In the age of the high-rise, high-density city, it seems that designers have developed a preoccupation with looking up. And who can blame them? From multi-storey towers and penthouse apartments to rooftop gardens and trendy terraced hospitality spaces, the allure of looking skyward is undeniable. Yet with all this upward aspiration it’s easy to miss a simple fact: sometimes, finding outstanding design isn’t a question of looking upward, outward, or further afield. Sometimes, good design is right beneath our very feet.

Arguably nobody understands this better than Sydney-based luxury rug designers and makers Tappeti, who since 2006 have been transforming the global soft flooring market with their bold, striking offering. Helmed by Design Institute of Australia (DIA) Fellow and Immediate Past NSW President Karinna Gobbo, Tappeti has emerged as the undoubtable frontrunner in the emerging market for bespoke designer flooring. A seasoned designer with experience across the commercial and high-end residential sector, Karinna created Tappeti in response to a curious paradox that plagued the design market of just over ten years ago: a flood of new products gave designers more options than ever, but also stifled uniqueness and creative expression by making once-exclusive design widely accessible. The market was somehow simultaneously saturated and in drought, and Tappeti burst onto the scene to both help control the flow and quench the industry-wide thirst.

And the company hasn’t looked back since. In the years that followed, Tappeti has deftly navigated similar contradictions to deliver bold, vibrant rugs that are at once unique and instantly recognisable. Through a meticulous, carefully controlled process, the brand gives designers an unrivalled opportunity to develop exclusive, high quality soft flooring that is unavailable anywhere else. Graphic, sophisticated, and gorgeously plush, Tappeti rugs are equally at home in boutique hotels and hospitality spaces as they are in corporate headquarters and convention centres. Carefully designed and flawlessly executed, Tappeti rugs work with – instead of against – the design of a space to enhance its best qualities and bring an additional element of complexity and character. Designers from Bates Smart and SIREN Design to HASSELL and Alexander + Co are on the growing list of Tappeti fans, as are Woods Bagot, Group GSA, and FJMT.

It isn’t hard to see why the brand inspires such an impressive list of devotees: Tappeti rugs effortlessly combine style, functionality, and sustainability to deliver a finished product of unmatched quality. Each rug starts its life as a collection of high quality natural fibres – whether New Zealand wool, hemp, art silk, nettle, pashmina fibre, or cashmere yarn – that is then hand tufted onto a grid backing or hand knotted to achieve bringing even the most intricate design to life. No industrial machines are used throughout the Tappeti process, which maintains a focus on handcrafting from the dyeing to the finishing stages and allows families of craftspeople to work together and maintain handwork techniques that have been passed down between generations. In the same way that these techniques will last well into the future, so too will Tappeti rugs, whose high quality construction ensures that they will maintain their luxurious, plush feel for years to come.

Drawing inspiration from sources ranging from fine art and design history to nature, Tappeti weaves together a wide range of cultural references to create stunning, multi-dimensional soft flooring that inspires and delights. Its comprehensive offering of bespoke and its own inhouse design collection it is paired with a tailored customer service approach that puts creative expression and client needs first. No job is too large or small for the knowledgeable Tappeti team, whose expertise and connections have enabled them to create long and lasting relationships with talented and productive designers around the world.

Ready to build your relationship with Tappeti? Find the brand at FRONT in Sydney this 9 – 10 August and experience the Tappeti difference for yourself.