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The National Motorcycle Museum
The National Motorcycle Museum displays great British motorbikes from throughout the years, so it was only fitting that beautiful bespoke carpet made in Britain was chosen for its hospitality suites.
Boasting the world’s largest collection of motorcycles, the National Motorcycle Museum displays early examples through to the golden years of the 1930s-1960s, when British motorcycles ruled the world. It was only fitting then that the British manufacturer, Wilton Carpets, be selected to design and manufacture new carpet for the museum’s hospitality suites.
The Inspiration
Lorna Coombs, group interior designer, headed up the project: “I have worked with Wilton before so had no problems in turning to them for the National Motorcycle Museum. The bespoke design needed to bring a breath of fresh air to the suites, but it couldn’t move too far from the designs that were in place for years before. “We wanted to feature eight large ribbon motifs reflective of the surroundings, namely the columns and statement lighting found above. We also took inspiration from rain droplets and used shadow to further play on these, in vibrant pink, charcoal and cream colour ways.” The new carpet design could not be too different from the previous carpet but, with Wilton’s usual attention to detail, the art deco design was transformed into an impressive 3D effect design.
Carpet Delivered
Wiltshire-based Wilton Carpets Commercial provided 1400 square metres of axminster carpet for the expansive Trafalgar and Imperial hospitality suites. With cherry pickers being wheeled in to fix lighting and a temporary dance floor being introduced to the Trafalgar suite on occasion, it was also important the carpet’s capabilities went beyond look and underfoot comfort. To ensure a floor capable of withstanding intensive use, a bespoke 10-row woven axminster in an 80% wool 20% nylon blend was selected, bringing the combination of tailored aesthetic and hardwearing longevity that is so sought after in venues such as these.
Installed by flooring contractor Alan Burford, the carpet took seven days to install with all seams hand sewn on site using a traditional fit over combination felt underlay. “The museum relies on return business,” Lorna explains, “so the thoughts of our customers on the new carpet were very important to us. Thankfully, the reaction to the design has been nothing but positive and we would have no hesitations in working with Wilton again.”
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