Nani Marquina – Poetic Rugs

Nani Marquina first saw the olive oil container her father had designed when she was ten years old, but it set the tone for the rest of her life. It was in many ways an everyday object, used every day, but admired by the whole family. What made the biggest impression was that her father had won an award for designing it.

– The desire to improve already existing objects was etched in my mind. It was probably the day that I started to understand what design was all about, that I knew I wanted to make it my profession," says Nani Marquina.

Her father Rafael Marquina was a pioneer in the design industry, receiving the first FAD Award in 1961 for his Marquina Oil, a stylish non-drip olive oil container. He was one of the founders of the first Spanish design organisation and worked to improve the function of everyday and industrial objects through creativity and design.

In 1987, Nani Marquina followed in her father's footsteps when she founded her company in Barcelona. Today, over 100 000 homes worldwide have a carpet from her Nanimarquina brand. The way she has developed the design possibilities of rugs, their appearance and materials has been recognised both in Spain and internationally and today she is considered a Spanish design pioneer.

Thanks to Nanimarquina, her father's design legacy is also being passed on to the next generation. In 2001, her daughter Maria Piera Marquina joined the company and is now the CEO, while Nani Marquina's sister Carlota Marquina is the company's artistic director.

Carpets created by craftsmanship and tradition

Through its own designs and a series of collaborations with renowned designers such as Tord Boontje, Javier Mariscal and Ilse Crawford, Nanimarquina is known for its modern and innovative designs that allow for colour and creative patterns. But the materials also stand out in terms of durability, comfort and 3D-designed solutions.

One of the most recognisable rugs is the best-selling Losanges designed by brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

– When we approached Bouroullec, they wanted their designs to carry on the old carpet traditions. "I came up with the idea of contacting some Afghan artists I had met between 1998 and 1999 in Peshawar in northern Pakistan, who were making amazing kelims using traditional techniques and threads," says Nani Marquina.The technically complex Losanges came to consist of thirteen different colours in a geometric pattern of rhombuses, with the Afghan wool being hand-spun to produce the specific colour tones. Since the carpets are made mechanically, each carpet is unique.

Respecting older craft traditions, the brand now makes all its rugs using ancient techniques by weavers in India, Pakistan and Nepal. But it wasn't always this way. Nani Marquina recounts a before and after of her first trip to India in 1993 to find new production methods.

– I had no idea how the trip would change our professional life, my life as a designer and everything related to the brand and the company. India made me connect with something I didn't know about food traditions and craftsmanship. It changed the way we produce, has increased the quality and made me realise that carpets carry a cultural message. The limitations of producing by hand also forced me to be even more innovative and creative," she says.

Both a piece of furniture and a work of art

With each carpet design, Nanimarquina tries to evoke emotions in the recipient. The tools are colours, fibres and textures that, in the right combination, create rugs that the customer falls in love with and wants to take home. Each rug also brings together two genres of interior design that Nani Marquina takes into account in its design:

– A carpet acts as both a piece of furniture and a work of art. It provides the comfort of having something nice underfoot as well as inspiration in the same way as a painting. Rugs define a space and focus on a place in the room where we will socialise or place a piece of furniture," she says.

Whether the room is indoors or outdoors is less important. Nani Marquina says that the only difference between their indoor and outdoor rugs is the material. For outdoor use, they weave their rugs in 100% recycled PET that is water resistant.

– Living outdoors or doing things in nature like sitting around a table, reading or eating is a luxury for me. Therefore, it is important to have the same amenities and comfort indoors as outdoors. Our outdoor rugs are durable and can make life just as enjoyable in places like terraces or outdoor workplaces," says Nani Marquina and continues:

– We take breaks or hold meetings there, why not have a carpet under our feet?