free to connect to your Brintons contact or reach out to us via our contacts section.

Stay safe and let’s look forward to the conclusion of this pandemic soon.

Duccio Baldi
Chief Executive
Brintons Carpets Ltd

Create a Serene Space with Dulux Colour of the Year 2020

As we enter a new decade 2020, it's a fresh start, like the dawn of a new day.

Inspired by the colours of day break, Dulux has announced Tranquil Dawn as its Colour of the Year for 2020.

Chosen by a panel of experts the colour exudes calmness and beautifully adapts itself depending on its surroundings and the scheme it's paired with due to its grey, green and blue hues.

Brinton’s grey carpets complement it perfectly to create a serene space where you can leave the hustle and bustle of the outside world at the front door. Sit back, relax, kick off your shoes and enjoy the calmness. Brintons Bell Twist, Moonstone, works as a lovely neutral in any room in the home. Add accents of earthy, powdered greens and cool mint tones to create a light, airy and tranquil scheme in which to relax.

Experiment with natural texture by adding house plants alongside the green hues, which will bring a sense of nature and the outside into the space.

Combining and layering subtle textures in grey tones create beautiful, understated and sophisticated schemes. Choose Brinton’s Perpetual Textures, Layered Herringbone to add a subtle pattern to a scheme or pair it with rich textures like velvet, to add a touch of luxury.

Dulux’s ‘colour of the year’ is decided by an expert panel of colour designers, design specialists, trend forecasters, architects and editors from around the world who join together to discuss what we increasingly need from the spaces around us.

Capturing a universal theme, they suggest a colour that they believe embodies the mood of the moment and will be popular in the year ahead.

Classic Plaid with a Modern Twist

We caught up with Jakki Jones to find out about why a Brintons carpet was the perfect choice.

Q1. Tell us a little about yourself

I’m Jakki Jones, I work full time in Entertainment, where I head up the Talent and Influencer Department at PMK*BNC. I have a little stationery business on the side (Jakkidoodles), I’m married and have 2 step daughters Bootsy (14) and Misty (12) and a little girl called Riley (3). We live in London.

Q2. What was the inspiration for this room?

I love colour – and anything untraditional. I first came across the wallpaper, which I thought was vibrant design and full of colour. It was playful and dreamlike – perfect for a child’s bedroom. At the time, the carpet in our new house was cream – which was not ideal for a 3-year-old, and, for me – too safe. Also bearing in mind it’s a difficult colour practically speaking with a young child.

Q3. What appealed about this particular carpet?

Again, it was the colour and the pattern. I’ve always loved bold prints and designs. Tartan prints are a real favourite. When we got married in Ireland – I remember the tartan theme being very fresh in my mind; it takes me back to a beautiful memory – plus my folks are from Ireland.

Q4. What home accessory could you not live without?

As well as Carpets – I always find a good light. We have recently bought a beautiful chandelier by Timothy Oulten and it's exquisite. It’s completely changed the room – and added a real luxe, yet very delicate chic feel and added deep texture to a big open space / what was a blank canvas. Making it feel more intimate and romantic overall. I also love a good throw on the sofa – to add texture – and to cosy up to in the evening.

Q5. Is there a restaurant or hotel whose design you particularly like/admire and inspires your own personal style?

I love Kit Kemp’s work for the Firmdale group, I love the colours she uses– Also Soho House – for beautiful, modern practical living spaces. I like the fact that the style is laid back and lived in, yet welcoming. Finally Matthew Williamson's interiors are right up my straße, rich in colour, texture and always with beautiful design.

Brintons Awards Prize at Birmingham City University

The Birmingham City University (BCU) textile students showcase is the culmination of three years of study from their graduating students. The work on display is very diverse and highly individual, from concept to actualisation, representing the future career aspirations and developed aesthetic of the students.

BCU invited our Commercial Marketing Manager, Sarah Draper and Creative Designers, Kay Jones and Jane Bradley-Bain to the School of Fashion and Textiles Graduate Show and asked us to award a prize for Design Innovation.

The team selected Isobel Smith, BA (Hons) Textile Design (Constructed Textiles) work. The project was titled 'Considering Simplicity'.

Taking inspiration from yoga and meditative practices Isobel created a cohesive collection of surface explorations that included solid and grounding materials which allows potential for people to slow down and form balance in their surroundings.

