Be inspired by Aspire

We are accustomed to taking design to new heights and now we have been able to put that to the test by creating a bespoke carpet for the new Aspire Lounge at George Best Belfast City Airport.

As part of a £1.2million investment, DV8 Designs set out to create a truly premium lounge service in line with the Aspire vision, whilst also integrating the unique geographical characteristics of Belfast and the surrounding region.

The world-famous Giant’s Causeway has influenced the tile flooring and LED lighting and to offset this our carpet design is influenced by thunderclouds.

When discussing options for the Aspire Lounge, the Arcus design from our Natura collection caught the eye of Jess Sutherland at DV8 Design. This design imitates the turbulent nature of clouds that form at the edge of a thunderstorm and Jess felt that it perfectly complemented the theme she wanted to achieve.

Using this design as a basis, we worked closely with Jess to bring in a touch of lightness and some much-needed pops of colour. This reimagining delivers the warm colours that conjure the required feelings of rest and relaxation that DV8 Design set out to achieve.

Graham Allen, Head of Lounges UK&I, concurs – “We are excited to unveil our new Aspire Lounge at George Best Belfast City Airport which showcases the Aspire brand and the rich culture of Belfast and beyond.

“The new lounge offers business travellers, families and individuals a welcoming, relaxing and energising experience before their flight, in a comfortable lounge that is recognisably Aspire, with a distinct sense of place.

“Guests can enjoy an enhanced food and beverage offering, work from purpose-built booths, or relax and soak up the view of the airfield and the surroundings.”

To discover more of our carpet design collaborations around the world, visit our Projects page. If you would like to enquire about bespoke carpet solutions for your venue, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Perched on the tip of the famous Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland, Ballygally Castle is a stunning 17^th Century Castle enjoyed by hotel guests from around the world.

Recognised as one of the Top 30 Best Hotels in the Rest of the UK in the prestigious 2022 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards, this unique hotel overlooks golden sands and stunning Irish coastline.

There has been a long-term connection between Ulster Carpets and Hastings Hotels – the owners of Ballygally Castle – and we were delighted to continue that relationship as part of this £100,000 refurbishment.

A spokesperson for Hastings Hotels said, “At Hastings Hotels we are delighted to work with Ulster Carpets across our six properties and most recently they supplied luxury carpets throughout Ballygally Castle as part of a £100,000 investment programme.

“The fabric and furnishings in every room of a hotel is of utmost importance and we are proud to work in partnership to create a visually striking experience for our guests and support the growth of this fantastic local company.”

This relationship with Hastings Hotels is indicative of the partnership approach that we take with every project.

Our world-class designers work closely with our customers to meet their specific requirements. The skills of our designers are matched by the versatility of our patented weaving technology that allows complete freedom in terms of colour and design.

That was important at Hastings Hotels as we looked to match the carpet design with the distinctive style within Ballygally Castle, including the renovation of Shaw’s Lunge and the addition of the new Seaview Suite.

Uniquely shaped by its imposing architecture, the Castle is bursting with rooms full of character and charm and the different carpet designs and colour palette clearly completement this.

To discover more of our carpet design collaborations around the world, visit our Projects page. If you would like to enquire about bespoke carpet solutions for your venue, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Our bespoke Axminster rugs feature in the wonderfully luxurious Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars.

Residing on the former grounds of King Henry VIII’s Bridewell Palace, the design by THDP was influenced by the building’s past life as a Royal palace while also taking inspiration from nearby Fleet Street.

The Grade II listed building is set right in the heart of London close to attractions such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tate Modern and South Bank and located directly outside Blackfriars station.

We worked closely with THDP to create oval and circular rugs to complement the modern style of the guestrooms within this historic setting.

Much like our wall-to-wall carpets, we offer a bespoke rug service. Our designers can create unique designs to match your hospitality setting,

This process worked perfectly at Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars with our designers building on our long-term relationship with THDP to match their influences.

To discover more of our carpet design collaborations around the world, visit our Projects page. If you would like to enquire about bespoke carpet solutions for your venue, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Long-term relationships are central to the success of Ulster Carpets and our work at Relais Cooden Beach marks a continuation of our success with renowned hotelier, Grace Leo.

Following on from our success at The Relais Henley – the first property to open under The Relais Retreats brand founded by Grace – we again used our design prowess to capture the English seaside vibe of this elegant hotel.

A stylish retreat on the Sussex coast, Relais Cooden Beach redefines the concept of English seaside hotels with its stylish new interiors.

Located on a private beach with uninterrupted views across the English Channel, the hotel embodies the sense of history and style that defines The Relais Retreats brand.

The Relais Henley was a 16^th Century property that hosted Kings, Queens and Heads of State and this sense of history can also be found at Relais Cooden Beach. Set in Bexhill-on-Sea, the former private home of the De La Warr family counts King George VI and his family; the young Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret the Duke of Windsor and Wallace Simpson as well as Winston Churchill amongst its notable guests.

