Tai Ping Carpets

Tai Ping Carpets

Type	Public company
Industry	Interior Design
Founded	1956 (1956)
Headquarters	213 Prince’s Building 10 Chater Road, Central Hong Kong
Area served	Worldwide
Website	Tai Ping Carpets

Tai Ping Carpets International Ltd. (Hong Kong HKE, HKex Stock code: 146) ^[1][2] is a global custom carpet company serving the architect and design community. Based in Hong Kong, Tai Ping Carpets operates flagship showrooms in New York City and Paris, as well as proprietary factories, design studios, and showrooms in 100 countries, over four continents.^[3]

The company’s Residential division includes brands Tai Ping,^[4] Edward Fields ^[5] and La Manufacture Cogolin.^[6] The Hospitality and Contract sectors are served by 1956 by Tai Ping and Carpets Inter, Tai Ping Carpets’ Thailand-based subsidiary.

History

Tai Ping was founded in 1956 by a group of seven friends, headed by Sir Lawrence Kadoorie, a prominent businessman and philanthropist. It began as a project to preserve China’s tradition of handmade carpets and to protect a generation of craftspeople fleeing Mainland China.

Shortly after its launch, Anthony Yeh, an engineer and one of the company's directors, developed the world’s first motorized hand-tufting gun,^[7] which allowed carpets to be made faster and more efficiently, marking a turning point for the company.^[8] Today, the hand-tufting gun is used throughout the industry.

In 1957, Tai Ping opened a showroom in Hong Kong beside The Peninsula Hong Kong Hotel. In 1959, production moved to larger premises in Tai Po in Hong Kong’s New Territories, which remained the company headquarters and main factory for the next 32 years.

In the 1970s, the launch of a Paris showroom introduced Tai Ping to an international market, particularly in Europe and Asia. When China began opening up for business, Tai Ping was among the pioneers to establish a factory on the mainland. In 1991 Tai Ping moved all production from Hong Kong to the factory at Nanhai in neighboring Guangdong province.

In 2005, Tai Ping opened a New York City flagship ^[9] in the former site of artist Andy Warhol's famed studio, The Factory.

That same year, Tai Ping acquired Edward Fields,^[10] an American manufacturer of bespoke carpets. Edward Fields has its own New York City flagship, along with studios operating from Tai Ping showrooms in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco.

In 2010, Tai Ping purchased La Manufacture Cogolin,^[11] the French producer of hand-woven Jacquard carpets, founded by Jean Lauer ^[12] in 1924. Under Tai Ping direction, the company's original workshops were restored, a new visual identity was created and a new Paris showroom was opened ^[13] in June 2012.

Also in June 2012, Tai Ping launched a new European flagship on Rue Montalembert in Paris ^[14][15] conceived by Belgian born, Paris-based designer Ramy Fischler.^[16]

1956 by Tai Ping

In 2011 Tai Ping Carpets International launched a brand called 1956 by Tai Ping to focus on the hospitality market.^[17] As an extension of the Tai Ping parent company and sharing the same heritage and archives, the new brand functions as a manufacturer of luxury designer carpets for the commercial hospitality industry.^[18][19][20]

The brand's first collaborative collection, titled Design Collective, features designs from three sources including multimedia artist Gaëlle Villedary, the art collective PHUNK, as well as an anonymous Australian artist.^[21] Designs for the series were conceived of through a collaborative effort in which designers shared photos, artwork, and methodologies from their past work and outside inspiration.^[19][21]

1956 by Tai Ping released a second collaborative collection in 2014 titled Revive.^[22] The collection features work from British graffiti artist Moose.^[23] Reflecting the artist's typical method of working by subtraction, the Axminster carpet designs consist of a foundation layer and two overlay finishes. The resulting designs have a 3-D effect.^[22][23]

Products

Tai Ping’s hand-tufted, pass-tufted, Axminster and wool carpet tile products are manufactured in proprietary factories in China and Thailand. The company's hand-knotted carpets are handwoven in independent factories in China and Nepal.

Sustainability

Tai Ping holds both Gold and Platinum NSF 140 certifications,^[24][25] from the American National Standards Institute ANSI, as well as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Internally, Tai Ping has implemented Tai Ping Towards Sustainability, (TPTS),^[26] a program dedicated to sustainable practices and achievements.

References