A collaborative journey on timeless design

Woven Works was born out of a desire to build a collaborative, inspiring and conscious community around artful objects made by weaving – in other words ‘woven works’. 

Our roots go back 60 years, when our founder Henri’s grandfather Arvo established his rug mill in the Nordic rug capital of Kauhava. Back then, the small town had hundreds of independent weavers, most running their rug “side hustle” while being first and foremost farmers.

It was all very sustainable: rugs were mostly made of recycled yarns and fabrics. It was very collaborative: mill owners would sell their yarns to makers and buy finished rugs to be sold at market squares and shops across the Nordics.

Since then, the art of making sustainable and long-lasting rugs by hand has evolved into a global carpet industry where the market requires ever cheaper products at an ever-faster pace, which typically means mass production from plastic-based fibres (mainly polyester). Is there a way to challenge this general trend?

We felt we needed to go back to our roots and find ways to redefine the rug making in a way that benefit customers, makers and the world.

We found a perfect partner in our long time supplier Mr. Ansari, who runs his own family business in India and shares our dedication in making products of the highest quality. Together, we’re innovating ways to design, produce and transport rugs.

We believe that Nordic / Scandinavian design will change the world. It is an all-encompassing philosophy with heavy focus on practicality and sustainability. Hence, collaborating with the best designers and rising talents is the only way to bring about this change.

We’re on a journey, constantly learning and striving to be better. We believe that the best design is timeless – products are not just used, they are carefully maintained, and their value may even appreciate. This is how we will change the rug making for the better.

This is a collaborative journey on timeless design.