Ulster Carpets worked with GA Design to create stunning bespoke woven axminster carpets for corridors and guest rooms in Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel, London.
This historic 5 star hotel is located on the famed Park Lane in London’s Mayfair district, close to Oxford Street, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. It was the lush parkland which inspired the sophisticated carpet design. A delicate foliage pattern gently winds through the corridors. Rich golden leaves are carefully layered over soft greys to create depth and add warmth. This beautiful autumnal effect continues into the elegant guest rooms linking them to the corridors by colour and pattern.
Ulster has a long established relationship with the Marriott group having completed a number of projects in cities around the world including Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow, Munich and Dubai.
Ulster Carpets’ London based team has relocated to Clerkenwell, the capital’s vibrant, creative heart.
Clerkenwell is renowned as a global design hub, home to numerous designers, architects and creative businesses. Although Ulster Carpets has long been established in London, it is now proud to be situated in this bustling design district.
Ulster’s team is also boosting its numbers with additional design, sales and project management staff.
The new London office is now located at:
Unit 1 Compton Courtyard
40 Compton Street
London
EC1V 0BD
Ulster Carpets produces striking axminster carpets that beautifully enhance the interior of many prestigious establishments such as The Ritz, The Savoy, and Indigo Hotel London – Aldgate. By combining creative design talent with Ulster’s unique weaving technology PSYLO™, we can offer unlimited design possibilities to create bespoke masterpieces.
Ulster Carpets’ new Dye House and Energy Centre, situated at the company’s headquarters in Northern Ireland will not only facilitate a number of manufacturing efficiencies, it will also bring with it many environmental benefits in line with the company’s Sustainability Policy.
A dedicated building, state-of-the art technology and a complete move to package dyeing from hank, will increase capacity and improve the efficiency of the whole process providing faster response times.
The new dye house will deliver 20% more efficiencies than the building and processes that it replaces. This is mainly due to new a automated dispensing system that allows more accuracy on the weighing of dyes and chemicals.
New technology means that cycle times are reduced by eliminating the requirement to neutralise each dye lot as it is processed, therefore producing more dye lots per day.
Package dyeing uses considerably less water (40%), heat (25%) and chemicals (5-10%) per kilogram of yarn processed, and the system’s capabilities means a greater amount of dye lots can be produced in one day, making the new dye house more energy efficient.
At present, while much of the water used in the dye process is taken from Ulster’s own borehole, the rest comes from the local town supply. A reduction of 40% in water requirements minimises usage from the town supply reducing the environmental impact of the dye house on the local area.
The building has been designed and constructed by local businesses. This is a deliberate strategy by Ulster Carpets, supported by Invest NI, to continue to invest in Northern Ireland’s economy and to support local jobs.
Inspired by the striking, seasonal panoramas of the Danube River from Passau, Germany to Budapest, Hungary, the design of the Crystal Mozart is an enchanting blend of old world charm and luxurious elegance. Refurbished in late June 2016, it was specifically designed to fit into wider locks of the Danube River, which majestically glides under low bridges past historic villages and lush landscapes. Its refurbishment allowed for the design of some of the most spacious river cruise cabins afloat.
A six-star luxury river boat resembling a high-end hotel or luxury flat, an elegant land-based design aesthetic was achieved to ground the interiors. All suites featured custom sumptuous carpets with standout patterns that were inspired by the reflection of water.
The corridor leading to the penthouse suites is differentiated by a distinctive plush carpet with an organic and whimsical pattern enhanced by a rich and contrasting colour scheme. The dynamic pattern animates the corridors while enhancing the natural flow of movement.
Well received by the client and passengers alike, the Crystal Mozart continues to be celebrated with notable accolades. Most recently, II BY IV DESIGN was honoured at the 2017 SBID International Design Awards in London, where it was selected as a finalist in the Hotel Bedroom & Suites Design category. This project was also shortlisted at the Gold Key Awards in the best suite category.
The Lough Erne Resort and Spa is located on the outskirts of Enniskillen, is an award winning 5 star hotel famed for its stunning views of Lough Erne and Castle Hume Lough.
Ulster Carpets were delighted to work with the luxury resort to create custom pieces for The Ross Suite, which were designed to complement the natural surroundings and striking architectural look of the resort.
Using a colour palette of soft beiges, teals, deep grey blues and accents of turquoise, Ulster’s designers infused intricate ‘lace’ patterns with a geometric design and distressed texture that runs throughout each area creating a somewhat Persian feel.
Inspired by the lough, a water themed ‘stria’ design was introduced in the pre-function area to emphasise the connection with the water outside. Continuing into the larger function area, the stria flows across the entire room, intertwined with the repeating geometric pattern and larger interlocking motifs.
Visit our gallery to see more projects completed by Ulster Carpets.
UK based cruise operative Cunard has relaunched it’s flagship, Queen Mary 2, after a £90 million refurbishment. The iconic vessel has long been a part of the great ocean liner history and has been lovingly remastered. Taking design inspiration from the original Queen Mary, it is now the last remaining transatlantic ocean liner in the world. The QM2 Remastered took it’s maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in June 2016 and our Design Archivist, Sue, was one of it’s 2,600 passengers. (You can read more about Sue’s experience of the ship on our blog.)
Ulster were delighted to design and manufacture bespoke carpets for this magnificent ship. This mammoth project involved 21,500 square metres of Ulster carpet including our striking starburst carpet in the Grand Lobby Entrance. Watch the short video below to see the skill and effort that went into the carpeting of the iconic QM2.
