Louie Rigano

[dropcap size=small]Y[/dropcap]ou’ve heard of ergonomic furniture. Now get ready for ergonomic furnishings. That’s the vision that Shore Rugs’ director and co-founder, Louie Rigano – a 30-year-old with a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London – has for his innovative new line of luxury rugs.

What sparked the idea?

While in our last year at the Royal College of Art, my business partner and I looked at anti-fatigue mats that are designed to be good for your knees, but are so crude and basic that you wouldn’t put it in your house. So, the idea was to combine this anti-fatigue mat – something super functional but with no aesthetic value – with the luxurious hand-woven rug.

We did it by using silicone, and treating it with a hand-working process, similar to making a traditional rug.

What benefits do Shore rugs provide?

They’re hypoallergenic, UV-resistant, fully non-toxic, non-slip on most surfaces, and easy to clean. The material itself will last for 20 years without degrading. Our pigments passed at the highest rating for colour fastness – so they should last a very long time. The rugs are also ergonomic: Each is soft like an anti-fatigue mat, but also textured, which promotes proprioception (an awareness of the body’s movement). It makes you want to move a bit more.

We’ve doubled our output in the past three years, and never had a single return from anyone. For a while, the purchases were made just through our Web shop, which is a risk on the buyer’s part for they’ve never seen it in real life. Yet they’re always pleasantly surprised when they get it. We’ve never had any complaints.

How does it appeal to the modern-day executive?

We envision this to be a really interesting option in the office environment, because it’s fully customisable and can fit into the space. The mats are designed to be “energising” and you can feel its effect even while stepping on it with shoes on. In a home, it offers a moment of luxury whenever you step on it, be it getting out of bed in the morning or making coffee in the kitchen. It is a short moment, but it can still be a considered moment.

Shore Rugs is available at Space Furniture, 77 Bencoolen St. Tel: 6415 0000.

The Rug

Shore Rug

Looks can be deceiving – and so is the case for Shore rugs. Often mistaken for a much harder rubber, the silicone used in Shore rugs is not only incredibly soft, but also highly textured. Inspired by Japanese tatami, these rugs are hand-woven in a unique, innovative weaving technique, to form a truly luxurious floor covering. Shore rugs are available in two weaves – a thicker, broad weave that has a lush, pleasurable feel; and a fine weave, made from the same material, which offers a more intricate tactile experience and a higher degree of customisability colour-wise. While they’re both equally comfortable to lounge on, one thing’s for sure – for Shore rugs, seeing, and touching, is believing.

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