cover story

Design

I ts easy to be seduced by
patterns, persuaded by
motifs and hypnotised by
textures; three things that
one finds in abundance in
carpets and rugs. Whether you like the classics
(the undeniable beauty of a Suzani and the ele-
gance of a kilim), or prefer more contemporary
options (the feel of a shag rug and the colour
profusion in a synthetic carpet), no home is
complete without a stylish floor covering. Now,
as more and more designers and manufac-
turers are looking beyond the traditional and
thinking past modern imitations, they have
ended up reinventing the wheel. Hheres a look
at whats making the ground beneath our feet a
lot more interesting this season.
WEAVERS BECOME ARTISTS
It all began in 1978 when Nand Kishore
Chaudhary, a Marwari from Churu district of
Rajasthan, borrowed a sum of `5,000 from
his father and started his journey with nine
artisans and two looms. Today, Jaipur Rugs
is a global brand connecting 40,000 artisans
from 600 villages of India. Their latest collec-
tion called Artisan Originals, a novel initiative,
allows weavers to be the designers of their own
rugs and has led to some unique designs. An
Artisan Original cannot be duplicated because
of the complex use of colours, random and

FROM SARIS TO RUGS

While Aladdins magic carpet was coveted for
its flying ability, Ishrat Saghals enchanting
floor coverings are equally sought after, but
for their unique designs and colourful stories.
Saghal is the founder of a sustainable bespoke
carpet making company called Mischcat
Co that uses sari scarps to create magic. She
founded the company in 2013 as a means to
bridge the gap between museum-like floor
coverings and boring dhurries. Traditional
carpets are beautiful, but dont necessarily
fit into contemporary homes. So, I decided to
switch things up and bring glamour and fun

THE
back to the floor space by using up-cycled sari
silk, a beautiful new material which is cultur-
ally very significant and entrenched in
Indian history. It is also a new entrant in

NEW
Treading that tricky but
rewarding middle path, between
tradition and modernity,
the floor space, says Saghal, who named
her company after her childhood nick-
name given by her brother. The leftover

RUG
yarn is good, high quality silk that comes
in an array of colours which are then
todays rugs and carpets offer hand knotted into carpets. Each time a
brig ht id
Ishrat Sahga
eas
Clockwise fr
om inset:
a gamut of exciting options and different set of yarns reach her so no two Afghan blu l of Mischa
e by Misch t; Carpet in
at; Jamaica

RAGA
carpets are alike.
possibilities to clad your floor. PRICE `28,800 to `3.29 lakh (it can go
carpet by Ja
n Aqua
ipur Rugs
higher, depending on size and material)
By Ridhi Kale AT www.mishcatco.com

