Matra mats are woven by hand from natural manila rope, designed to bring quiet craftsmanship to the entrance of a home.

The Material

Manila rope has been used in marine environments for centuries for its strength and durability.

We chose it for the same reason.

Natural, resilient, and beautiful as it ages, it forms the foundation of every Matra mat.

How They're Made

Each Matra mat begins as a roll of natural manila rope.

Lengths are measured, cut, and woven on a simple template using a knot from Des Pawson’s Decorative Ropework, a traditional ropework structure.

The remaining strands are pulled through by hand, tightened carefully so the weave sits evenly and holds its shape.

Once complete, the mat is finished by hand, the edges secured with a traditional whipping, and the rope compressed into its final form

Most people assume Matra started recently.

The real beginning was years earlier, at Boy Scouts. My brother and I spent a lot of time there. Fires, canoes, mud everywhere. And rope.

He hated knot tying. I loved it.

While everyone else rushed through the basics, I became quietly obsessed. Braids, toggles, bell ropes, anything I could make from the old manila rope hidden under the Scout den.

We used rope for everything. Rafts on the lake, towing loads, lashing timber together. Tie it badly and things slipped apart. Tie it well and everything held.

Somehow I was good at it.

Later, for a school enterprise project, I tried making doormats. The early ones were terrible. Cheap rope, no weight, no structure. But the idea stuck.

Years later I returned to it, this time with proper manila rope. Natural, heavy, and strong. I experimented with shapes and weaves until one pattern felt right. Five strands. Balanced, simple, solid.

When my brother finished school, he asked if I still made them.

We started again. Slowly refining the size, weight, and structure until each mat held its shape and sat properly at the door.

That is how Matra began.

Sometimes the best things start quietly and take years to become what they are meant to be.

— Lewis

See the Matra Mat