Deirdre Dyson

Deirdre Dyson has long been known for her nature-inspired carpet designs, and this year’s themed Plumage Collection is no different. Unveiled at Maison et Objet in January, the nine designs take inspiration from the forms, colours and feathers of a variety of birds. Harlequin, for instance, combines the bright ultramarine blue and cherry red of a pretty sea duck, while Eagle depicts this majestic bird’s wingspan on a 3.4m-wide carpet – the large scale allows for intricate feathered detail and directional colour grading, creating a 3D effect.

‘In this collection, I have delved deep into the feathers of pheasants and abstracted designs of ducks,’ explains Deirdre. ‘Together, the carpets make a collection of colourful drama and soft luxury and in creating them our brilliant craftspeople have succeeded with the most difficult technical challenges I have ever set them.’ The collection includes Plumes, an intricate design of interlocking feather barbs on a navy background and Golden Pheasant, with a rich palette that reflects the tones of this colourful game bird.

Alongside the annual collection, Deirdre produces bespoke designs and receives commissions from around the world from individuals, designers and architects. Her original concepts, drawings and paintings are accurately reproduced digitally, which allows both Deirdre and her clients to visualise the designs before they are produced and ensure that the carpets – either hand-knotted by artisan craftsmen in Nepal, or gun-tufted here in the UK – are as close as possible to the original artwork.

The attention to detail in the design process (Deirdre personally selects colours from over 5,000 different hues of pure Tibetan wool and Chinese silk) is mirrored in the production, with each rug made to an exacting quality. The weavers first create an intricately-detailed, coloured map of the designs, which is printed full size and hung over the top of the loom for each worker to follow. It is painstaking work: 100 hand stitches make up the size of a postage stamp. Deirdre has a close working relationship with the artisans who create her carpets, which enables her to meet with them regularly to talk through new ideas and technical possibilities.

Deirdre Dyson carpets are designed to be contemporary collectibles that stand alone as artworks for the floor and, increasingly, on walls too. With the resurgence of interest in textile art and clients often choosing to hang her carpets (the pile height can be lowered to reduce weight), Deirdre has begun creating limited edition carpet artworks. Her first, Unbound, which is available in a limited edition of three, was exhibited earlier this year as part of Curation of the Finest, a collection of rare and one-off objects showcased by The Luxury Cave at the London Design Museum.

The age-old craft of hand knotting that transforms Deirdre’s inspired sketches and vibrant colour selections into artworks is slow design at its finest, and a comprehensive collection of her designs can be seen at her gallery on the King’s Road. Whether displayed on the floor or the wall, these are heirloom quality pieces designed to last a lifetime.