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Big Blue - David Shaw Nicholls
The World's Finest Modern Rugs
Big Blue
Hand woven · India · Flatweave
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Spring 2026 - New Collection

The Beast Carpets

Gorilla · Leopard · Rhino · Whale

Marvellous, spectacular, and beyond imagination - these majestic Beasts live among us, embodying beauty and power. Each animal carries its own identity, revealing a story so personal that we are compelled to learn, appreciate, and revere.

The Gorilla, Leopard, Rhino, and Whale stand as symbols of freedom, survival, and love - reminders of a world we are compelled to explore and understand. Through his art, David Shaw Nicholls endows each Beast with timeless majesty, inviting them into your home as living treasures.

This is about humanity and appreciation.

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Leopard
Leopard
Gorilla
Gorilla
Whale
Whale
Rhino
Rhino
DSN
David Shaw Nicholls
“Elegance is Refusal”
David Shaw Nicholls
The Designer

David Shaw
Nicholls

Architect - Designer - World-Renowned
1959 - Born, Bellshill, Scotland
A family of Scottish engineers. Glasgow School of Art, then Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Edinburgh. His welded tubular steel ASFLEXI settee - conceived while still a student - was immediately recognised as uncluttered and straightforward. A clean starting point.
1980 - Edinburgh International Festival
Exhibited alongside John Makepeace and Martin Grierson. The Fine Arts Society, Glasgow - Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Modern Movement.
1984-85 - Domus Academy, Milan
Masters thesis under the course direction of Ettore Sottsass Jr. Worked at Sottsass Associati. Collaborated with Prospero Rasulo and Nanda Vigo on Bar Montmartre, Brera. Exhibited in Milan alongside Starck, Ron Arad, Jasper Morrison, Gaetano Pesce.
1985 - Venice Biennale of Architecture
The 3rd Venice Biennale, collaborating with Ettore Sottsass and Marco Zanini. Moved to New York. Launched the BEAST furniture line - Angus, Arianne, Arno, the Aston credenza. Tribeca lofts, 1986-2001.
1990 - ICFF New York
Launched the Modern Rug Company at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Published in Architectural Digest, The New York Times Magazine, Elle Decor, Interior Design, Vogue.
1990s-2000s - New York, SoHo Showroom
A SoHo showroom. Over 80 original designs registered in silk and wool, hand knotted in Nepal. The Roscoe Award. ICFF Editors Award. Recognition in the MoMA Design Encyclopedia.
2015 - Nepal Earthquake
Personally executed an anti-seismic rebuild of the carpet factory in Kathmandu. The partnership with Nepal continues.
2026 - The Return
Over 100 copyright Classic patterns. The BEAST carpet collection. Bespoke commissions for the worlds most discerning clients.
Roscoe Award - Design Excellence
ICFF Editors Award, New York
MoMA Design Encyclopedia
Venice Biennale of Architecture 1985
Domus Academy Milan - Inaugural Year
100+ Copyright Original Designs
The Craft

Two Distinct
Weave Qualities

01
Nepal
Hand Knotted

The pinnacle of the craft. Each knot tied by hand by master weavers in Nepal - a relationship spanning over thirty years. Himalayan wool and pure silk, registered colourways, 100,000 knots per square metre. The Nicholls Black Label. Serialised from the loom.

  • Himalayan wool and pure silk
  • 100,000 knots per square metre
  • Nicholls Black Label - serialised
  • Registered colourways
  • Bespoke commissions available
02
India
Hand Woven

A different discipline entirely - the finest hand weaving traditions of India, applied to designs of bold geometry and refined flatweave structure. No less demanding in standard, no less precise in execution. Material and method chosen because the design demands it.

  • Finest Indian wool and natural fibres
  • Master weavers - generational craft
  • Bold geometry and textural depth
  • Flatweave and structural constructions
  • Bespoke commissions available
Unique DSN designs, always to the finest material and weaving skill available.
The Portfolio

Hand Knotted
Collection

100+ Copyright original designs
Maui
Maui DSN South Pacific Classic - Earthworks · Hand Knotted
Abacus
Abacus Tibetan Hand knot Classics - Hand Knotted · Textural Collection
Lima
Lima Classic modern - Hand Knotted
Constantinople
Constantinople Classic modern - Hand Knotted · Modern which already spans 35 years in its youth
View all Hand Knotted designs

Hand Woven
Collection

100+ Copyright original designs
Thorn
Thorn Classic modern - Essentials Collection · Hand Woven
Painterly
Painterly Colourful freeform. - Open Collection · Hand Woven
Lima Mini
Lima Mini Classic modern - Hand Woven
Trigger
Trigger Flatwoven - Hand Woven
View all Hand Woven designs
Dani Bali Blu
Tibetan Rug - Signature Design

Dani Bali Blu

The Calling Card

Precise, modern, and immediately recognisable - Dani Bali Blu distils decades of design authority into a single Tibetan rug. Two-height cut pile, silk higher paving on a Nepalese wool field. Every detail considered. Nothing extraneous.

ConstructionHand knotted, Nepal - Tibetan weave
PileTwo-height cut pile - silk and wool
Knot count100,000 per square metre
ColourwayRegistered silk and wool shades
ProvenanceNicholls Black Label - serialised from the loom
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Curated Selection

Curated Selection

Recently Selected. Yours to Select From Our Full Repertoire.

Maui, EARTH, SUN and LIGHT colour ways as standard program.
Maui DSN South Pacific Classic - Earthworks · Hand Knotted Luminous · Chromatic · Undulant
Thorn
Thorn Classic modern - Essentials Collection · Hand Woven Angular · Serrated · Spare
Painterly
Painterly Colourful freeform. - Open Collection · Hand Woven Spectral · Chromatic · Dynamic
Rhino — Monolithic · Tectonic · Raw
Rhino The Beast Collection - The Beast Collection Monolithic · Tectonic · Raw
Leopard — Dynamic · Obsidian · Kinetic
Leopard The Beast Collection - The Beast Collection Dynamic · Obsidian · Kinetic
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Private Commissions

Bespoke — one client, one carpet

For clients who require something beyond the collection - David works directly. From initial brief to final installation, every decision is made together. The carpet designed for a specific room, a specific life, a specific vision.

01
Consultation

A private conversation with David. The room, the client, the ambition. Nothing is assumed.

02
Design

An original design drawn to your dimensions and colourway. Copyright remains with David Shaw Nicholls.

03
Production

Hand knotted in Nepal or hand woven in India. Serialised from the loom. Delivered to installation.

Begin a commission

Architects, interior designers, and specifiers — we work with the A&D community at every stage of a project. Trade enquiries welcome.

Professional enquiries Contact the studio
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