Some design details fade quietly into the background. Others create the foundation of a room’s elegance, carrying both comfort and story in every fibre. Axminster carpet belongs to the latter. Renowned for its craftsmanship, durability, and beauty, this woven style of carpet has graced grand estates and boutique hotels for centuries, and today, it continues to bring warmth and refinement to contemporary homes.
My love for Axminster carpets was recently ignited with this gorgeous Brintons Renaissance Green Palmette, being laid in our beautiful Kate Street project next year and I am beyond excited!
What is Axminster carpet?
The term Axminster refers to a style of carpet weaving, first developed in the English town of Axminster in 1755. The technique involves weaving individual tufts of coloured yarn into a strong backing on a loom. The result is a cut pile carpet that feels soft underfoot, yet is exceptionally durable.
While the original company, Axminster Carpets Ltd, still weaves carpets in the UK, other leading manufacturers such as Brintons also produce Axminster carpets in their own factories. Today, the name stands as a mark of quality and craftsmanship rather than a single brand.
The Craft of Axminster
Unlike tufted carpets, which are mass-produced with pile punched into a backing and glued, Axminster carpets are woven. Each tuft is locked into place, creating a structure that resists wear, holds its shape, and endures beautifully.
Most Axminster carpets are woven from a wool rich blend, typically 80% wool, 20% nylon, combining the softness, resilience, and natural flame resistance of wool with the strength of nylon. It is this blend that makes Axminster a favourite in both luxury residences and high traffic commercial spaces.
A Canvas for Design
One of the defining qualities of Axminster is its ability to accommodate intricate patterns and multiple colours with remarkable precision. From elegant florals to bold geometrics, the design scope is vast, with up to a dozen or more colours woven seamlessly into a single piece.
This opens the door to highly customised designs — a feature that has long made Axminster the choice for theatres, hotels, and heritage homes. In residential spaces, it allows a carpet to be more than flooring; it becomes a layer of storytelling within the interior.
Beauty that endures
Luxury should not only be seen but lived with, every day. Axminster carpets embody this philosophy, offering a woven construction that stands up to decades of wear, making them particularly suited to high traffic areas. Their wool rich composition brings natural benefits including warmth, acoustic insulation, and resistance to stains and flames. With proper care, an Axminster carpet can last for generations, making it not just a beautiful design choice but a true investment in the home.
Axminster Vs other carpets
To truly understand the value of Axminster, it helps to compare it with other types of carpet. Tufted carpets dominate the market because they are quick and inexpensive to produce, and while they provide variety, they rarely match the durability or refinement of Axminster. Wilton carpets are another woven style, yet they rely on continuous yarns, which limits design flexibility. By contrast, Axminster’s method of weaving individual tufts allows for far greater freedom in both pattern and colour, making it the superior choice for those seeking craftsmanship and versatility.
A foundation for timeless design
At Elomou Interiors, we believe that great design is layered, with each specification contributing to the way a space feels and functions. Axminster carpets embody this philosophy. They are a foundation of quiet elegance, offering not only comfort underfoot but also a sense of permanence and heritage that enriches the atmosphere of a home.
Choosing Axminster is not simply a flooring decision, it is an investment in beauty and longevity - a detail that makes a home feel truly warm and inviting, and unmistakably yours.
