Odegard Rugs

Designer, humanitarian, businesswoman: Stephanie Odegard is each of these things and more. Since founding her eponymous carpet company in the late '80s, she's become world-renowned for luxurious, hand-knotted rugs that she creates herself and in partnership with a roster of international talent. Her contemporary designs are inspired by her love of craft and eye for color, and they draw upon her extensive travels as a Peace Corps volunteer and, later, with the United Nations and the World Bank. Adamant that Odegard Rugs be socially and environmentally responsible, she also serves as director of the Rugmark Foundation, which aims to end illegal child labor in South Asia.