Nayla Ventura was born in Barcelona and grew up in a beautiful large flat with these gorgeous and famous floors in modernist tiles. One can say she had a rather stylish start into her life. Maybe the first inspiration for her lovely business called Rug Your Life!
Nayla then enjoyed most of her adult life in Germany, where her daughter was born.And moved on to Hong Kong, where her son was born, and moved back to Germany again. A true world woman with a multinational family alongside her.
Today, Nayla’s heart beats for all three of her ‘home countries’. She says: ‘I love how we can belong to completely different places, just by deciding to. Feeling home is very important for me and it has to do much more with myself and the people and things I choose to surround myself with than with the country itself.’
Today I am talking with Nayla about her business, children’s art as unique handmade rugs, and how it started. Her dreams and how a rug can be pure joie de vivre. Enjoy:
What is the story behind Rug Your Life and when did you start the company?
It was back in January 2010, when I was expecting my baby daughter. Like all parents, I absolutely wanted for her to have the most warm welcome into this world. My vision was for her to have a beautiful soft rug, handmade in the best materials, from a drawing that her own father had painted as a little boy. The painting was overflowing with imagination and joy and that was exactly what I wanted her room to feel like.
When the rug arrived, it was just incredible. The feeling is very hard to describe and it is something everyone should be able to experience. Seeing such a personal image transformed into a wonderful rug, by hand, with so much love put into it. It brought an unbelievable magic into the room.
Right then and there, all I wanted was for every parent to know how they could create the most unique and special rugs for their children’s rooms.
So Rug Your Life started, as Carpetzz first, with the purpose to fill the world with magic bespoke rugs! At the beginning the focus was on weaving children’s art as rugs, but it quickly and naturally evolved to include contemporary artists, interior designers and then museum art as rugs.
What is the best thing about your job?
The very best in my job is to listen and read the personal stories our customers tell us about the images they send. And then their reaction when they get the rugs. After more than twelve years, this keeps on being just as wonderful as the first time. It is everything. I feel such a connection with what I do and I feel very very grateful that my work impacts people’s lives at home and in such a meaningful way.
How does a ‘normal’ working day look like for you?
I always start my days setting my intention and mentally preparing for the best day. Then I usually check on the current inquiries and orders, how the deliveries are going, and which production stage we are in for each order. Next, I often speak to artists with whom we are discussing co-operations. For example: we weave their artworks as bespoke or custom rugs, and we advance on the choice of paintings, the sizes and techniques for the rugs and the colours for the yarns. Further, I also speak almost daily to some of the interior designers we work with to discuss home projects we are working on together. For them we are designing and making rugs.
There is usually a lot of variety in my daily work and it always moves around rug designs, stories, colours and wonderful creative conversations. Of course, there is also quite a bit of calculations and financial activities involved. Altogether, I like to have a clear structure for my week and my day and move within this frame intuitively.
How do I get one of your cool rugs?
If you want to have your bespoke handmade rug from your own design or from one or several images you love, all you have to do is visit our website and send us an inquiry. You can choose the rug size and shape that suits your space best, as well as the colours. Maybe you want to have the rug in the same colours as the picture(s) you send or maybe you want to use different ones that match your decor best. We can combine several patterns and images in one rug layout too. The only thing you have to do is… to want it!
How long does it take to make my bespoke rug and will I be able to see a draft of the end result before it goes into production?
It depends, and yes!
If you send us one image that you want to have as your bespoke rug, then we will draw the weaving graph and choose the yarn colours that are closest to your design. If you send us several images, we will first prepare some layouts and discuss the possibilities with you. Once the design is clear and confirmed and we have done all the preparation work, we will mix the pigments and dye the yarn just for your rug.
And then of course weave each single knot (as a pixel) from your design. Between half a million and one million knots are woven by hand for each rug!
There are many other steps before, between and after, each rug is ready. And in average, it takes 10 to 12 weeks (and many many hours of dedication) for your bespoke rug to be in your home.
You absolutely see a draft of the rug beforehand. You actually see the rug being made! We love sending you photos of your rug being woven and of different steps of the process.
Where do you see Rug Your Life in the future? What is your dream?
I LOVE this question, thank you! I see such a bright future for Rug Your Life. My dream is to be the #1 place that people go to when they want truly unique, fine, high-quality, handmade rugs with their favourite images, their children’s artwork or museum masterpieces.
My dream is for people to appreciate their time at home so much that they honour it with meaningful love-filled rugs. I see thousands and thousands of people spending their best time with their family and friends, on and around rugs that always remind them of how important they truly are.
How are the rugs made and where are your manufacturers based?
For children rugs we love using premium New Zealand wool. It is the highest-quality, softest, most delightful to touch material. The rugs are as easy to clean and maintain as it gets. Moreover, it is also anti-allergenic and temperature and sound insulating. New Zealand wool is truly ideal.
I love working directly with the people who make the rugs, in India and in Nepal. This ensures that we always know what is going on. It is very important for our customers and for us to have complete peace of mind that everything is made with respect for the people and also for the environment.
Our customers value personal interiors and unique rugs and are very appreciative that only the necessary resources are used. They love that we are respecting the people who made the rugs and the natural resources. And that we are not participating in mass production stocks that may likely become waste when not sold quickly.
Each and every one of our rugs is meant for the home it is going to. So the design, the colours, the size is unique. Therefore, all steps can only be made once the rug is ordered, as we cannot know in advance which colours will be needed and in which amount. Also, we create very high-quality, finely woven rugs. These are extremely good rugs and some of the designs have many colours and small details. It requires a long and expert dedication to weave each knot. This does result in longer delivery times than one might wish… but it is always, always worth the wait!
Should I ‘invest’ in a bespoke handmade rug for the kids room?
Some things are not easy to put a value in numbers to. Indeed, our rugs are not cheap. But how could they be? There is so much dedication and work invested in bringing them to life. Each rug is a big celebration of your child’s creativity as a handcrafted masterpiece! Your child grows up with a rug from their own art. And with the wonderful sense of ownership and confidence that what they like and who they are, deserves to be honoured in such a way. This feeling is absolutely priceless. Sometimes it’s just not about the money, it’s about the pure joy!
How do I keep the rug clean and nice?
One of the reasons we use New Zealand wool is that it is one of the easiest-to-maintain materials! As with all rugs, the best way to keep them clean is vacuuming them regularly. And wiping the spills as soon as possible. Use a solution of 1l of warm water, one teaspoon wool detergent and one teaspon white vinegar, softly blotting or dabbing the stain. We also recommend having them professionally cleaned every couple of years.
Finally, what do you love to do when you are not working?
I love to be in the mountains or near gorgeous rivers and lakes with my family, visiting art museums in Munich and reading and learning about fascinating subjects. And I also love to just do absolutely, blissfully nothing!
Thank you Nayla! I am looking forward to seeing your dreams become reality!
