For the past 50 years, Scott Group Studio has created hand-tufted, bespoke rugs and carpets for a multitude of high-end interiors, from jets in the sky and yachts in the sea, all the way to the White House’s Oval Office. The luxury rug and carpet company is now celebrating its history by looking to the past and re-releasing archived patterns that are reimagined for present-day environments.
*Check out the new collection slideshow at the end of the article.
This anniversary collection, 50 Patterns | 50 Years, includes classic, timeless designs launched decades ago, while others are updated reinterpretations of original styles. Scott Group Studio’s product line-up currently encompasses three brands: Scott Group Custom Carpets, PWV Studios and Hokanson.
Hand-Crafted Commitment
“Early on, before we became Scott Group Studio, we were just known as Scott Group Custom Carpets creating either hand-tufted or machine-made rugs and carpets,” explains Libby Ferin, Scott Group Studio’s director of marketing and brand experience. “Today, the Scott Group Custom Carpets brand, which has a great focus on private aviation, commercial and residential sectors, super yachts and high-end boutiques, is now just one of the brands under the Scott Group Studio umbrella.”
While Hokanson carpets are hand-knotted in India, Nepal and China, PWV Studios and Scott Group Custom Carpets are hand-tufted at the company headquarters in Grand Rapids, MI. The Michigan facility has over 20,000 different yarns ready to create the premium carpets and rugs, according to a company video.
If the color isn’t quite right, Scott Group Studio has its own dye house to create the desired hue. Each rug or carpet can take anywhere from one to several weeks to create, depending on the scale of the project.
The rug Scott Group Studio created for the Oval Office during the Obama Administration, for example, took 570 hours over eight weeks to produce. It includes several embedded quotes from historic figures and was an artistic piece that former President Obama said he often reflected on in a 2016 interview.
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“I see a rug as the foundation for any environment,” says Ferin. “Residential, commercial, aviation, hospitality … a rug is what can ground a space.”
Making a Statement
Ferin adds that when using rugs in commercial spaces, it’s up to the designer to determine if it will be a simple landscape that blends into the overall scheme of the interior, or a true statement piece meant to draw attention and interest.
Scott Group Studio’s 50 Patterns | 50 Year is turning heads not only for its large number of patterns, but for its lengthy celebratory roll-out—the collection is being released on a monthly basis through creative themes.
“For instance, July celebrated Summer Saturation—full of color and punchy patterns,” says Ferin. “Coming up is December with Deco the Halls, which is our tribute to our distinctive deco designs. Each theme is unique and allows us to showcase all of our brands and craftsmanship beautifully.”
She notes that even before the collection was announced, Scott Group Studio’s classic patterns from decades ago are still ordered today.
“I think 50 Patterns | 50 Years is our opportunity to share with our design community a small sliver of all the great designs our company has crafted over the past five decades,” Ferin says. “There are thousands more patterns to explore in our product library, too. This curated collection is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Evolution of Scott Group Studio
(Photo: Mike Ruggeri, Steve Sellinger and Jack Hausserman. Credit: Scott Group Studio.)
“It’s a great benefit having our production facility in the USA, especially when it comes to a designer sample request where we can create and ship a sample in as little as five to 10 days,” says Ferin.
1970s-80s: In 1972, Sellinger purchased Paul Wieland, a small custom rug manufacturer based in Grand Rapids, MI. Scott Group Studio then deemed it financially practical to put its two facilities under one roof. The company moved from Cleveland to Grand Rapids, expanding in 1982 and again in 1989. The Michigan facility is now 170,000 square feet and employs nearly 300 people.
2010: Scott Group Studio collaborated with L.A. designer Michael S. Smith to create a 23-by-30-foot oval rug for the White House’s Oval Office during the Obama administration. It features five quotes around its perimeter by former presidents and Martin Luther King Jr. The donated rug took 570 hours over eight weeks to produce.
Scott Group Studio also created rugs currently in the White House’s State Dining Room and Old Family Dining Room, as well as rugs for the Oval Office and state dining room while President Bill Clinton lived in the White House.
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2014: Scott Group Custom Carpets acquired Hokanson, a luxury residential brand since 1987. The company’s rugs are hand-knotted, hand-tufted and sourced from around the world, including Nepal, India and China.
“In the past several years, we acquired the Hokanson and PWV brands to further complement our overall portfolio,” states Ferin. “Today, our family of brands is known as Scott Group Studio.”
2019: Scott Group Studio celebrates its 50th anniversary with the launch of 50 Patterns | 50 Years. “We approached the 50 Patterns | 50 Year collection in creative, monthly themes that we can celebrate throughout our anniversary year,” says Ferin.
She also adds that Scott Group Studio just launched a new all-natural, no-dye collection, Nadarra, which comes in 12 patterns that a designer can get in as little as one to three weeks. “With such a quick lead time and great product story, we think our designers are going to absolutely adore this collection.”
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