English Carpets by Way of Nepal

Morgan Ashard's lustrous bespoke carpets combine Nepalese craftsmanship, Old World motifs, and a modern sensibility.

Based in Somerset, England, Lizzy Ashard and Stephen Morgan worked in set and TV design, product design, and ceramics before creating their bespoke carpet company, Morgan Ashard. The rugs and carpets are made by skilled carpet makers in Nepal. Ashard says, "Lizzy and I often start with something which may be familiar, but add a modern twist and perhaps a different context or different scale. Our carpets are based on such diverse influences as traditional Nepalese aprons to Georgian wallpapers. We hope that the carpets sit well in both period and contemporary interiors." For more information, visit Morgan Ashard.

Above: Reverse IVa Carpet is based on the reverse side of a piece of mid-Georgian embroidery.

Above: Morgan Ashard's carpets, such as the Putty Damask Carpet, shown here, are handmade by skilled Nepalese carpet makers using Tibetan wool. The wool is hand-carded and then knotted at 100 knots per square inch, making them lustrous but hard-wearing.

Above: The Moghul Blue Carpet was inspired by a wall painting in Bundi, India.

Above: To Have and to Hold Carpet was a commission for a solicitor's reading room, and is based on early 18th-century property deeds on vellum.

N.B.: This post is an update; we first wrote about Morgan Ashard Carpets on October 9, 2009.