When it comes to home decor, a few pieces are more versatile than a rug. They are true multi-taskers that can simultaneously anchor a room and infuse it with character and style. There are many good reasons for choosing plastic rugs from Pappelina — from the meticulous workmanship and the exquisite design to the good-looking longevity and strong eco-credentials.
Timeless and incredibly versatile, a rug can make a dramatic difference to any room by adding colour, texture and style. It can set the style, vibe and proportions for the whole space. If you are looking to update your home, rugs are an easy way to lift the mood of the space instantly. Rugs work in every room, including outdoors and make any area of your home stand out.
We love Pappelina’s premium plastic rugs for their colourful patterns and beautiful designs, which add a special boost of interior design prowess to every room and area of your house. The true tradition of Made in Sweden is reflected by creating products in which differentiation and uniqueness prevail, the ability to combine tradition and originality, balancing craftsmanship and creative imagination, meticulous attention to quality and a strong commitment to sustainability whilst always pushing forward the search for innovation.
Pappelina’s fantastic and functional rugs are made from high-quality soft, non-toxic plastic and are expertly woven on old traditional weaving looms in Sweden. With attractive aesthetics and incredibly resilient construction, these sustainable, high-performance plastic rugs are crafted to deliver year-round appeal, lasting beauty, and remarkable durability to help you complete any living space indoors or out.
The story of Pappelina and VERA
It all began in the late 1990s when Lina Rickardsson returned home to Sweden after having spent four years in the USA. In her old hometown, Falun, she came across an old schoolhouse, home to a weavers’ association. With her life-long interest in weaving, Lina ended up behind a loom.
Shortly afterwards, Lina moved to Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden, where she took courses in painting and weaving. Lina realised that weaving was her true passion, and after noticing people’s interest in her work, she understood that she could make a business/profession out of her interest. With a range of linen rugs and paper placemats, Pappelina was born. The brand name is a play on words — paper, linen and Lina.
Quickly, she realised that she would be unable to do all weaving herself and started looking for a weaving mill. At this time in Sweden, most such mills were struggling, many having already closed down. Finally, she found a small family-owned mill in the heart of Sweden that had been weaving with linen since the 1950s. Here she was welcomed to set up a traditional loom alongside the mill’s three employees.
While working at the mill, Lina discovered a stash of colourful plastic ribbons from which rugs were woven in the 1970s. Immediately, she was inspired to create new experimental plastic rugs in which the bold-coloured plastic itself would be the focus. Using a new tying technique and twice as much material as was the norm, she created a rug that would be the first of its kind on the market. Initially, her colleagues at the mill were sceptical, thinking the price of the rugs would be too high due to the large amount of material involved. But Lina believed in her idea and the new, thick, colourful plastic rug was launched in early 2000 at the Formex trade fair in Stockholm. The interest in the new plastic rug changed Lina’s focus; she sold 120 plastic rugs while only 24 in linen.
In 2002, the VERA rug made its debut at Formex. VERA was the first plastic rug produced using the jacquard technique, allowing for free-form patterns. Success was immediate. VERA remains a bestseller, a design classic, an icon, and a favourite for 20 years amongst design fans.
Today, the company weaves some 100,000 plastic rugs each year and has about 30 employees in Dalarna. It exports to over 45 countries. The product range has also been expanded — such as blankets, cushions, dishcloths, kitchen towels, table runners and trays — but the essence of Pappelina remains the same: simple, stylish and functional.
13 great reasons to choose a Pappelina rug
If you value quality and intentionality in home décor and design, you want your rugs to stand the test of time.
Pappelina embodies the most authentic sense of ‘Made in Sweden’. With both looks and construction that lasts and lasts, the products are sustainably crafted and beautifully designed. Here are 13 standout reasons why we choose this Swedish brand:
MADE IN SWEDEN:When it comes to the quality of Pappelina’s products, nothing is left to chance. The rugs are conceived as almost unique pieces, given the attention to detail, the fine craftsmanship, the originality of the design, the careful selection of materials and the care lavished in all the production stages, from the very first design to the finishes of the final crafted articles.
All the rugs are made in Sweden, mainly because Pappelina believes that only by using Swedish raw materials and maintaining the entire production process in Sweden can the quality demanded by customers be guaranteed. Also, when buying a Pappelina rug, you can rest assured that it has been manufactured to fully meet the toughest demands in today’s world regarding both environmental and working conditions.
AUTHENTIC CRAFTSMANSHIP: Inspired by the rich cultural heritage of timeless crafts such as weaving, Pappelina seeks to celebrate these traditions through its designs and production processes. In a family-owned weaving mill in Dalarna, Sweden, founded in the 1940s, the rugs are traditionally woven by experienced artisans.
Through a well-coordinated interplay of looms, warp and weft, the beautiful patterns are created to the sound of wooden boats rushing back and forth. The handcrafted collections preserve tradition while enriching the contemporary design, plus customers get a piece of genuine craftsmanship with long-lasting appeal.
Kim Fröyen of Dalarna’s traditional weaving mill says, “The plastic must be wound perfectly — not too tight and not too loose because if something goes wrong, the whole rug is gone. Eyes, ears, and experience are very important. A margin of error of a tenth of a millimetre can destroy the entire fabric”.