28 india today HOME dece m be r , 2017 dece m be r , 2017 india today HOME 29
 cover story
Design
DESIGNER RUGS Clockwise from inset David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore; Tarun Tahiliani designs
a rug for Obeetee; Modern blue rug by Abraham & Thakore for Obeetee
mixed dye batches that cannot be traced and ran-
dom woven knots, says Yogesh Chaudhary director,
Jaipur Rugs. The weavers use recycled yarn, where the
wool is hand spun on a rudimentary spinning wheel.
So, theres a carpet called Aage Aage inspired by the
fast-forward button (>>) that the weaver saw on a tape
recorder; Bangla inspired by a photograph which the
weaver purchased in a local religious fair, featuring
several kalash motifs; and Makke that draws on the
beauty of a corn husk, to cite a few examples.
PRICE `50,000 to `3 lakh
AT www.jaipurrugsco.com
REINTERPRETING INDIA MODERN
Founded in 1920 Obeetee has been at the forefront of
bespoke carpet making for a long time. Their Proud to
be Indian project aims to link the countrys top creative
talent with their skilled weavers. We want our rugs to
echo and reflect our countrys diverse design sensibili-
ties. Proud to be Indian exhibit that India is indeed the
30 india today HOME dece m be r , 2017
core and the heart of various design experiments, as its
pattern library differs from region to region, says Rudra
Chatterjee, chairman, Obeetee. The first collaboration
was with fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani, who came
up with three ranges that reflect the distinct nuances of
Lucknavi chikankari, Rajasthani miniature paintings
and his original abstract art. Now, fashion designers
David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore have created the
latest range that takes inspiration from the rich reper-
toire of Indian textiles. It took them a total of 18 months
from inspiration and ideation mood board to designing
the look and transforming them into rugs. The col-
lection describes the heritage beauty of Indian textile
tradition which was done on the borders of vintage saris
from Kanchipuram, block prints from Sanganer and the
traditional tie and dye Bandhani from Mandvi in Kutch.
The geometry of double Ikat Telia Rumals seamlessly
unifies with the block prints and tie dye telling the tale of
quintessential Indian textiles, says Thakore.
PRICE on request AT www.obeetee.com
 cover story
Design
T WIST IN THE TALE spoke art pieces embracing global design sensibilities.
We all know Panipat as the battleground that wit- Weaving is an art and a seed for cultural evolution;
nessed three wars which changed Indias history. What documenting it, supporting it and most importantly
most dont know is that this town is also known as the celebrating it, has become an essential element of what
City of Weavers. Panipat-based Raj Group, now in its we now do, says Nath.
78th year, has been creating beautiful carpets, dhur- PRICE `100 (per sq ft) to `1,000 (per sq ft)
ries, mats, pouffes and wall decor for global brands. AT www.therajartinitiative.com
But whats even more exciting is their CSR initiative,
The Raj Art Project (founded by Sumeet Nath, manag-
ing partner of the Raj Group) that aims to elevate floor
coverings from craft to art. In 2015 they held Fibre
Fables where 11 artists (who were given a free hand in
their factory) came up with attractive, out-of-the-box
pieces. For instance, artist Durga Kainthola used kilim
weaving, screen printing and bath mat tufting tech- GET FLOORED
niques while being inspired by the battles of Panipat in Clockwise from
her creation. Or Puneet Kaushik, an installation artist, inset: Sumeet
who created a piece of work titled Roots, woven on the Nath of the Raj
kilim loom using metal wire mesh and wool. In the Group; Artist
Nidhi Khuranas
years that followed they have held various place-specif-
rug for the
ic fine art interventions and converted textiles into be- Raj Group

32 india today HOME dece m be r , 2017

cover story
Design

COLOUR CODE Clockwise

from inset: Architect and
designer Roodhad Shroff with
his Tessellations Collection for
Cocoon Fine Rugs; Architect
Ashiesh Shah creates Charcoal
for Cocoon Fine Rugs

luxe rugs Designer

Varun Bahls opulent
carpet for Cocoon
Fine Rugs

MATCH MADE IN DESIGN HEAVEN

Cocoon Fine Rugs has extended its range thanks to inter-
esting collaborations with architect and designer Rooshad
Shroff , interior designer Ashiesh Shah and fashion design-
er Varun Bahl. Shroff was inspired by beautiful flooring
patterns of heritage Indian bungalows that resulted in a
limited edition series of graphic rugs called Tessellations. He
combined technology with labour-intensive techniques of
hand-knotting and weaving. Bahl came up with the Baroque
Garden collection of luxury rugs. For this he used motifs like
the exaggerated lambrequin, damasks and his signature floral
designs. Shah on the other hand paid homage to Chandigarh
and Le Corbusier with his CHAND LC collection. So he drew
inspiration from the facades of iconic buildings in Chandi-
garh designed by the architect Le Corbusier. These facades
were then abstracted into geometric patterns using special-
ised computer software. At Cocoon, we are always looking to
bring in fresh designs and explore avenues that have not been
explored before, says Ayush Choudhary, managing director
and creative director of Cocoon Fine Rugs.
PRICE `1.25 lakh to `2.95lakh (CHAND LC), `1.2 lakh onwards
(Tessellations), `1.5 lakh onwards (Baroque Garden)
AT www.cocooncarpets.com

34 india today HOME dece m be r , 2017