Wednesday, March 21, 2012

PRESS RELEASE






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Abigail Williams
abigail@creativemattersinc.com
416-934-9771, ext. 27

Toronto, ON – March 19, 2012: Award-winning Canadian design firm, Creative Matters Inc., will exhibit hand-knotted rugs from its celebrated Art Day and Aerial collections at Forza Tappeti: The Rug Revolution on April 17 to 20 during Milan Design Week. The firm of 12 female artists received an exclusive invitation from the event’s curator, COVER magazine, to show its work at the inaugural event, which will be held at Galleria Giacomo Manoukian Noseda in Milan’s Brera Design District, an area brimming with avant-garde galleries and fresh new designers.

“We are honoured to be among such renowned designers as Jan Kath of Germany and Christopher Farr of England in exposing the designs of our talented team of artists and weavers to such a broad and sophisticated audience,” said Creative Matters co-founder Donna Hastings.

According to COVER, published by Hali publications, Forza Tappeti will “feature the works of acknowledged leaders in ‘design carpets’ who represent the leading edge in a field that is revolutionizing not only the way rugs are made and designed within traditional weaving cultures but also the way that carpets are understood by the public and used by designers within interiors.”

Creative Matters is the only Canadian design firm that will participate in the curated show. Art Day #123, one of the Creative Matters rugs selected for installation, is a magical wool and silk, hand-knotted creation. Its randomized brush strokes, realized in grey and black with a hint of aqua on a taupe backdrop, have been described as “gracefully geometric.”

“Art Day #123 is the collective effort of our talented team of artists and the product of one of our monthly Art Day events. All of our staff participate in these events, which we initiated about a year ago as a way to inspire and celebrate unbounded creativity,” said co-founder Carol Sebert, adding “Art Days are also just a lot of fun.” To date, Creative Matters Art Day events have yielded more than 500 unique designs, many of which have been turned into commercially available rugs.

Forza Tappeti will be held in conjunction with the Milan Furniture Fair, the largest event of its kind worldwide, which is expected to attract more than 300,000 people from around the world. The show will be open to the general public on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22.

Established in 1988, Creative Matters Inc. designs and manufactures original, free-trade luxury rugs and floor coverings. With carpets in more than 40 countries, Creative Matters’ international clientele range from such high-end retailers as Gucci, Tom Ford and Louis Vuitton to hotels, corporate offices and residences, including St. Regis Hotel (Mexico City), JWA Marriott Hotel (Kazakhstan), Covidian Offices (Bermuda), and Canadian diplomatic residences and embassies in more than 35 locations. Creative Matters is proud to participate in and support Label Step, an international organization committed to promoting environmentally friendly production methods, improving the working and living conditions of carpet weavers and fighting abusive child labour. www.creativemattersinc.com; www.label-step.org

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NOTES TO EDITOR:

Photographs enclosed

Donna Hastings and Carol Sebert available for interview


Art Day #123

Scratch Frost



Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Art Day Se7en!

The CMI team is eager to get out of the office for the 7th installment of Art Day. We have been busy brainstorming ways to come up with the most original designs and have decided to create images through photography. The group is setting out on March 6th to shoot images along the rail path – rain or shine! The focus of the outing will be to capture the natural beauty and balance between industrial and organic elements. Stay tuned for updates and photos of our art inspired field trip!
(Teaser created by Tiffany)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Jeffrey has good advice!


Stair runners were the hot topic in yesterday’s “Ask Jeffrey” column in the National Post. Fisher gave a homeowner some great ideas to jazz up their hardwood staircase, including one of our floral stair runners we designed in collaboration with the talented Shelley Kirsch. Read the article here.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Cover Magazine Ad Campaign Photo Shoot

#13 Platinum - Art Day Collection

Earlier this week, we held a photo shoot at the Klaus by Nienkamper showroom in downtown Toronto. The space was bright, open and displayed pieces from Klaus' modern furniture collection as props on the set. The photos were taken by commercial photographer, Chris Harrison, and will be developed into a full-page ad in the next issue of Cover, a magazine for modern carpet & textile for interiors. The ad will feature one of the carpets from our Art Day Collection and will promote Fiorza Tappeti, a one of a kind rug exhibit during Milan's Design Week, April 17-22. We have been invited as part of a select group to showcase two of our carpets at the show, which is promising to revolutionize the contemporary carpet design world. The showroom exhibit is taking place in the Brera Design District, an area brimming with avant-garde galleries and fresh new designers. If you are planning on attending Milan Design Week this Spring, be sure to stop by the Galleria Giacomo Manounkian Noseda to see our beautiful designs on display!

Klaus by Nienkamper
300 King St. E.
Toronto, On, Canada
M5A 1K4
Monday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm
Saturday 11 am - 5 pm

Forza Tappeti
Piazza San Simpliciano, 2
Angolo Piazza Paolo VI
20121 Milan
10 am- 8 pm

Thursday, February 2, 2012

tx: style design challenge 2012

The CMI team has been busy creating new designs and corresponding inspiration boards for the tx: style design challenge 2012. Mannington Commercial, sponsors of the contest, are looking for new inspirational patterns and are developing the winning design into a full carpet collection! They are also sending the lucky finalists on a trip to New York, Chicago or Milan. Help the team by voting for your favourite designs at tx:style. The finalists are chosen based on online comments and your votes, so vote often! There will also be a panel of judges so feel free to give us some positive feedback. New designs are being added daily!

You have until February 19th to get your votes in!

Ange

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

DOMOTEX 2012: Custom Design in, Mass Production out! Hanover Jan 14-17

DOMOTEX was a great success for Creative Matters Inc., with approximately 45,000 visitors at the 4-day trade show; we had a large amount of exposure. We were one of 1,371 exhibitors showcasing designs from around the world and because more than half the guests were from abroad, we had an opportunity to present our products to a global audience. The main theme of the event for 2012 was customized living so we had no problem fitting in! It was fabulous to see flooring and textile play such a significant role in interior decorating: carpets have become works of art and are making statements on their own! We’re back in the office and have recovered from jet lag – fresh ideas inspired by the international trends seen at DOMOTEX should be expected in our next collection!



Friday, January 6, 2012

Souk Deluxe - Selected Carpet Design

Souk Deluxe is a juried exhibition showcasing high-quality hand-made carpets from companies presenting modern designs. Selected carpets are displayed at Domotex Germany for buyers and industry members to view so they are able to experience the latest innovative products and techniques that designers are experimenting with. This is a great way to get an overview of the carpet industry and see the latest trends. If you are heading to Domotex Germany 2012 this year, be sure to check out the Souk Deluxe show.

Creative Matters was accepted and is exhibiting Art Day Carpets Hand-Knotted #74 and Kilim #111.