The Brabetz family (not in the metaphorical sense) has been in the textile business for over 40 years…that’s about a generation and a half, we’d say. So, during that period, it’s not a wonder how Mike Brabetz got into  fabric, tapestry, yarn, cloth, weaving and carpet manufacturing. All we know, is sometime in his youth, this Brabetz family member got bitten by the design bug! And here are some of his creations…

Out of the 15 spectacular designs on the Brabetz website, 4 really captured our attention. The 1st 2 are of the same style and we like them because they have a sort of a patchwork look to them – a style reminiscent of grandma’s homemade quilts. Each carpet design features brightly colored circles and squares, respectively. The circles have a funkadelic, out-of-this-world-ness about them with their lime greens and browns, and varying sizes. In the other, oranges and browns play around in a quire formations also of varying sizes.

The next Brabetz design, compliments of Mike’s expert knowledge, experience and craftsmanship, is 1 we’ve dubbed A-maze-ing! This carpet has a carved pile that seems to form a maze-like pattern. The carving gives the carpet varying heights with the shorter areas looking darker grey when compared to the taller areas.

This brings us to number 4 – a design that reminds us of a tiger print. The difference between this Brabetz pattern and traditional patterns is that it’s 2 shades of grey and looks like it was stuck into a cartoon application that turns images into animation. We like this effect as it gives the design, which could have easily been like every other tiger print carpet design before it, a unique character. We also like the fact that Brabetz contrasts a contemporary design with antique furniture.

For more information on Mike Brabetz’s designs, based on a 40-plus year old family tradition, visit the Brabetz website at www.brabetz.co.za.