Don't forget what's underfoot, when you're decorating your home—look to the rugs of Tai Ping for design inspiration
Thinking of luxury interior design might prompt you to look up at cascading chandeliers or stunning art on the walls, but you would be remiss not to consider what’s underfoot. A beautiful carpet can add comfort, a sense of warmth and well-being as well as improved acoustics to a room.
Some firms, such as Hong Kong textiles company House of Tai Ping, have elevated textiles to such an art form that its products have found their way into the homes of Hollywood actors (Tom Hanks, Gwyneth Paltrow) and palaces (Buckingham Palace, the King of Thailand’s palace).
With a brand presence in Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East, House of Tai Ping creates products for some of the top luxury hospitality, residential and retail brands across the globe, along with carpeting for yachts and private jets; in Singapore, the company’s collections are distributed by luxury carpet and rug firm Etesse.
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When the firm was founded in 1956, it was due to practical business sense rather than a vision to transform luxury textiles design. Brothers Lawrence and Horace Kadoorie of the industrialist, philanthropic and hospitality Kadoorie family in Hong Kong established the brand along with seven other businessmen.
The idea was to provide employment opportunities to Hong Kong’s rapidly increasing population as well as to appeal to Western consumers with an eye for Asian design. Originally dubbed the Hong Kong Carpet Manufacturers, the company began as a workshop in Tuen Mun where around 30 workers created Tianjin-style knotted carpets.
(Related: 5 Spots In Hong Kong For Design Lovers)