The world’s leading custom carpet producer House of Tai Ping celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2016, marking six decades of unrivalled aesthetic standards, meticulous craftsmanship, and collaborations with many of the world’s most visionary designers. Besides royal palaces, luxury hotels and prestigious residences, the client list of Tai Ping Carpets includes many superyacht Owners.
The world’s leading custom carpet producer House of Tai Ping celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2016, marking six decades of unrivalled aesthetic standards, meticulous craftsmanship, and collaborations with many of the world’s most visionary designers. Besides royal palaces, luxury hotels and prestigious residences, the client list of Tai Ping Carpets includes many superyacht Owners.
Tai Ping has installed carpets on about 450 yachts over the past 20 years, mostly custom projects of 45m-50m and above. The biggest order was 2,000sqm for a large sailing yacht, and the company works with interior designers such as: Winch Design, Alberto Pinto, Redman Whiteley Dixon, Nuvolari-Lenard, François Zuretti, Bannenberg & Rowell, Eidsgaard Design, Rémi Tessier Design, Studio Laura Sessa, Chahan Design, Ph. Starck, Giorgio Vafiadis, Michela Reverberi, Studio TAI PING CARPETS GRACE MANY SUPERYACHTS – House of Tai Ping – Massari, FM Arch, Susan Young Interior Design, and many more.
The list of shipyards includes: Feadship, Amels, Oceanco, Lürssen, Nobiskrug, Benetti, CRN, Amico, Overmarine, Mondomarine, and Pendennis.
“We recently supplied custom carpets and rugs for SY A, MY Dilbar, MY Aquarius, MY Plvs Vltra, MY Queen Miri, MY Aquila, Lürssen project Mistral, and Feadship project Vertigo,” says Xavier Bonnamy, who heads Tai Ping’s Yacht Division. “There are all very unique and exciting developments for us.”
Founded in Hong Kong in 1956 by seven prominent businessmen including Lawrence and Horace Kadoorie – members of one of the best-known families in Hong Kong – House of Tai Ping has grown into a global company with headquarters in Hong Kong; flagships in New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Paris; and 14 showrooms across the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
“Tai Ping started with my father Lawrence remembering that China always produced wonderful carpets, and it grew from there,” says Sir Michael Kadoorie. “The aim of the company was to provide an opportunity for refugees to receive training and employment in a highly-skilled and valuable new industry.”
Recognised by many as “China’s first luxury brand”, today the House of Tai Ping represents five brands – Tai Ping, Edward Fields, La Manufacture Cogolin, 1956 by Tai Ping, and Carpets Inter – with more than 40 distinctive collections offering unparalleled service and expertise to the most discerning clientele.
Employing generations of skilled craftsmen and building on ancient techniques and traditions, the House of Tai Ping has become synonymous with the very finest in quality, design, and innovation. Interestingly, there isn’t really any difference between carpets for homes and yachts.
“Actually most of these custom carpets are hand-tufted, probably 80% of our projects we are also supplying hand-knotted rugs and nice bespoke products from La Manufacture Cogolin,” says Bonnamy. “What’s different is the environment, installation, classification, etc.
“We are a very design driven company and spend a lot of time/ effort developing new designs/concepts for the interior designers in charge of these amazing projects. We’ve had a dedicated Yacht Division team for 15 years now with ‘yacht ambassadors’ around the world focusing on this niche market. Generally speaking, Tai Ping is the only custom carpet manufacturer globally organised with a fully integrated production in our own factory in Xiamen, China.”
The House of Tai Ping regularly collaborates with designers from a range of disciplines, allowing the bespoke carpet company to evolve in beautifully unexpected directions. Through collaborations with guest designers – such as Kenzo Takada, André Fu, Han Feng, Jeff Leatham, Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola, Antonio Citterio, Ed Tuttle, Yabu Pushelberg, Joyce Wang, Neri & Hu, and Frank Gehry – the House of Tai Ping has developed numerous acclaimed collections and international projects, furthering its six-decade legacy of know-how and excellence in craftsmanship.
While celebrating its storied legacy, the House of Tai Ping remains fixed on the future. The company’s commitment to innovation continues unabated with the ongoing development of state-of-the-art techniques and fibres. The House of Tai Ping has now expanded its capabilities even further with the construction of an ultra-modern workshop in Xiamen, China.
Designed by the internationally acclaimed architect Jean-Marc Sandrolini – the designer of the Louis Vuitton factory – the Xiamen workshop is the first state-of-the-art artisanal workshop of its kind in the world. This facility will allow the company to sustainably increase production capacity and cultivate a growing workforce of highly skilled artisans.
“The future is so bright for Tai Ping and I look forward to continuing to build upon the foundation that has been set,” says CEO Jim Kaplan. – Craig Hurst.
PHOTO: HENRY CHIU.
