How and Why This Porsche Cayman Sports a Body-Wrap Design

      The Rug Dealer

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      Automotive decals, body kits, and vinyl wraps for vehicles are common—but an exterior rug wrap? I had never encountered anything like Rachael the Rug Dealer’s outrageous Porsche Cayman until it appeared on my feed this summer. Rest assured, the rug can be removed when the car needs to be driven or exposed to rain. However, this is an impressively executed and highly original instance of car customization.

      Understanding Rachael's profession helps to illuminate the project: she creates custom hand-tufted rugs through her shop, The Rug Dealer. The Porsche endeavor is among many uniquely rug-themed projects that showcase her company’s offerings (including tables, chairs, and ottomans), but it stands out as the most ambitious.

      After catching a glimpse of the car on Instagram, I visited The Rug Dealer’s website and reached out to Rachael about the vehicle. She graciously provided not only a plethora of photos but a comprehensive narrative about the project's conception and execution.

      Here’s her account in her own words:

      Why a Rugged Porsche?

      “You don’t really choose to rug a Porsche. It’s an idea that simmers in the background, awaiting the perfect blend of obsession, opportunity, and craziness.”

      Yes, that car is indeed covered in a rug! The Rug Dealer

      “For me, it began as a joke. After I figured out how to make rugs, I remember declaring, ‘One day, I’m going to rug a Porsche.’ At that moment, it seemed absurd—like a dream straddling the line between meme and manifesto. However, that’s typically how my creative ideas take shape. I’m not one to sketch a painting and call it finished. I need to push ideas to their limits, testing how far art can be stretched. I’m an extremist, and I communicate that through my artwork.”

      “So, when the right moment arrived and the perfect Porsche (a 2015 Cayman) was up for sale, there was no doubt about what I needed to do next.”

      Designing a Porsche-Sized Rug

      “I didn’t begin with CAD files or digital drafts. I started with a die-cast model of a car, some markers, and a vision. I sketched the entire design directly onto the average-sized model, using Miami Blue and Shark Blue—two of Porsche’s most iconic hues. I aimed for something bold yet familiar, drawing inspiration from a project I completed a few months earlier, my waterfall ottoman, but on a much larger scale.”

      The mini mockup, the full-size mockup, and the execution. The Rug Dealer

      “Once I was satisfied with how the design flowed with the car's body lines, I scaled everything up. I covered my actual Porsche in tape and newspaper to make physical templates for each section. This was the only way to accommodate the unique, compound curves and tight transitions of Porsche's bodywork. These paper stencils were then transferred to my tufting frames – the rugs were handmade panel by panel, each customized for its specific area of the car.”

      “This project took a year and a half, managing the tufting of the panels, fitment, and aligning design elements for all panels to ensure a seamless integration. I’ve devoted countless hours bent over the car, taking precise measurements, adjusting rug density for curves, and carving the rugs to create a three-dimensional effect—all for a car I still drive regularly.”

      Engineering the Art

      “Attaching rugs to a sports car isn’t exactly part of an art school curriculum. I wanted the rugs to remain non-permanent on the Porsche. Thus, I had to think outside the box; it needed to support 10-15 pounds of rug while being easily removable for showcases and exhibits. That's when I realized magnets would be the best solution for this project.”

      This was far more intricate than just copy-pasting. The Rug Dealer

      “Each metal panel secures the rugs with magnets sewn into the backing. For the plastic parts, such as bumpers and side skirts, I stripped the car down and installed magnets behind the panels. Now, the rugs attach securely from the outside, similar to custom armor plating. The system is modular, allowing me to remove them for cleaning or transport—but they are robust enough that, in theory, you could drive with them attached.”

      What’s Next?

      “I did this because I had to. This is my perspective on the world. If I can transform something into a rug, it’s not a matter of ‘if?’ but ‘when?’ And if that something is a Porsche—my dream car—then that rug must represent the wildest, most unexpected, and truest expression of that dream.”

      “At first, all I wanted was acknowledgment from Porsche—a repost, a like on one of my reels. Just for someone to recognize and say, ‘Okay, this