Wendy Morrison recently opened her first London showroom, here she chats about her distinctive style, rugs that make her smile and her favourite shoes

Can you describe the Wendy Morrison style? I like to think of my style as eclectic, it is very much composed of what I like. I don’t follow any rules or themes other than my own, a style that makes me smile and others that may visit, warm and welcoming.

There is real craftsmanship in these rugs, do you consider them heirloom pieces? Absolutely, this would be one of the many reasons for loving the Nepalese hand-knotted rug so much, not only does she tell a story and evoke emotion she can be passed on and will undoubtedly look beautiful with age.

I understand you trained in fashion, how did the transition to rug design come about? A fortunate opportunity that arose whilst working freelance and living in the middle of nowhere and discovering a local rug manufacturer nearby. They asked if I would do some design work for them and I quickly realised I loved the process and medium so much I jumped right on it.

You are based in Edinburgh but recently opened your first London showroom at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour – how important is it for you to be in London and why now? Up until now our business has very much grown through social media and sales have been through ecommerce. We have done incredibly well to get this far but there is nothing quite like being able to touch and see a rug in real life. These are beautiful handmade pieces, created by master artisans you need to feel fully immersed.

It is also very exciting to be amongst like-minded people, the design centre is a wonderful place to immerse yourself in beautiful products. Due to the handmade nature of our rugs they lend themselves to custom sizing, this has become a large part of our business to both the consumer and the interior designer. The  time is right to develop our b2b, where custom is the norm – one off custom pieces are a pleasure to create.

Do you offer a bespoke service to interior designers? At Wendy Morrison Design, we offer a custom service which is where we can create custom sizes and shapes on occasion. I can also tweak colours to work within a scheme, it is a big part of our business. Although each design is created with a colour palette that works for that design, sometimes a base colour change is required to fit within a scheme and sometime it may be a little change in position of a bird or two.

Is there one rug in your collection that you are particularly proud of? Probably One Hundred Birds, One Hundred Flowers, she really makes me smile. I love all her colours and details and I honestly feel, although she may have a lot going on, she is very easy to place and will sit comfortably in many schemes.

What’s your favourite possession? I am not too sure, I do have a very nice chinoiserie style coffee table with many little draws and compartments, not only does it look beautiful, it is extremely comfortable, just like my leopard print Chei Mihara shoes….she makes the most beautiful shoes.

If you enjoyed this read, you may also like my interview with rug designer Jennifer Manners