Otis

After four years in the United States, Lina Rickardsson returned to Falun, her hometown, in the heart of Sweden. It is in this city that she discovered an old school, home of an association of weavers. Passionate about weaving, it was no surprise that Lina started working with a loom at 24 years old.

Accompanied by her products - linen carpets and paper placemats, she met countless resellers in Gothenburg. The Norrgavel store, which had stores in Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg, was delighted by Lina's hand-woven pieces and ordered 24 rugs. Her hobby then became a business.

The brand name Pappelina was born - a pun between "paper", "linen" and "Linaˮ.

She set up her workshop in a small family-owned factory in Dalarna, in the heart of Sweden, specialized in linen weaving since the fifties.

At the same time, Lina discovered an incredible mine of colored plastic ribbons that had been used to make carpets in the seventies.

The innovative, thick and colorful plastic carpet made its first appearance in January 2000 at Formex in Stockholm.

At Formex in August 2001, Lina presented her BOB plastic rug - a classic square with striped patterns, using a special technique giving a soft and generous appearance. She was rewarded by Formidabel Formidabel 2001 in the best textile category.

The following year, the Vera rug made its debut at Formex. Vera was the first carpet made  using the jacquard technique, which allows to weave threads with free patterns. The success was immediate.

Today, Pappelina produces 100,000 rugs each year, employs around 40 employees in Dalarna and sells the brand in 40 countries.