METICULOUS PRODUCTION: In order to turn the design concept into a rug, the founder submits a sample file to a specialist who calculates precisely when and which warp thread needs to be raised or lowered to turn the idea into a reality. Out of the calculations emerges a punch card that runs the loom. Nearly 50 vintage looms from the 1950s and 1960s are used to weave the rugs. However, 600-meter-long warp threads must first be wound onto the loom’s warp beam before it can be weaved. The weaving weights are then precisely adjusted after each individual thread is placed into the loom, ensuring that the rug will later be straight.
Finally, every single centimetre of the finished rug is examined before it leaves the weaving mill.
QUALITY MATERIAL: The production of the plastic rugs starts with selecting the raw materials. The brand’s extensive experience is used to choose materials for their durable and natural properties, so they both enhance the design and work seamlessly with the weaving techniques used.
Only the highest quality plastic material is used. The rugs are exclusively woven from the purest plastic ribbons made in Sweden. By purchasing Swedish-made raw materials, the brand can guarantee high-quality standards and that its plastic rugs do not contain any harmful substances.
It only uses certificated phthalate and toxic-free PVC material manufactured in Sweden, fully approved by REACH®.
ONLY NEW RAW MATERIAL: PVC is a plastic that can be melted down and recycled. However, since it is impossible to ensure that recycled plastic will be entirely non-toxic, Pappelina has opted to produce its rugs using only new Swedish raw materials. The plastic employed is manufactured using lower energy consumption and giving rise to lower emissions of carbon dioxide when compared to most other plastics, such as the well-known PET and PP.
GUARANTEED NON-TOXIC:Pappelina’s plastic rugs do not contain any hazardous substances such as phthalates or heavy metals. The PVC used is approved for and used in the food industry. It is also used for blood bags and medical tubes — no other plastic is approved for that segment. Only Swedish plastic raw materials sourced from Gislaved Folie AB, a company certified according to the international standardizations ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 – are used. Hence, Pappelina’s products are guaranteed non-toxic.
EASY TO CLEAN:For durable, low-maintenance rugs, Pappelina has some of the best machine-washable rugs for easy cleaning. They are stylish and equally durable to handle your day-to-day.
You can hand- or machine-wash cold at 30°C/85F, or simply rinse with water or wipe with a damp cloth. The label’s rugs are also very easy to vacuum, mop or even clean outside with a regular or high-pressure hose. PVC is a totally colour-fast material which will not fade when washing or cleaning the rugs, even when using detergents.
UV RESISTANT: Pappelina’s high-performance rug collection of true UV stabilised plastic rugs are uniquely made from materials that boast an extremely high sun and UV resistance. The rugs have been tested for colour fastness according to the international standardization ISO 105-A05 with a four on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is the highest score.
ALLERGY FRIENDLY: Unlike regular rugs, Pappelina’s plastic rugs are easy to clean and maintain. This is because all its rugs are hypoallergenic and antibacterial. The non-absorbent hygienic rugs do not hold dust, making them ideal for people with allergies and asthma and environments where cleanliness is of great importance.
WATER RESISTANT:From kitchens to bathrooms, hallways to gardens, the water-resistant nature of the plastic rugs means they work just as well outdoors on a balcony or terrace and in summer houses as they do inside. The rugs will dry within 60 minutes.
LONG-LASTING: PVC has an extremely long lifespan. Designed for long-lasting durability, Pappelina’s plstic rugs are not wear-and-tear products, on the contrary. They can be used and enjoyed for many years as long as the recommended care instructions are followed. The label’s 3-year warranty means you can relax and enjoy.
INDOOR-OUTDOOR USE: Each Pappelina rug features an attractive design and high-quality construction, offering added versatility for both indoor and outdoor use. The rugs are decorative, non-slip, soft, reversible, and indoor and outdoor compliant, giving them an excellent grip on hard surfaces and being perfect on heated floors.
TIMELESSNESS: Avoiding trends and fashions, the rugs are designed to become modern classics for both contemporary and traditional schemes
Pappelina is at the forefront of sustainability and green innovation
Since its very beginning, Pappelina has shown a strong commitment to more thoughtful, sustainable and long-lasting production and design practices.
Always at the cutting edge of sustainable material innovation, Pappelina’s eco credentials are further enhanced with its new concept Bio Edition — a big step toward carbon neutrality. This year, the brand introduced the VERA 2.0 Bio Edition — the world’s first plastic rug made of BIOVYN™, a bio-attributed carbon-neutral PVC made from wood-based tall oil.
Crude wood-based tall oil is a byproduct of the papermaking process and a result of procuring wood responsibly. BIOVYN™, the next-generation PVC, replaces fossil-based raw materials with 100% renewable feedstock that is not competing with the food chain. It delivers a reduction in the carbon footprint of more than 90% compared to conventional produced PVC. As a highly sustainable material, it pioneers in innovatively developing circular bio-economy.
Due to the restricted availability of BIOVYN™, the VERA 2.0 Bio Edition is a limited edition. Pappelina will continue to use conventional PVC, which already has a very low carbon footprint and is a long-lasting material. The brand’s Bio Edition contributes to a more conscious design industry. A Pappelina plastic rug is always a good, responsible choice.
Craftsmanship, design and sustainability
With over 20 years of Made in Sweden design, craftsmanship and savoir-faire, Pappelina makes the original and best plastic rugs. Colourful, high quality, hard-wearing, practical, innovative designs, indoor and outdoor use and machine washable, all explain why Pappelina is a worldwide success. Non-toxic and sustainable, the rugs comply with all manufacturing, ethical and environmental standards. Utterly decorative and hugely versatile, the rugs can complement any design style ranging from traditional to contemporary and everything in between.
