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Travel Series

Travel series: Colombia

 

In the latest episode of our travel series, we’re taking you on a journey through Colombia. The South American country has so many hidden gems, that we skipped the usual tourist hotspot of Cartagena and went off the beaten track. Expect tons of inspiration, both from nature and from cities such as Bogota and Medellín. There’s a vibrant artist and design community that has worked hard these past years to create its own unique story and identity.

 

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Travel Series

Travel series: The wonders of Peru

In this episode of our travel series, you can join us on an exploration tour of Peru, a magnificent country that goes beyond the wonder that is Machu Picchu. A country known for its diverse climates and topography, it is also a culinary force that is gaining worldwide recognition rapidly.

We’re visiting the area around Trujillo, home to the Temple of the Moon and the Temple of the Sun from the Moche empire. On the other side of this town, you find the remnants of another dynasty, the Chimu. Chan Chan is a massive complex home to several palaces built from adobe bricks. This is in great contrast with the setting of Machu Picchu, which most definitely remains the highlight of this Peru tour. A stop that definitely should be on your Peru bucket list is exploring the Peruvian jungle in Amazonia, as well as discovering the incredible food culture in the capital Lima. We hope you enjoy our travel series and our tour of Peru.

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Travel Series

Travel series: Milan design week 2021, a video review

We’re heading to Northern Italy for the 2021 edition of Milan Design Week. Postponed due to the pandemic from April 2020 to April 2021 and then again postponed to last week. We’re so happy it finally did happen and you could sense the enthusiasm among attendees. For the occasion, the Milan Furniture Fair was branded as a Supersalone, a more intimate version awaiting the 60th edition of the Salone del Mobile from the 5th to the 10th of April 2022. In the city center, we’re taking you on a tour of the different design districts and the many events happening at showrooms. To us, it is there that the magic of Milan Design Week is to be found.

However, this wouldn’t be a true Talk Carpet Travel Series if we don’t let you explore what else Northern Italy has to offer. So get ready for a serious dose of charming and romantic Italy, by visiting Lake Como, Verona and Venice. And what a perfect time to stop in Venice while the Biennale of Architecture 2021 is still running through November. The central theme of the Biennale is “How will we live together”, a relevant topic that is marvelously answered by architects from around the world.

 

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Travel Series

Travel series: Trends in design

 

 

In this episode of our travel series, we’re taking a look back at all the incredible places we discovered the past year. Each month we have traveled to a different region, providing us with a very wide and varied look into design and it’s inspiration. 

We’re linking our one-year recap to three design trends that have emerged in 2021: biophilic interior design, a move towards more graphic patterns, and the prominent use of bold colors. For each of these trends, our creative director shows you inspirational places that will definitely provide you with a good dose of ideas within that trend aesthetic. After which we zoom in on a few interiors that incorporate each trend successfully, followed by some of our own material palettes and custom patterns within each design trend. 

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Travel Series

Travel series: Egypt

Get yourself ready for a complete change of scenery and culture, this month we’re exploring vibrant Egypt in our travel series. In this fourth episode, our creative director Christophe takes you on a road trip along the Nile and discovery of the bustling city of Caïro.

Egypt has long been an enchanting travel destination thanks to its enormously rich cultural history and interesting mix with its Arabic heritage. We’re visiting ancient pyramids in Giza and Saqqara, mortuary temples, tombs in the Valley of the Kings, mosques, and other historic monuments. However, we’re also taking time to immerse ourselves in the modern-day culture and design of Egypt by meeting up with some of the top creatives.

 

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Travel Series

Travel series: Armenia

 

Join us on an exploration trip of modern-day Armenia in the third episode of our Talk Carpet Travel Series. We’re meeting several creatives and explore the influence of its rich past on current-day design and architecture.

We’re starting our Armenia discovery trip in the capital Yerevan, where we meet the team from A&L architecture for breakfast. They’re taking us on a walking tour of the city discovering Soviet and Brutalist architecture. There are so many really intriguing buildings, often left unmaintained and unrespected. We do stumble upon a coffee shop, Sweet Coast, that takes cues from this architecture and incorporates it successfully into a trendy restaurant design. Another coffee shop worth mentioning is Afrolab, a soothing and modern design focused on natural materials. While we’re in the world of hospitality design, we have a meeting with Futuris Architects to discuss their latest restaurant project J Cook and a preview of an industrial-style home in Northern California. More noteworthy moments in Yerevan are our visit to the Tumo center, providing free education for teenagers in technology and design. Their approach to learning is truly innovative and highly personalized.

In the second segment of our Armenia Travel Series, we’re exploring the countryside with a visit to Dilijan, Spitak, Lake Sevan, and Gyumri. Alongside the roads, we discover incredible nature and many abandoned remnants from Soviet times. We’re also meeting up with Storaket architects to visit two of their education projects. One of them is the Dilijan Central School, located in what’s called Armenian Switzerland.