The town is also known as the home of British motor racing after hosting the first automobile race in 1902.

This sense of history is offset by a refreshing interior design that captures the spirit of the British seaside and the ever-changing colours of the English Channel as well as being influenced by Nantucket, New England and Deauville.

The carpets and rugs designed and manufactured by Ulster for the guest rooms, corridors and public areas encapsulate this spirit perfectly.

The guestroom carpet design is the perfect example of this, with the style inspired by the English deck chair – a quintessential element of the British seaside – yet with a sophisticated colour palette that adds individuality.

In addition to the bespoke design, Natura Arcus Storm from our Contract Stock collection can be found in the meeting rooms.

This beachside retreat showcases the collaborative approach at Ulster Carpets that interior designers and hoteliers have come to trust.

To discover more of our carpet design collaborations around the world, visit our Projects page. If you would like to enquire about bespoke carpet solutions for your venue, don’t hesitate to contact us.

The iconic London skyline of St. Paul’s has been captured at Lost Property, St Paul’s, London through bespoke designs by Ulster Carpets.

An exceptional addition to Hilton’s Curio portfolio, this London hotel is a Grade II listed building that embodies its historic location and offers a unique guest experience.

Ica – one of the world’s leading hotel architecture and interior design practices – and Key Interior and Designs – a practice specialising in bespoke designs for luxury hotels and private residential clients, led by Rani Ahluwalia – played an integral role in the wider design team, ensuring that the client’s interior design aspirations were met.

Continuing to build on their long-term relationship, the collaboration between Ica, Key Interior and Designs and Ulster Carpets resulted in a series of designs that celebrates the hotel’s individual spirit, as defined by the uniqueness of the Curio collection.

This is particularly evident in the corridors. At Ulster Carpets, we are accustomed to creating designs that take their cues from a hotel’s overall style but, for the corridor carpet, we took inspiration from the instantly recognisable architecture of St Paul’s.

Enriched by pastel tones that add eye catching colour, this beautifully detailed carpet demonstrates Ulster’s ability to create precise detail.

Accentuating the Art Deco and mid-century design throughout the hotel, Ulster also designed and manufactured a series of bespoke carpets for the guestrooms and suites.

Through the use of different colours and styles that provide the various rooms with a distinctive identity, the guestroom carpets perfectly complement the hotel’s unique design features.

This includes the truly unique reception area where a custom wall display is offset by stunning lighting that, in turn, matches the colours and the ripple effect design of Ulster’s bespoke rugs.

Our work at Lost Property is the perfect example of The Art of Ulster concept. With patented weaving technology and world-class designers, Ulster Carpets can create bespoke carpets and rugs to match the essence of any venue.

The Art of Ulster concept is based around utilising the large canvas that flooring offers to create bespoke designs that would not look out of place in an art gallery. Instead, however, our inspiring creations are found in the world’s leading hotels, casinos and cruise ships.

If you’d like to see more of our collaborative design projects across the world, visit our Projects page. You can also discover more about design at Ulster on our Design Blog website, where we discuss the latest trends in design and showcase our design process on multiple bespoke projects.

Ulster Carpets offer premium bespoke carpets for boutique hotels around the world.

When it comes to attention to detail, few hotels will match the interior design standards of The Relais Henley.

Founded by international hotelier Grace Leo, this luxury boutique hotel lives up to her proven reputation of inventing, conveying, and developing hospitality venues with a distinctive design, personality and charm.

The first property to open under The Relais Retreats brand, The Relais Henley is located where the River Thames meets the historic market town of Henley.

The 16^th Century property has been at the heart of Henley-on-Thames for over 500 years and has hosted Kings, Queens and Heads of State and this sense of history is projected across the hotel.

The bespoke carpet designs we created for the Heritage Suites, guestrooms, the Palm Court Lounge, and the Clipper Restaurant were a result of a close collaboration with Grace Leo and the talented team at Pascal Allaman Design.

Pascal Allaman has worked on a number of projects with Grace Leo over the years from Paris, St Jean Cap Ferrat to Mustique.

Pascal commented, “This creation was a great experience of creative work in collaboration with the Ulster Carpets team in Paris.”

Nowhere is that more obvious than in the Palm Court Lounge, where we created a carpet to resemble a series of individual rugs. Rich in detail, the intricate design is a sum of its parts that reflects the visual depth that our patented weaving technology can create.

Grace said, “Our design inspiration for The Relais Henley came from the influence of the East Indian Trading company. Pascal wanted to create a patchwork of different rugs, Persian, Chinese, English, and working closely with Romain and Francoise at Ulster, they managed to get it fabricated as a wide carpet but still maintaining the 3D visual effect. We’ve had very positive feedback from our guests.”

The attention-to-detail is also reflected in the Clipper Restaurant where the biophilic design complements the relaxing essence of The Relais Henley.

