Tag Archives: The Art of Ulster

The ballroom carpet at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

Capturing the Essence of Design

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With its Victorian architecture and fresh approach to hospitality, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is the perfect expression of its Manchester setting – a city where tradition and modernity meet and where artisanship reigns supreme. Ulster Carpets aimed to match this setting with a bespoke ballroom carpet designed specifically for the landmark hotel.

This expression also encapsulates Ulster’s shared blend of traditional craftmanship and modern innovation – as demonstrated within this bespoke ballroom carpet that Ulster have designed and manufactured for Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.

Luxury interior design studio, Goodard Littlefair, wonderfully blended the existing elements of this magnificent terracotta Grade II-listed building with the modern expectations of glamour and luxury of today’s guests.

Many of these ideas find a voice in the ballroom, where our designers perfectly captured this narrative within the carpet design. While the ballroom, which can cater for up to 1,000 people, features charming Edwardian detailing and unique feature lighting, the striking carpet design adds a touch of vibrancy.

The ballroom carpet at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in Manchester
The beautiful ballroom design at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester (image courtesy of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel).

In addition, a scaled down version of this bespoke carpet design in a more muted colour pattern can be found in the public areas, adding to the sense of continuity throughout the hotel.

Both designs feature a bold, structured pattern that creates the depth and texture that Ulster is renowned for and in a style that embodies the high standards set by Kimpton.

This is only possible because of the talented carpet designers at Ulster. Their meticulous attention-to-detail is matched by patented weaving technology that brings our beautiful carpet designs to life and creates what we call The Art of Ulster.

Take a look at some more examples of The Art of Ulster from across the world in our Project Gallery, where you can discover our bespoke carpet designs in the world’s leading hospitality and marine venues.

Demonstrating The Art of Ulster

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The Art of Ulster is based around utilising the large canvas that flooring offers to create bespoke carpet designs.

Two recent projects demonstrate this concept perfectly.

The Drake is synonymous with Chicago and decade after decade it has welcomed some of the world’s most famous names, including Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe. Our custom carpet graces The Grand Ballroom, The French Room and the adjoining pre-function and it reflects our ability to create stunning bespoke carpet designs.

The Grand Ballroom Carpet at The Drake Hotel in Chicago

Our world-class design team created a bespoke carpet pattern that displays real artistry. From the balcony overlooking The Grand Ballroom you can see a custom carpet design that is impactful in its timeless elegance. But look closer, and you will see meticulous levels of detail.

Details of the Grand Ballroom carpet at The Drake Hotel in Chicago

At The Drake, the focus was on retaining the hotel’s sense of history and inimitable style but our work at Saint Kate the Arts Hotel in Milwaukee provided a completely different challenge.

This unique boutique arts hotel has been created by artists for artists and is a one-of-a-kind destination.

Saint Kate is not just a hotel. It has its own theatre and multiple gallery and exhibition spaces, with evocative art located at every turn. So, it was important that the flooring also had an artistic touch.

Carpet in the corridor and ballroom at St. Kate the Arts Hotel in Milwaukee

Using a common colour bank to create a sense of continuity, our bespoke carpets can be found from the lobby right through to the impressive Simone Ballroom. Transitions of textures and overlapping colours and patterns accentuate the hotel’s style without being overpowering, allowing the various art exhibitions to make the real impact.

The Drake and Saint Kate The Arts Hotel may be two very different venues but what they have in common is a distinctive design aesthetic that reflects their unique character.

The bespoke carpet solutions created by Ulster show the versatility of our designers. Our partnership approach is key to transforming design ideas into reality and the proof of this can be found in hotels, casinos and cruise ships across the world.

We combine the unique talents of our designers with patented weaving technology that gives them the freedom to express their creativity. Thanks to this weaving technology and the talents of our designers, there are no limits to the design possibilities that we can create!

Take a closer look at The Drake and Saint Kate The Arts Hotel in our Project Gallery