At Work with Olivia Moon

Olivia Moon is the founder and creative mind behind Nodi Rugs, a brand that develops timeless, modern, and thoughtfully designed natural floor coverings which celebrate the essence of their raw materials. We visited Olivia in her Tāmaki Makaurau showroom to hear about the inspiration and ideas behind the Nodi Space.


When do you feel most creative?

I’m really inspired by natural light, especially soft muted light in the northern hemisphere. I’ve just spent 5 weeks in Europe exploring and my photos are predominantly of natural textures and natural light hitting natural textures, so I guess it’s a combination of travelling and being surrounded by nature. There’s nothing like being out of your normal environment to get a fresh eye on things.

Tell us about the inspiration and ideas around your space?

We wanted to create a space where people felt welcome to come, connect and feel at ease. This was achieved by keeping it very simple and focusing on what matters, in the end we only make one product and very much specialise in natural rugs, so we wanted the space to have the right canvas to let the rugs be the focus, whilst also inspiring people with how to use the rugs in their own spaces to create a natural place of connection.

The lounge room is the hub of the space where people gather. Including beautiful furniture pieces gives the rugs the right context to be able to visualise them in your own space. We chose the Fragment Coffee Table by Simon James because of its clever, balanced clean lines, and the smoked oak colour works beautifully with all of our rugs.

How does the space function?

We did a lot of thinking about how people behave when considering a rug for their space. We have the more mechanical area where people can touch and feel sampling, then the lounge set up helps people to visualise how a rug could look in their space with furniture. Our work table is a custom made table which is where our team gather to share ideas and collaborate – it’s like the family dining table where a lot of the action happens!

Who inspires you?

So many people. I’m totally inspired by Mothers, they have super powers juggling so many balls around the clock - (my Mother included!) But in addition I can’t really narrow it down to a person, so many people inspire me in all different ways.

Who are your favourite designers and artists right now? Furniture, art?

Lately I have been really inspired by Bode - the way they story tell and present their brand is so unique, I found an amazing ceramicist in Mallorca making exceptionally beautiful, sculptural objects. I visited Louisiana (Museum of Modern Art) for the first time in Denmark last month and was blown away by sculptor Nobuo Sekine - amazing!

What do you love about the Parallel Chair and Fragment Coffee Table?

The clean lines complement the textural element of our rugs perfectly. I love the natural materials and putty colour of the leather on the chairs.

What pieces from Simon James do you personally resonate with?

I own pieces by Jessica McCormack and Emilia Wickstead. My favourite piece of jewellery is my Gem Clip Diamond Necklace by Jessica McCormack. I never take any of my jewellery off, and this necklace looks great no matter what I wear. The craftsmanship of Jessica’s pieces make them feel like very special heirloom jewels. I also love Emilia Wickstead’s perfect tailoring and admire what she’s created with her brand.

What is next for Nodi Rugs?

We’ve collaborated with a US based design duo and will be releasing a new exclusive collection in November which I’m very excited about. We also have new hues in our Bamboo range coming out next month.

In addition, we've been working away on our creative brand direction, I’m really excited about this - it feels like the next chapter for the brand and is very creative and energetic. Expect to see things evolve over the coming months.

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