Ulster have built a strong reputation for being able to translate a design theme into a detailed work of flooring art. Central to this is our talented team of world-class designers who are able to interpret concepts and transform them into detailed designs.

Our work on The Relais Henley also demonstrates the collaborative approach we take to every project. This results in mesmerising carpets of the highest quality.

To discover more of our carpet design collaborations around the world, visit our Projects page. If you would like to enquire about bespoke carpet solutions for your venue, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Ulster Carpets have completed work at the Leonardo London Heathrow Airport as part of a refurbishment project.

We worked alongside interior design practice, Cunningham McClean, to design and manufacture bespoke carpet that feature in Leonardo’s 230 guest rooms and the 11 meeting rooms that made the hotel so popular with business travellers and holiday makers.

The guest rooms feature different shades of mocha and plum that form part of bold symmetrical designs that coordinate perfectly together. The striped carpet design is contrasted by triangular wall patterns that both feature this same colour scheme.

For the meeting rooms, the symmetrical theme continues with a linear design but in a darker colour palette than the bedrooms that consists of varying grey green and charcoal shades.

Ulster’s carpet designs seamlessly match the distinctive style of the Leonardo brand while also meeting the added requirements of durability. Due to the hotel’s close proximity to Heathrow Airport, all the 230 guest rooms are soundproofed and this prerequisite for a quiet night’s sleep is further enhanced by the proven sound absorption qualities of Ulster’s wool-rich carpets.

Leonardo Hotels and Jurys Inn are both part of the Fattal Group and we’re delighted to be continuing to work with both brands. We have already designed and manufactured bespoke carpets for Leonardo Royal London Tower Bridge, Leonardo Royal London City and Leonardo Royal Southampton Grand Harbour while our strong relationship with Jurys Inn has been in place for over 20 years.

Discover Ulster’s bespoke classic carpet designs at the historic Thornbury Castle.

Once the favoured escape of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Thornbury Castle is a luxurious retreat fit for royalty.

Fittingly, the Tudor castle’s guestrooms, suites and corridors are now adorned with bespoke classic carpets designed and manufactured by Ulster Carpets. Our carpets also feature in The Barron’s Sitting Room, which is one of the castle’s meeting rooms and event spaces.

Located in the village of Thornbury, not far from Bristol, this beautiful location is steeped in English history, with links right back to William the Conqueror.

The castle was originally conceived and constructed by Edward Stafford, the only man to rival the king’s wealth and status at that time. But when Stafford was executed for treason, King Henry VIII took the castle for himself and spent his honeymoon with Anne Boleyn there.

We worked closely with the team from Milan-based, international architectural firm, MMA Projects, on Thornbury Castle to give this one-of-a-kind destination, one-of-a-kind carpet.

Their focus was on giving each room its own look, so we created a distinctive classic carpet design for each guestroom and suite. The common thread between each one is that our carpets match the grandeur of the Tudor period and the distinctive décor that ranges from ornate ceilings and detailed wall hangings to window seats and four-poster beds.

This is particularly noticeable in the King Henry VIII Suite – a room that the king himself stayed in, in 1535. The beautifully ornate ceiling is an eye-catching feature that is perfectly complemented by a detailed carpet design in the Tudor style.

Thornbury Castle is a perfect example of The Art of Ulster. Our designers have been able to add layers of depth and detail to each carpet that add to the unique character of this unique hotel.

This level of intricate detail is only possible because of the combination of our world-class designers and our patented weaving technology – two key factors that set Ulster apart from our rivals.

To see more of our bespoke carpet projects around the world, go to our Projects page.

The artful elegance of Mayfair provided the inspiration for the bespoke carpet designs by Ulster at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square.

The 5-star experience at this beautiful hotel has been enhanced through a renovation that has honed in on both the architectural sophistication of the building itself and the surrounding area.

The project is another great example of Ulster’s collaborative approach. We worked with the talented team at RPW Design to create custom carpets for the ballroom, M Club, guestrooms, suites and corridors.

In line with the design philosophy influenced by architectural focal points, the carpet designs are influenced by the ironwork detailing that can be found in Mayfair. This ironwork inspiration is also embedded in a neutral colour palette that is accented by navy and grey tones.

The subtle variations on this design theme create a sense of continuity throughout the various areas of the hotel; matching a style that embodies the Marriott’s home-away-from-home values.

Being able to turn a design vision into a reality is one of the clear advantages of working with Ulster. Design is at the very heart of our custom carpets and with some of the best designers in the world, we can create unlimited design possibilities for every space.

This design expertise is matched by a patented weaving system that delivers a greater degree of design intricacy, an enhanced spectrum of colour and an unrivalled level of efficiency. Being in control of every aspect of the manufacturing process also ensures the essential factors of sustainability, serviceability and practicality are incorporated into every carpet.

If you’d like to see more of our collaborative design projects across the world, visit our Projects page. You can also discover more about design at Ulster on our Design Blog website, where we discuss the latest trends in design and showcase our design process on multiple bespoke projects.