Odegard: Magic Carpet

Stephanie Odegard of Odegard Rugs reveals the true meaning of carpets.

What makes your rugs different than everything else out there?
We’re recognized as the pioneer of modern, high-quality, hand-knotted contemporary carpets. Odegard reintroduced the use of vegetal dyes, silk, and natural fibers and also revolutionized the market for Tibetan carpets. Our use of silk as an accent in tone-on-tone designs has now become an industry standard.

You've worked hard to effect change for workers in Nepal. What started this passion for you?
My passions are people, traditional craft, color and beauty. For my first overseas assignment in Fiji with the Peace Corps, I began what would become my life’s work, assisting local artisans by marketing their traditional crafts. Before starting my own company, I worked with the World Bank in Nepal, where I helped expand the wool and rug industries in order to improve indigenous communities' quality of life. The carpet industry started by Tibetan refugees helped employ tens of thousands of people in making one of the world’s most beautiful products ⎯ a totally natural, environmentally sustainable and humane piece of art ⎯ without the use of child labor.

Do you have any tips for a first-time shopper picking out a rug?
If a buyer is starting from scratch, it is always best to start with the rug. Think about what kind of feeling you want from the rug: Do you want a soft, serene backdrop to a strong piece of artwork, or do you want the rug to be the artwork? Sometimes I just tell customers to select a design and color they like and want to see every day. Color is a large part of a rug's personality, and Odegard uses more than 1,500 colors. I’ve never been afraid to use a fashion-forward color in a carpet. The hand preparation of our wool and the hand-dyeing of our colors is something that truly sets Odegard apart from other carpets.

Where do you find inspiration for your design ideas?
I find design inspiration in the many cultures I experience when I travel around the world. I love old textiles, such as saris, kimonos and embroideries. A region's vegetation, indigenous art and architectural elements can also inspire me. My design collections usually have a theme: Flowers and plants inspired the Botanica collection, traditional Japanese stitch work inspired the Sashiko collection, and pre-Columbian multi-use textiles inspired the La Paz collection.
 
You're a member of the Director's Circle of the Peace Corps. How has that affected your business practices?
My time in the Peace Corps informed my life’s work. My conviction has remained constant: Fair labor practices not only foster cultural pride and sustainable income but also bring stability to a society. Odegard is a member of RugMark, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to ending illegal child labor in South Asia’s carpet industry. The foundation maintains the only recognized certification program that ensures that carpets are made without child labor; its funds are used for education and to improve the welfare of children in South Asian communities. All Odegard carpets bear the RugMark label. Additionally, I have partnered with our mills in Nepal to minimize the impact of production on the local environment through the use of water filtration systems. We also wash and finish our carpets in Europe, where environmental laws are much stricter.

What do the rugs in someone’s home tell you about their personality?

Owning an original, handwoven carpet is like having an original painting in your home rather than a print. People who care enough to spend the extra money for a handmade carpet value the intrinsic beauty and rich colors of the wool, and the thousands of hours spent creating each carpet. Most of our clients have important art collections, and they appreciate our rugs as artwork in their own right. Our clients often have a deeper connection to the carpet than they do to their other furnishings ⎯ a sofa might be replaced every five or six years, but rugs tend to stay in the family as heirloom pieces.

Visit Odegard Rugs Thursday, November 5 at noon ET.