In this new age world where algorithms reign supreme, we’ve seen an oversimplification of design. Our social media sends us inspiration which operates on similarities, flooding our feeds with projects that all look virtually the same. Influencers and automated shopping suggestions create an illusion that “good design” can be found in a particular sofa, bed or colour scheme, selling a two dimensional snapshot that ignores the visceral, the emotional and the tangible.

So what separates unique design from the masses? The answer is in the details, the considered additions and interventions that show thought and bring emotion and soul into a space.

TSAR Carpets are experts in these considered additions, having led the industry in custom-made designs for over 35 years. A family-owned business founded by David and Kerrie Sharpley, TSAR has grown to be a global leader in high quality carpets and rugs. From award-winning designs to projects across residential, commercial and hospitality sectors, TSAR’s work stretches around the globe.

TSAR’s in-house Melbourne and New York City based designers produce collections that employ diverse colours and textures, before highly-skilled artisans in Portugal bring these designs to life, creating carefully crafted carpets and rugs that are distributed globally from their studios across Melbourne, New York, Sydney, London and Munich. Despite this global reach, TSAR have kept the authenticity with which they were founded, showing an unwavering commitment to quality, process and collaboration.

For leading architects and designers, the specification process often leads them to names such as TSAR, to brands that have a deep understanding for how products can elevate a space and transform a project. For TSAR, this elevation starts from the ground, in the creation of products made to be seen. From statement pieces that define a space, to softer interventions that subtly influence, their products bring back the art of the bespoke.

In reviewing just some of TSAR’s recent projects, we can find a blueprint for emotion-led design, a roadmap out of the uniform looks that are defining design in this internet age.

At Cartier’s much-anticipated Sydney flagship, TSAR were contracted to supply a luxurious finish to the space’s floors. As a maker of fine jewelry, Cartier have become synonymous with luxury and classic design, and their new flagship looked to bring this core experience to Australian stores. Products and finishes used needed to speak to the brand identity, capturing the Cartier experience and transporting visitors into a world of iconic design.

Here, carpets in natural hues play off intricate wall murals and opulent finishes. Colours have been simplified so as not to overwhelm the space, with luxury found in the richness of the fabric and the visible softness of the textures. Contrasting the hard metals at the heart of the Cartier brand, TSAR brings a visual juxtaposition that runs along zones in the expansive space, making room for consultation, meetings and hospitality.

If Cartier’s space is all about lightness, Melbourne’s new Strato Bar showcases a design which is decidedly darker. With expansive windows that provide uninterrupted views across Melbourne’s skyline, Strato finds luxury in the evocative, creating a moody and dramatic environment that creates in a private world in the clouds. Sora Interiors used TSAR’s Axminster carpet to create layers of dark finishes, building continuity through the rich carpet through to the black-painted ceilings. While Strato Bar’s soaring dimensions can be overwhelming at times, the carpets bring a sense of intimacy, anchoring visitors in the bar and enveloping them in a space of their own.

Still in Melbourne and Elwood Residence is a masterclass on truly bespoke design. Carpets have been made a feature of this sweeping Victorian home, with geometry and colour making a strong statement throughout. Contrasted against existing heritage design elements, the carpets contemporise stained glass and a winding staircase, creating a highly bespoke design that triangulates client brief, site context and design style.

“The project was a success because the client had a strong knowledge of what they wanted, but were happy to collaborate with us on the design process,” says TSAR Design Manager Teresa Ceberek. “It is great when a client is daring to try new things and push the envelope on design.”

In these vastly different projects we find designs that break the mold, spaces that surprise us and styles that delight us. These projects challenge us to think differently and expand our expectations on what retail, hospitality and residential designs can achieve. It is through brands like TSAR that this challenge is put to us, urging us to think more deeply about all our design choices as we reach for greater design outcomes and explore the depths of what is possible through collaboration and craftsmanship.