The Design Sheppard

Posted: Aug 13 2014 By Stacey Sheppard

When I first started my blog way back in 2009 I saw it as kind of an online diary where I could keep track of all the great products and designers I came across and didn’t want to forget. It was a great deal of hard work and research back then to discover all the products that I featured. However, as my blog has become more popular I am very happy to report that these days I am often approached by designers and brands looking to introduce their products to me. This is a really great development as it allows me to come into contact with designs I might not have otherwise come across. And that is exactly what happened when I was contacted by Jaipur rugs, India’s largest manufacturer of hand knotted rugs. They wanted to let me know about their Chaos Theory rug collection designed by Kavi.

An internationally recognized designer, Kavi, has spent much of her life travelling the world and practicing diverse art forms, including painting and sculpture. She draws from the rich heritage of her childhood homes in rural India but also the simplicity that she has discovered through her global travels. Inspired by natural materials, classic colour palettes, and the distinctive work of the artisans and craftspeople that she works with, Kavi designs rugs that portray the purity and chaos in nature. Her designs for the Chaos Theory collection re-examine organic forms and colours and trace the beauty in nature’s seemingly cluttered patterns. Each rug symbolizes her appreciation of beauty in thought and action. Every Chaos Theory rug is created by hand weaving nearly 100,000 asymmetric knots of the finest hand-carded, hand-spun wool and bamboo silk in every square meter.

Geb

Named after the Egyptian God of Earth, the design Geb draws inspiration from patterns in natural gemstones.

Naga

Named after the Indian mythological race Naga, the guardians of treasure and beauty, the design Naga traces the intricate patterns of snake skin with splashes of colour

Kali

Named after the Indian Goddess of Time and Change, this design re-imagines the patterns that emerge on cloth used to wipe away paint, similar patterns to those that emerged on walls as they are brought to life.

Gaia

This is a transitional rug that explores erosion in nature and overlays that pattern on a traditional rug.

Proteus

Named after the Greek God of Elusive sea change, the design observes patterns in the constant transformation of liquid into other consistencies.

What I also like about this whole story is the fact that Jaipur is committed to bettering the lives of the artisans it employs and their families. Jaipur has a network of over 40,000 skilled artisans spread across 600 villages in rural India and 80% of these artisans are women and live in disadvantaged communities.Through its work Jaipur is able to provide them with a sustainable livelihood. Amazingly, 3,000 wool spinners use 7,000 looms to create more than 500,000 rugs per year.

I’d love to know your thoughts on these artistic designs in tantalizing colour combinations so do please leave a comment or tweet me @StaceyJSheppard.

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