With L’Art Noir, ClassiCon expands its collection of designer rugs by introducing, for the first time, a circular format designed by Eileen Gray. The project, announced between Munich and Cologne in December 2025, translates a design from the Twenties into a large textile artifact, demonstrating how the legacy of modernism can be reinterpreted today with contemporary sensitivity, attention to materials and craftsmanship.
The rug was born from an original gouache by Gray, in which the designer explored the symbolic geometry of the circle and the psychological effects of color. From that research L’Art Noir takes shape: a composition of four concentric circles, each divided into two contrasting chromatic fields. The combinations combine ocean blue in light and dark shades, beige and khaki, gray and beige, building an essential and deeply balanced visual rhythm. The name itself – “L’Art Noir” – recalls Gray’s investigation into the role of black and tonal variations, synthesizing a design thought that blends art, architecture and design.
The choice of the circular shape is not just an aesthetic gesture: the circle, for Gray, is a universal symbol of harmony and continuity. The overall effect evokes a coastal landscape – sea, sand, vegetation – and refers to the original context of the work, Villa E1027 on the Côte d’Azur, where the carpet served as an accent capable of enhancing the timeless modernity of the interiors. In this sense, L’Art Noir consciously oscillates between an everyday object and a work of art, reaffirming Gray’s vision: a refined aesthetic that does not give up functionality.
ClassiCon propone il tappeto in due diametri (200 e 300 cm) e in due versioni materiche. La prima è realizzata in lana vergine neozelandese filata a mano, tinta con pigmenti ecocompatibili testati secondo OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100; la seconda utilizza fibre vegetali di ortica himalayana lavorate manualmente, offrendo un’alternativa completamente plant-based. Entrambe le varianti sono annodate a mano in Nepal con il tradizionale nodo tibetano, che conferisce una superficie particolarmente morbida e setosa, con una densità di circa 124.000 nodi per metro quadrato.
La produzione avviene in collaborazione con Label STEP, organizzazione impegnata nel garantire condizioni di lavoro eque e pratiche responsabili dal punto di vista ambientale. A commitment that reinforces the value of the project: formal beauty, tactile quality and sustainability proceed together, in line with a conception of design that is attentive to people and territories.
Founded on the tradition of the Vereinigte Werkstätten in Munich, ClassiCon builds its catalog as a dialogue between classic and avant-garde, preserving the licenses of great masters of the Modern – including Eileen Gray – and placing them alongside contemporary signatures. With L’Art Noir, the company not only enriches the collection, but reaffirms a vision: design as an encounter between memory and present, where craftsmanship precision and chromatic research transform a carpet into an architectural gesture for the domestic space.
INFO: www.classicon.com
CREDIT OF THE LICENCE HOLDER for all products designed by Eileen Gray: Manufacturer ClassiCon authorised by The World Licence Holder Aram Designs Ltd.
PHOTO COURTESY: Fabian Frinzel
