Suzanne and Christopher Sharp first noticed one another in a crowded train on the London Underground in the early 80s. Though they locked eyes, they didn’t speak. A few weeks later, by chance, Christopher showed up at Suzanne’s 21st birthday. Within a year, they were married.
Both have international backgrounds—Christopher was born in Kampala, Uganda, while Suzanne was born in Malta and grew up in Rome. His work as a video editor soon took them to Riyadh. “There were no cinemas, no restaurants, no clubs,” Christopher told Vogue. “So in the evenings we’d go down to the souks and buy Afghan rugs from the war.”
In 1997, back in London, they opened the Rug Company, a store dedicated to high-quality, hand-loomed rugs. The brand now has showrooms all over the world, from Oslo to Beirut, Los Angeles to Dubai. Still, the couple spends part of the year in Malta, where, over the last 10 years, they have been restoring Casa Bonavita, an 18th-century palazzo turned boutique hotel. The couple shares their guide to the island in Arts Intel Report. Link in bio.
Photos: Courtesy of Suzanne and Christopher Sharp; Courtesy of Rubino;
@instagram /terrone_malta; Lefteris_/iStocka/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images; Rawdon Wyatt/Alamy
