Tania Johnson is a designer of custom made hand knotted rugs, with her own company Tania Johnson Design, working in New York and the UK. Her rug collections is inspired by the natural world and the minute details of nature. Tania graduated from London’s Royal College of Art with a Masters in woven textiles. She has also spent 15 years working for top design brands, including Calvin Klein Home and Martha Stewart. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Tania Johnson.
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1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?
Constantly inspired by the patterns that form and change around us, I love capturing fleeting moments in time such as light, shadows and reflections and recreating these moments as rugs.
2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?
Every rug starts with a photograph I have taken. Using specialised textile software, I create the design and weaving graph. The weavers then follow this to hand knot each rug.
3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?
One of my first jobs was at Calvin Klein Home, designing woven fabrics for the brand’s bedding line. The Design Director at the time, Pamela Schumacher, was incredibly talented with a beautiful sense of design and colour. She helped me to develop both my creative process and my personal aesthetic. When I start a new design, I often still consider what she would think. Fortunately she loves the collection.
4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?
My inspiration comes from the photographs I have taken and my background in weaving enables me to transform these into rug designs while retaining the intricacy of the original inspiration.
5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
Having children helped shape my career development. Running my own business means I can work flexible hours while still overseeing the entire production process, from design through to manufacture in Nepal. I am constantly learning and I think good work experience, plus a bit of faith and courage, are invaluable.
