Mill guide · For the trade
Ulster Carpets: a designer's guide to the line, the fibers and where it belongs
Ulster Carpets has woven Axminster and Wilton in Portadown, Northern Ireland, since 1938, and remains family owned; the residential range is 80 percent wool, 20 percent nylon Axminster in traditional, tartan, floral and contemporary patterns, woven in narrow widths for halls, stairs and landings. It is for the designer who needs a woven patterned carpet with a hospitality-grade wear rating, a stair runner with its border woven in, or a plain Wilton in a deep color range. Interiors carries 113 Ulster Carpets styles, 105 broadloom and 8 runners, on the Ulster Carpets brand page, with complimentary samples for approved trade accounts.
The mill
Ulster Carpets is a family-owned mill in Portadown, Northern Ireland, weaving since 1938, and every style we carry is made there. Axminster is the hospitality-grade woven construction: the pile yarn is inserted tuft by tuft and locked into the weave, so a complex multicolor pattern holds its edge for decades and the carpet is rated for the heaviest wear. We carry the Ulster Carpets residential range only, 113 styles across 15 collections and 388 colorways, every one made to order and shipped from the mill. The hospitality custom program is quoted separately; ask us if a hotel or club project needs it.
What we carry
Of the 113 styles, 103 are woven Axminster, 7 are tufted loop and 3 are woven Wilton. By fiber, 106 are the mill's 80 percent wool, 20 percent nylon blend and 7 are 100 percent wool. The 80/20 blend is the industry standard for woven wool that has to wear: wool for resilience, appearance and cleanability, nylon for the extra abrasion resistance on a stair or in a hall. By pattern, 30 styles are traditional, 28 plaid and check, 19 abstract and modern, 18 floral and botanical and 8 solids.
Widths are the practical reason to specify Ulster. Most Axminster patterns, 79 styles, are woven in 15 ft, 12 ft, 9 ft, 6 ft and 3 ft widths, which lets a hall, stair and landing be fitted without waste. Another 10 styles come in 16 ft 5 in, 13 ft 1 in, 9 ft 10 in, 6 ft 6 in and 3 ft 3 in, 13 styles are 13 ft 1 in only, and 4 are 3 ft runners. Custom rug is available on all 113 styles, and 8 are stair and hall runners woven with their borders in.
Collections to know
Glenavy (20 styles) and Glenmoy (17) are the traditional Persian, tartan and Georgian Axminsters. Beaumont (12), Braeburn (7), Blossom (2) and Glendun (5) are the contemporary pattern Axminsters, and Vescent (6) the painterly one. Anatolia (4), Athenia (3), Sheriden (3) and Tazmin (3) are the kilim, motif and pindot families with matching runners. Natura (7), Habitus (3), Open Spaces (4) and the Natural Choice Collection (4) are the textured and tufted lines. The plains are Grange Wilton (43 colors), York Wilton (60 colors) and Ulster Velvet (25 colors); ask us to pull them. Styles to know include Anatolia Medallion, Athenia Motif, Croft, Auckland and Queenstown.
Where it belongs
Stairs, halls and landings first. Ulster is one of the mills we spec most for stairs: the 80/20 wool-nylon Axminster is rated extra heavy wear, the narrow 3 ft and 6 ft widths cut waste on a straight run, and the runner versions of Anatolia, Athenia, Sheriden and Tazmin are woven with their borders in. Dining rooms and libraries take the Persian and Georgian patterns at 12 ft or 15 ft, seamless in most rooms. Living rooms and bedrooms take the contemporary Beaumont and Braeburn patterns, the painterly Vescent, or a plain Wilton in one of the deep color ranges. The tufted Natura, Habitus and Open Spaces textures are the quieter bedroom and sitting room floors. For a full hospitality spec, ask about the custom program.
Custom rugs and runners
Custom rug is available on all 113 styles, cut and bound through our Design Studio, and the 8 runner styles are woven narrow with their borders already in. A bordered Ulster Axminster rug under a dining table or in a library is a straightforward order, and an Ulster Carpets rug in the 3 ft or 6 ft width makes a hall runner with one cut. Send us the room dimensions or the stair count and tread width and we will draw it and quote it net, with the rendering and net quote in about two weeks.
How to order through Interiors
Interiors is a to-the-trade showroom for interior design professionals; we do not sell to the public. Ulster Carpets samples are complimentary for approved trade accounts and ship from the mill, enough to cover a job. Net pricing is quoted by the showroom; there is no public pricing. Every style is made to order in Northern Ireland, and the ship date is provided by the showroom with your order; allow for the ocean crossing when you build the schedule. We measure and install anywhere in the United States through our installer network.
| Styles | 113 |
|---|---|
| Types | Broadloom (105), runner (8) |
| Fibers | 80 percent wool, 20 percent nylon (106), 100 percent wool (7) |
| Constructions | Axminster (103), tufted (7), Wilton (3) |
| Widths | 15, 12, 9, 6 and 3 ft (79); 13 ft 1 in (13); 16 ft 5 in, 13 ft 1 in, 9 ft 10 in, 6 ft 6 in and 3 ft 3 in (10); 3 ft (4) |
| Made in | Northern Ireland (113) |
| Availability | Made to order (113); custom rug on 113, stair runner on 8 |
Questions designers ask
Are Ulster Carpets a good brand?
Yes. Ulster has woven Axminster and Wilton in Portadown since 1938, is family owned, and its 80/20 wool-nylon Axminster is rated extra heavy wear, which is the hospitality standard applied to a residential range. For woven pattern that has to last on a stair or in a hall, it is one of the first books we open.
How much does Ulster carpet cost?
Ulster sits in the upper range for woven wool broadloom. Net pricing is quoted to approved trade accounts; we do not publish Ulster carpet prices. Cost is driven by construction, Axminster above Wilton and tufted, by fiber, the 100 percent wool styles above the 80/20 blend, and by width; the narrow widths often lower the total on a stair because there is less waste.
Where is Ulster carpet made?
Portadown, Northern Ireland. Every one of the 113 styles we carry is woven there and ships from the mill.
Where can I buy Ulster Carpets?
Through trade showrooms such as Interiors. We carry 113 Ulster Carpets styles for interior design professionals, with the library on the floor in the Laguna Design Center, and we ship and install nationwide. Ulster Carpets samples ship from the mill to your office.
Is Ulster Carpets good for stairs?
It is one of the mills we spec most for stairs. The 80/20 wool-nylon Axminster is rated extra heavy wear, the narrow widths cut waste on a straight run, and the runner versions of Anatolia, Athenia, Sheriden and Tazmin are woven with their borders in. Send us the stair count and tread width and we will draw it.
Can Ulster Carpets be made into a rug or stair runner?
Yes. Custom rug is available on all 113 styles, cut and bound through our Design Studio, and 8 styles are woven as stair and hall runners with their borders in. The 3 ft and 6 ft widths make a hall runner or a bordered rug with very little waste.
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