Image left: Isobel Smith's work/display

Image right: (l to r) Kay Jones, Jane Bradley-Bain, Isobel Smith, Sarah Draper

Guest Blog Post by Trilbey Gordon, Head of Interior Design at Londonewcastle

As LL cool J once said.... “Don't call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years”.

Thank goodness carpet has made its comeback! I like rooms to feel a little ‘edgy’, I like intense colours, contrasting textures (lacquer, parchment, raffia) and my preferred scale is oversized.

A wooden floor everywhere just feels a bit soulless and empty. For me the wall colour, the carpet and the lighting are the three most important elements to an overall scheme - they are the foundations of a room. Nowadays carpets have big characters, I am using everything from bold patterns, like the ones in the Timorous Beasties collection to sustainable materials.

Right: Golden Effie by Timorous Beasties for Brintons

I like designing bespoke carpets that are almost 3d, shaggy bits layered on top of smooth, ragged wool fringing around some bits and playing with contrasting textures, adding interest as well as some playfulness.

Although opulence is out of fashion , ‘the new luxury’ is all about craft techniques and tactile immediacy, using contrasting materials. Cleverly combined materials, creatively implemented ideas and simple opulence form a new kind of glamour. Colour blocking and geometric patterns have also been huge recently.

I love these in the new Brintons Perpetual Textures collection. While a piece of art or furniture normally serves as the focal point of a room, I have found that what sits underneath them makes just as much of a statement.

Carpet is my canvas, it serves as a backdrop , the wrong carpet can make or break the whole look. Right now I am using a-lot of deep pile silky shag carpets (yes, Shag is back) in all one colour (usually in jewel tones like deep plums, dark lilacs and navys) to add texture- they feel very decadent.

When a room feels luxurious, it creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. For an upcoming Londonewcastle lobby area we are using a deep pile blue velvety carpet beneath 3 huge Venini chandelier’s by Carlo Scarpa. I always use a statement making carpet on entrance hall staircases. I love a bold staircase!

Right: Perpetual Textures Layered Herringbone

By adding a geometric or patterned design, you instantly make the staircase a focal point. If I can’t find exactly what I’m looking for then I’m well known for torturing my poor carpet fitters by cutting up rugs or different offcuts of patterned carpet and placing a different piece and design on each individual stair…it's time consuming but the effect is stunning.

I also like to give a nod to the spirit of the Mods by using graphic black and white striped carpets.

Why Wool is Best

The wool from 1 in 9 British Sheep ends up in a Brintons carpet  - Source British Wool

Wool carpets are known for their quality because wool is naturally tough, giving you luxury that lasts for longer.

British Wool tells us the science behind this amazing fibre.

It might be pouring with rain, snowing, windy or beautifully sunny – whatever the weather, you’ll always see sheep grazing happily in the British countryside. And that’s thanks to their clever wool coats, which protect them in all weathers!

Wool is an amazing natural fibre. Composed of proteins, its complexity provides many features and benefits that man-made fibres could never replicate, offering complete flexibility and superior performance characteristics.

It’s fire retardant. Wool is difficult to ignite due to high water and nitrogen content. If you hold a match to wool, it will smoulder and then go out. It doesn’t melt, drip or give out poisonous fumes. And this means it’s considered one of the safest fibres for flooring and fabrics – the perfect choice for the family home.

Wool is an incredibly complex natural fibre, which means natural attributes that plastic fibres just can’t match. Wool has a left and right handed helix at its core, which works likes a spring, meaning it can continuously resist pressure and flattening. It can be bent many thousands of times and still spring back! And this is why British wool is such a great fibre in carpets.

Wool’s natural oils and scaled structure trap dust and dirt at the top layers of the fibre, so it couldn’t be easier to keep clean with a quick vacuum around! The scales on wool are another amazing feature - they cause liquids to bead up and stay on the surface, helping to keep wool stain free. So if you’re quick, that red wine won’t leave a single mark!

Wool is grown naturally on sheep. They live on and from the land, roaming freely in the countryside, and re-grow their fleece every year. This is in direct contrast to synthetic fibres, which need oil and refineries to be produced. Sheep grow wool continuously, and can be shorn every 9-12 months, meaning wool is rapidly and readily available. As long as there is grass for sheep to eat, wool can be produced.

Wool contributes to healthier air indoors by helping to absorb pollutants, like VOC’s, from the air. Allergens, such as dust, are also trapped in the outer scales at the top layer of the fibre, so instead of floating around and aggravating allergies, they can simply be vacuumed away.

Interested in finding out more?

Follow @BritishWool on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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