It can be hard to imagine the colossal amount of work and dedication it has taken to complete this project, the whole refurbishment took 1 million hours to design and 8 million hours to build! At the time Alison Clixby (Director of Hotel Design and Projects) who was heavily involved in carpeting the ship spoke to the Telegraph “Carpet designs are overflowing my desk and there are 33 shipping containers of Ulster Carpets waiting to be given the once-over at dry dock.” She also recognises the advancement of technology in recent years which has made the whole project more efficient. Times, says Clixby, have changed. “Advancements in technology mean we can do things with design that people would never have dreamed of 80 years ago. For example, for our carpets on QM2, we can load up to 20 colours on weaving looms to create complex, computer-generated colour blends. Before, these processes would involve months of laborious manual colour changes.”
Our stunning Queen Mary 2 carpets were designed and crafted in the UK and the beautiful patterns are a subtle nod to the regal heritage of the ship. All of the designs are truly exceptional with many boasting intricate and 3 dimensional elements. The geometric prints epitomise an era of luxury, sophistication and glamour; sentiments which are evident through the opulent and cohesive decor scheme on board. Although the ships interiors are inspired by the history of the ship, the carpets designed by Ulster bring an element of modernism while fitting in perfectly with the traditional aspects. The colours were carefully selected to complement the striking designs, with royal reds, golds and deep sea blues flowing under your feet. The most fabulous carpeting feature is without a doubt the retro style ‘starburst’ carpet in the atrium, which has received countless compliments!
Ulster Carpets Designs for Queen Mary 2
As well as the liners beautiful new carpets, there were many other improvements including a newly fitted kennel deck, refurbished restaurants and 50 new cabins. This luxury liner give passengers a truly glamorous experience while maintaining it’s art deco era influences. All in all the new Queen Mary 2 has been a huge success and we were proud to be part of the remaking of this iconic cruise liner.
Located in Dublin’s cosmopolitan south side, the Burlington Hotel has long been one of the city’s most stylish and prestigious hotels. Ulster Carpets are therefore delighted to have recently been involved in the multi million pound refurbishment of the hotel since its rebrand by DoubleTree by Hilton.
Ulster worked closely with Glasgow based interior designers, Cunningham McLean to create over 16,000sq m of bespoke carpet for the entire hotel refurbishment.
The hotel’s business centre and magnificent ballroom, received an abstract touch with a design of blues, greens and browns on a neutral background mimicking brush strokes. This textural, layered effect could only be achieved thanks to Ulster’s unique PSYLO™ technology which allows designers freedom to use up to 25 colours, without the need for a repeating pattern.
The restaurant’s classical design gave a nod to the hotel’s traditional values, but with a modern twist. A rich tonal palette added depth and movement to the designs creating a warm atmosphere for the hotel diners. Also refurbished were the 501 guestrooms which are popular with business customers and tourists alike. A simple but striking geometric design with greys, greens and subtle yellow tones pulled together the whole interior scheme and created a calming space for customers to relax.
Ulster has recently completed a project at The Morrison Hotel, Dublin which is now also under the DoubleTree Hilton brand. This represents a long standing relationship between Ulster Carpets and the Hilton Group both within the UK, Ireland and internationally. Ulster Carpets is proud to count hotels such as the Hilton Newark Airport, New Jersey and Hilton Grand Vacations Craigendarroch among their project list.
Ulster Carpets was delighted to be included in the latest article by PWC ‘Changing Times’.
Next year, Ulster Carpets will celebrate 80 years of carpet manufacturing. Dedicated to producing the finest axminster and wilton products, to this day the family owned company remains committed to the original Ulster ethos based on growth and development. Whilst tough trading and financial periods have seen many of their competitors move their operations abroad, Ulster’s long term strategy and proactive business approach has enabled them to withstand the crisis and ensure all wilton and axminster manufacturing remains within the UK and Ireland. From the buying and processing of the wool in Ulster Yarns in Dewsbury, to the winding, dyeing and weaving at the Castleisland site in County Armagh, Ulster have control over every aspect of the process ensuring the quality of the carpet is of the highest standard.
People are at the heart of Ulster Carpets and it is the passion and dedication of its employees that sets them apart from the competition. Continuous demand for their products around the world, combined with expansion into new export markets has led to a recent increase in employment levels with 20 new jobs being created, providing a welcome boost to the local economy. Each year Ulster also runs a graduate scheme, taking on students across all areas of the business including design, sales, engineering and operations.
Technology and innovation is part of the Ulster Carpets’ ethos. Their patented PSYLO™ technology, which allows designers to use a superior number of colours without the need for a repeating pattern, has enabled them to become a market leader in the manufacturing of bespoke Axminster designs for the hospitality, cruise liner and casino markets. To date they have supplied some of the world’s most famous venues including the Ritz Paris, The Regent Fleet Seven Seas Explorer and the Burj Arab Hotel in Dubai.
In addition, investment in infrastructure plays a huge role in their growth and development. As part of a £35 million regeneration of all woven manufacturing facilities at their Northern Ireland headquarters, last year saw the completion of a brand new state-of-the-art Dye House and Energy Centre, designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce the company’s carbon footprint. The remaining phases of the redevelopment will be rolled out in the coming years.
Nick Coburn, Group Managing Director and Deputy Chairman commented:
“Ulster’s continued focus on innovation and investment has enabled us to grow and maintain our competitive advantage. We are a family owned, but professionally managed business committed to operating as a vertically integrated, self-sufficient company in order to maximise our control over the entire manufacturing process. This will ensure we continue to strengthen our position as a premium carpet brand in the years to come.”
Ulster Carpets has launched their new design blog. You can expect to see prestigious projects, design inspiration and collections from our portfolio as well as events we have attended.
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