Design Classic: Swirl Rug

Designer: Sir Paul Smith, 2000.

Details: Hand-knotted, cut-pile Tibetan wool rug,from £1,552, The Rug Company (opens in new tab).

Created by one of the foremost UK fashion designers to collaborate with leading brands across the interiors world, Sir Paul Smith’s Swirl rug for The Rug Company gives his signature stripes a psychedelic twist, washing across the floor in wave-like forms.

The colour-banded weave is cleverly drawn out, adding an illusionary op-art element to the mix – even the tones are carefully calibrated to coalesce rather than clash.

Sir Paul’s renowned tailoring is a byword for precision-cut cloth, beautifully sculpted for contemporary taste. What’s less well-known is that when he was approached by The Rug Company’s founders, Suzanne and Christopher Sharp, to produce the design (the couple first met him while Christopher was being fitted for a suit), it wasn’t expected to be such a game changer.

‘I famously said it wouldn’t sell well,’ says Suzanne. ‘Now, it’s one of our bestsellers.’

The secret to its success? Sir Paul has a theory. ‘I believe people like the bright colours and the optimism they represent,’ he says. ‘Optimism isn’t always easy to come by in today’s world, so I think that’s why it stands out.’

Coupled with The Rug Company’s own philosophy of teaming creativity with craft – each rug takes four months to make: the Tibetan wool is first washed by a mountain river, before being dried on the banks and then transported to Kathmandu to be spun, dyed and woven – it’s an uplifting design guaranteed to both elevate your mood and transform a room. And it feels divine underfoot…