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| Hand-loomed silk fabric from Laos, in “Orchid.” |
Crafted For a Cause
Stephanie Odegard’s new collection isn’t just beautiful. It’s got a conscience.
French designer Paul Mathieu’s collaboration with rug entrepreneur Stephanie Odegard has produced new furnishings as exquisitely crafted as the ancient works that inspired them. Mathieu combines classic Western furniture styles with the ornate metalwork and marble carvings done by artisans in Udaipur, India: The cabriole leg of the Louise nesting tables are clad in white metal, bronze, or brass, and Jali white marble tables and screen are delicately carved in the ancient Mughal and Moorish patterns such as those found in the Taj Mahal.
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| A detail from Odegard’s marble screen, hand-carved in an ancient Moorish pattern. |
Odegard, who founded her eponymous company in 1987, isn’t content to simply sell beautiful things; she is also an activist. Each Odegard rug carries a Rugmark Foundation certification assuring that no child labor was used in its production, and a portion of the proceeds from rug sales goes to support the charity. Odegard also introduced modern patterns to the traditional Himalayan rug designs, which has helped revive the once-dying art by inspiring exiled Tibetan weavers to teach young artists their craft. After a recent visit to the war-torn area between India and Pakistan, she introduced a collection of hand-embroidered wool blankets made by Kashmiri artisans. A collection of hand-loomed, vegetable-dyed silk fabrics from Laos lands in Odegard’s Dallas showroom this fall. Odegard. 1525 Slocum St. 214-573-7644.
www.odegardinc.com.
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| LEFT: Paul Mathieu’s modern daybed clad in copper leaf using ancient Indian techniques. RIGHT: Hand-embroidered Kashmiri wool throws. | |
