Snøhetta and Ege Carpets’ radical approach to textile design

As the boundaries between digital and physical design continue to blur, Snøhetta and Ege Carpets‘ latest collaboration is a clear symbol of this evolution. MATTER is a flatwoven carpet controlled by code, challenging traditional pattern-making by introducing algorithmic randomness as a core design principle.

The product’s approach is inspired by nature, where features of every specimen are unique and random by default, and patterns emerge organically without serial repetition. While in a normal carpet unevenness would usually be a sign of low quality manufacturing, in MATTER it becomes a virtue, an almost living quality that feels more connected to natural systems than to industrial production. Each carpet in the collection is one-of-a-kind, shaped by an algorithm that ensures no two compositions are identical.

“MATTER is an exploration of scale, craftsmanship, and technology. Rather than viewing the carpet as a single surface, we approached it as a woven landscape—built from multiple threads that can be individually manipulated. From code to pixel, pixel to thread, and thread to carpet, we investigated how micro-scale design can shape macro-scale spaces. The result is a surface that feels uniform yet constantly shifting—ever-changing as you move through the space,” says Francesca Giulia Poli, Snøhetta Product Designer and project lead.

MATTER is woven with Ege Carpets‘ most technologically advanced flatweave loom, aligning material quality with digital innovation. Additionally, the carpets are all crafted from selected recycled yarns, balancing aesthetics with environmental consciousness. The choice of materials reflects the companies’ circular design philosophy, while the flatweave manufacturing ensures durability in the product’s lifetime even in high traffic buildings.

The product is available in two colour palettes: each offering 18 primary colours, sifted through either a muted (beige/grey) or a saturated (blue/green) undertone. This duality allows the same product to shift personality, adapting to different spaces and contexts, providing designers flexibility while maintaining coherence with the collection.

More than a carpet, MATTER represents a new lens through which we can look at design, one that creates a new kind of craft. Translating binary code to digital pixels, and finally to physical threads, Snøhetta and Ege Carpets have developed a new design methodology that celebrates both precision and imperfection. Weaving unpredictability, material honesty, and intention, MATTER naturally resists product obsolescence, as it evolves with time and can never be truly replicated.

To develop such an innovation, collaborations are key, as MATTER would have probably never been born without the fusion of Snøhetta’s architectural thinking and Ege Carpets’ domain expertise. Cross-disciplinary partnerships have often been the source of great designs and disruptive ideas, and we are very curious to see which boundaries they will push next, which systems they will unsettle.

“Working together with forward-thinking companies has always been an important part of our DNA. It always inspires us to be curious and ambitious in our new design development, and we gain new and valuable knowledge every time. Our collaboration with the Snøhetta Product Design team has been a unique and exciting journey leading us to a completely new woven construction that really makes the most of our high-level weaving technology where the result is a beautifully crafted carpet with a perfect surface, high density, and extraordinary quality.” says Tenna Knak, Director of Product and Marketing at Ege Carpets.

MATTER is a statement to what can become possible when we merge craft and technology. By using an algorithmic approach, Snøhetta and Ege Carpets have not only added a digital realm to a physical carpet, but they have established a new design philosophy that adopts unpredictability as a source of beauty.