“The hinterland has everything we need; if not, we invent it.”
This phrase, the motto of the Brazilian co-op community where our new sisal rugs are made, summarizes the spirit of the Nordestino – people from the Northeast of Brazil. Living in the poorest region of Brazil and subject to severe periodical droughts, the Nordestino are resourceful, upbeat and entrepreneurial. Our partnership with this community both draws on and fuels that spirit.
We believe that our strong business relationship with the community is the best way we can help them become successful. Rather than simply donating money for their social programs and activities, our business helps the farmers generate their own resources. We pay fair prices for their products and lend our weaving expertise to help them improve the quality and sophistication of their design capabilities.
The designs for our newest sisal collection were developed on hand looms by Merida designers in Fall River, MA. The weavers at the co-op in Brazil then creatively transformed the prototypes into machine woven patterns. Although the designs were created by us, we have allowed our Brazilian partner to sell these patterns in South America themselves. Keeping with our strategy to support the community through business, the co-op will pay Merida a small royalty on all sales they make of our patterns. This money will be used to create a fund to help support the many social and educational programs the co-op provides for its community.
We look forward to reporting on the success of this program and how it has helped the community along on its path to success and self-sufficiency. Merida Partners (customers enrolled in our subscription program) will receive samples of these new items in February. Check back soon for more news, or click here to watch a video about these new items!
Mandacaru City, Valente Coast and Paraiba River
Valente Bay
Stephanie Wohlner is a Chicago-area designer who has been creating beautiful interiors for more than 15 years. Her diverse portfolio showcases an artful mix of contemporary and classic design styles, resulting in homes that are comfortable, sophisticated, and unique. Stephanie frequently uses Merida rugs in her projects to bring organic texture and warmth to a space:
“Merida rugs work beautifully in contemporary and traditional settings, lending a sense of ease that brings unity to a room. They bind beautifully whether I am using my own material or one of Merida’s high-quality bindings, and they last for many years. Merida’s service has also been wonderful!” -Stephanie Wohlner, Stephanie Wohlner Design
We’ve chosen to feature Stephanie in this week’s Design Project, but she had so many wonderful interiors to show us that we had to select a few! Check out the photos below to see some Stephanie’s amazing work using Merida rugs, and visit her web site to see more.
Madagascar in Tupelo in a Chicago apartment living room designed by Stephanie Wohlner. The casual elegance of this room appealed to the residents, who needed a livable space to accommodate three young children. Photo by Janet Mesic Mackie.
Madagascar in Tupelo in the bedroom of the home pictured above. "This room was originally carpeted and had a very cold hotel look to it. I encouraged the clients to put in wood flooring and add the sisal over that. They love the layered effect it has given the room." -Stephanie Wohlner. Photo by Janet Mesic Mackie.
Madagascar in Locust adds to a contemporary Highland Park, IL residence. The texture of the sisal rug and the fabric of the chairs gives the room added depth, while the curved chairs, table, and artwork give shape to the space." -Stephanie Wohlner
In this week’s featured design project, we are highlighting a very cool retail display space by the Charles de Lisle Workshop for Limn furniture in San Francisco. The space is set up as a home office with sleek, modern furniture from Vitra.
The designers chose a Merida jute rug, Bora Bora Volcano, to make the room more comfortable and inviting. This is one of our most popular products due to its versatility, softness, and beautiful luster. The designers’ vision for the rug also included a double-binding accent that would help tie the room’s grey and pink color scheme together. Working with Maegan Fee, Merida’s Creative Director, the CDL designers selected a fuschia suede as a piping material to be applied on the inside “frame” of the rug. As you can see, the end result gave the effect of a chic and tailored home office.
Bora Bora is in stock now! Click here to view colors and request samples, or visit our online customer center to start a quote and get 10% off your rug order!
“We love Merida because they are so willing to work with designers to customize rugs with details such as the vibrant fuschia binding we used for this project. Additionally, this space was intended to highlight how a primarily commercial furniture line could be incorporated into a residential environment, and the Merida rug helped accomplish this task beautifully. Merida is our go-to for value, quick lead times, customization, and high quality.” -Lizzie Gallagher, Charles de Lisle Workshop
Bora Bora Volcano jute area rug with grey suede binding in grey and fuschia suede piping. Designed by Charles de Lisle Workshop for Limn, using home office furniture from Vitra
Another view of the jute area rug in the Limn furniture display by Charles de Lisle Workshop.
Do you have a photo of a design project featuring a Merida rug? Submit it to marketing@meridameridian.com! If we select your photo, your name and web site will be promoted on our blog, Twitter, and Facebook pages!
