Travel took a lot of the day away. This morning we all huddled in the tube station at 5:45. Exhausted and wishing that we could go back in time and get to bed a little earlier the night before. We were quiet and I’m sure a sight to see or not see depending on how you look at it! Today we will be visiting Brintons Carpet in Kidderminster. A company that I interned with last summer in Santa Monica, CA! We will be touring their plant as well as listening to some of their key people talk about the company and the carpets they produce for around the world projects!
We took a two hour train ride and then about a one hour bus ride to the factory. Like all of my experiences with Brintons, they couldn’t be more hospitable. They had biscuits (cookies) and beverages for us when we got there. Although Brintons is one of the largest carpet companies in the world, you can’t help but feel at home in this family business.
Brintons does carpet. Not typical carpet that you find in your neighbors home. Although they do have residential projects, they mainly work in commercial spaces. Hotels, casinos, and cruise ships are some of their large target markets. For example, right now they are working on the new Atlantis Resort in Dubai (we’re talking a 200,000 + sq. ft. project)
Brintons has been in business for over 200 years. They actually carpeted the Queen Mary ship in the 1930’s and still have the original patterns in their archives today. They were able to match it exactly when the project was re-presented to them. The archive that is housed within the walls of the Kidderminster factory dates back to 1783 when the company was started. I really liked how they use their archive today. These designs are touched, felt, and handled to allow designers right now to be inspired by their own history. These pieces are not locked up or put in cases but are used and offer inspiration by Brintons team of designers. Their carpet “artwork” is sought after around the world! Brintons is delivering cutting edge design while maintaining a quality that has defined Brintons over the last 200 years.
The factory was run like a well-oiled machine. The smell was familiar. The equipment was fascinating to watch. Because the process is top secret we weren’t able to take pictures. This was an all day event. After a day filled with education we took buses back to the train station and headed back to London!
A big Thank You to Brintons!
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