Latitude Collection from Armadillo & Co.

Kilim Weave - Nomad in Fern Multi-colour

I love a good floor rug and I have mentioned on here before, Australian brand Armadillo & Co rugs tick all my boxes. High quality, sustainable materials, aesthetically pleasing, offer a bespoke service for designers and good business ethics. Now they are to release several exciting projects in February, including a range of rugs that you can see here called the Latitude Collection. You like? I do.
The new collection is inspired by the founders' (Sally Pottharst and Jodie Fried) love of intrepid world travel and these traditional kilim weaves have been reinterpreted with vibrant colours. The rugs are handcrafted from Argentinian wool and use a unique dye method called 'Abrash' - “It’s a specialised and ancient dying process that results in softly muted background colour with subtle shading that welcomes inconsistencies in hue and saturation,” co-founder Sally explains. “It’s not flat colour and then they are hand washed which make the colours all fade a bit and work into each other. It is really lovely.” Sounds good to me.
I order my Armadillo & Co rugs from The Ivy House in Auckland - give the lovely Annie a call if you want to find out more.

Kilim Weave - Pilgrim in Teal/Walnut/Gunmetal



Kilim Weave - Caravan in Peony Multi-colour

Kilim Weave - Caravan in Cerise Multi-colour

Armadillo & Co Junior Collection

Nest Weave - Awning Stripe in Celadon/Natural and made in hemp.

I had the pleasure of being introduced to Armadillo & Co rugs last week. While I was already aware of this range and had recommended these rugs to several clients, it wasn't until last week where I met with Jackie, state manager for New Zealand and parts of Australia, that I really 'got' Armadillo & Co. I am now a fan.

There are three main collections - Junior, Earth and Designer (there are more collections on the way next year - I managed to squeeze a few secrets out of Jackie!) and all rugs are woven from sustainable natural fibres, mainly hemp or New Zealand wool, by artisans in India.

Armadillo & Co was founded four years ago by friends Jodie Fried and Sally Pottharst and this company has gone from strength to strength within a short time. What I like is the philosophy of Armadillo & Co - they believe in combining aesthetics with ethics, so every rug embraces Fair Trade practices and all purchases benefit the local schools in the weavers' villages. "We aim for our rugs to lie lightly on this earth." Top marks.

Here are some rugs from the Junior collection - beautifully styled from the Armadillo & Co catalogues.

 

Flower Weave - Daisy

Flower Weave - Marigold

Stratum Weave - Carnival Stripe in Pirate/Eggshell made in wool.

Stratum Weave - Carnival Stripe in Frog/Eggshell

Photographs via Armadillo & Co.