Floored by the

Tai Ping celebrates 60 years of craftsmanship and design during which its footprint has extended beyond Hong Kong to Europe and the US

Shiny new floors in a house you’ve just bought always create a rather enticing conundrum. Do you overlay them with marble? Tile them? Or do you hanker after something more timeless and glamorous? If so, then you should really get some rugs.

For decades, Hong Kong’s elite have known where to turn when their floors are in need of decoration. Tai Ping, founded in 1956, celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Founded in a very different time, Tai Ping originally came about as a celebration of China’s extraordinary rug-making history in an era when Chinese-made goods were understandably difficult to come by. Bolstered by the vast population increase in Hong Kong from 600,000 in 1945 to 2.5 million in 1955, Tai Ping was born at a time when the British colony was transforming from a trading port to a manufacturing base.

But Tai Ping was about more than making money. Founded by a group of altruistic businessmen, including the Kadoorie brothers, Tai Ping was also a way of helping refugees from the mainland to use their skills to start a new life in Hong Kong.

The company’s growth was phenomenal. Using the best materials in the Asia-pacific region, including silk, linen, wool and cashmere,