What’s New At Langhorne Carpets?

2015 is fast becoming one of our most prolific years, especially in terms of adding new collections and custom designs to our running lines. Here are some exuberant examples of our woven wool carpets:

Double-Bleached White: A Color For All Seasons

In fashion, white is usually confined to the closet until after Memorial Day when warmer weather takes hold. But in home décor, white has always had a following regardless of season. In response to trendsetting designers and decorators – we have unveiled this new collection of white-on-white in tone-on-tone styles and textures.  

Chimes - Double Bleached White / Pattern #: 21943

Black & White: And Electrifying 
Available in three additional new B&W patterns, including Pinwheel (see below), this collection is anything but unassuming. From fun and fancy to formal, this collection is already turning heads from residences to boardrooms.

Venom

Inspired by the natural world and available in two colorways, this new line joins the list of Langhorne’s fauna favorites that include zebra and antelope. And is welcomed alongside our new Conservation Collection that debuted with Willow and Carapace designs from winners of the Morrow Design Competition.

Antelope

Noted above, Antelope in 2015 joins our running woven wool carpet lines – now in two colorways - having had such success as a custom pattern.  

Scatter: Addressing a Design Need

True story. While so many of our original designs are inspired by the beauty of nature, from wildlife to wildflowers, sometimes a great design theme is looking us right in the eye, from the top of our desk. Such is the case with Scatter, an ‘etched’ design inspired by the inside of the common envelope. We are excited about the initial response to all seven captivating colorways.

For information on these new additions, contact sales@langhornecarpets.com.

Weaving Art: Mika Tajima Presents Negative Entropy

From a distance, Mika Tajima’s Negative Entropy series appears to be a collection of colorful, abstract paintings. But upon closer inspection, they are revealed to be finely woven textiles. What is even more fascinating is the subject of each piece. Each one of Tajima’s pieces is not merely an abstract work of art but an acoustic portrait, a visual image of the sounds of traditional wool weaving technology.

To create this series, Tajima visited previously booming industrial centers in Southeastern Pennsylvania and recorded the sounds of old factories, specifically of industrial textile Jacquard looms and server colocation centers –both of which represent endangered technology.  The locations she visited include Langhorne Carpet Mill, Caledonian Dye Works, Material Technology & Logistics, and Philadelphia Technology Park.

A woven work from Mika Tajima’s Negative

Entropy series depicting the sound of 

Langhorne Carpet Mill (Photo credit)

Tajima’s Negative Entropy series subsequently showcases artwork produced through the same process that they depict. After turning the sounds into digital images, Tajima translated the images into woven Jacquard patterns. A Jacquard weave is produced using a special loom that creates complex designs. The process for making these fabrics is time-consuming and labor-intensive and requires extraordinary skill. Langhorne Carpet Company has been around for over 80 years and specializes in Jacquard-Wilton carpet weaving. To learn more about Langhorne Carpet, click here.

In a New York Times review of Negative Entropy, Roberta Smith writes, “Not unlike the music rolls for a player piano, these [recorded sounds] become templates for softly optical Jacquard patterns that suggest waves of both sounds and lights and also have a quaint, modern, wall-hanging numbness...There is nothing very groundbreaking here, but contributions are made to the continuing discussion about beauty and the diverse ways it can be achieved and the hands-off legacy of Jackson Pollock. Object making has never been Ms. Tajima's thing, but these imply a promising trajectory." Read the full New York Times article.

Installation view at Eleven Rivington, NY, 2014
Photo credit

Mika Tajima is a New York City artist born in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and her M.F.A. from Columbia University. She exhibits her artwork all over the country and around the world. Her past exhibitions have been at Centre Pompidou in Paris, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California, The Aspen Art Museum in Colorado, The Seattle Art Museum in Washington, Bass Art Museum in Florida, X Initiative in New York, The Kitchen in New York, Swiss Institute for Contemporary Art in New York, The Mori Museum in Tokyo, South London Gallery in London, and many other notable locations. Her Negative Entropy series was first displayed at Eleven Rivington in New York. Visit Mika Tajima’s website here for more information on her work and exhibitions.

The Campaign for Wool

The wool industry was once hit hard, but is now making a comeback.  The Campaign for Wool, based in the UK, serves to promote the many economic, environmental, and practical benefits of wool from fashion to home decor. Nearly all retailers in the UK are involved with the campaign and it has been taken to 17 other countries including the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, South Africa, and Germany. Langhorne Carpets Co. is a charter member of the Campaign for Wool and helped with the campaign’s launch in the US. Being among the leaders in the worldwide wool industry, Langhorne Carpets has used the highest quality wool to weave the finest carpets for our customers and is proud to promote and help educate consumers about the various benefits of this traditional fabric.

Bradford, England was once the wool capital of the world. Competition from overseas led to the fall of the city’s textile trade. However, in recent years the popularity of wool has risen worldwide, due in part to the Royal seal of approval. Wool products have been present at many of the Royal family’s events and celebrations, including the debut public appearance of newborn Princess Charlotte who was wrapped in a wool shawl. 

The Royal seal of approval is seen as a sign of highest quality. Tom Hainsworth, the managing director of Hainsworth, an internationally renowned manufacturer of woolen fabrics in the UK, says: “The royal seal of approval is important but there are also other reasons why wool is enjoying a resurgence. An increasing number of exciting British fashion and interior designers are approaching us. They want to work with us because they know that wool is such an exciting natural fabric with wonderful drape, structure and durability.”  In 2010, the Campaign for Wool was launched, with Prince Charles as the head of campaign, to promote high quality wool around the world. Like Langhorne Carpets, Hainsworth is also a supporter of the campaign and participates in its events. “The campaign is excellent for raising awareness about the unique benefits and versatility of wool in modern life. It is an extremely relevant fabric for modern living.”