Barefoot on Plastic

“Mediterraneo”, the new range of fitted carpets by Object Carpet, is made of plastics, i.e., fabric or carpet scraps from the textiles industry. Different yarns made of these raw materials are then spun using traditional methods, producing results with a surprising look and feel to them. This material can even outperform natural materials, since carpets made from it can be processed multiple times.

This carpet collection was developed by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez for and with Object Carpet. And it’s not the first collaboration between the long-standing Denkendorf-based flooring manufacturer and the Italian designers. “We designed our first collection with Object Carpet years ago – back then, our main aim was to meet the requirements for modern interior design in hotels,” comments Rodriguez. “And as Mediterraneo has once again demonstrated, the team at Object Carpet has turned out to be an excellent partner, coming up with groundbreaking solutions for a new kind of flooring in an uncomplicated, quick and professional manner.” And indeed, what Thun and Rodriguez were after was to develop a form of carpeting for their own projects with a natural appearance and robust, durable qualities – without making any concessions in terms of aesthetics.

With Object Carpet, where they have made it their mission to switch over to duo material for the majority of their products by 2024, they welcomed our suggestion with open arms. We went simply wild about the architecture and designs by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez. Not totally loud, not especially gaudy, but instead unobtrusive and extremely powerful. You feel immediately comfortable in a room that is their work. Everything is perfectly coordinated and harmonious.”

For their joint project the creative team took its inspiration from nature, as Rodriguez explains: "What inspired us was being able to come up with the kind of feel, materiality and nuanced shades, the like of which has never been available before in carpets. "Mediterraneo" stands at once for lightness and effortlessness. It conveys the feel of a Mediterranean heritage – which also explains its name.” The waste plastic is processed in a multistage procedure in which the collected, sorted and cleaned waste material is transformed into polyester chips. These are subsequently processed into filament fibers, from which the carpeting is then made. In the latter case, the manufacturing differs from the processing of new polyester. As Rodriguez explains, this has allowed the company to bring traditional values and craftsmanship up into the 21st-century industrial age: "With 'Mediterraneo' it was our aim to reinterpret the ancient tradition of the Mediterranean weaving mills in the process. This tradition, which started with the ancient Egyptians and is still to be found nowadays all along the Mediterranean coastline, uses natural fibers. With the expertise of Object Carpet and the common desire for innovation and a ‘woke’ approach we have replaced these fibers with the kind that consist mainly of waste plastic dredged from the Mediterranean.”

The result is a collection of carpets that are rectangular, square and round in shape, that dry quickly, are dirt repellent, colorfast and waterproof. “Mediterraneo” comes in four differing woven pattern and three different shades drawn with a natural palette and is available both “off the roll” and as individual carpets (RUGX). The collection’s natural character is accentuated by a special kind of edging. The stitched edges with open yarn ends tell of the Mediterranean lifestyle as well as making light of the robust demands of outdoor use. The edging for the round “Mediterraneo” carpets is slightly different: The latter are bordered by exclusive textile webbing in the same color. Literally an entirely successful project, as Matteo Thun stresses: "As architects we have been just waiting to develop a low-waste carpet collection that is also suitable for outdoor use – the result is a beautifully structured material. We are extremely pleased with the results!”