A designer’s dreamy, evocative art is reflected in a radiant new rug collection.
By Lisa Cavanaugh
“I am an active and committed artist,” says Vani Sayeed, principal, and owner of the award-winning Vani Sayeed Studios, a collective of interior décor/design, interior architecture, fine art, and product design based in Newton, Massachusetts. “I’m constantly creating, drawing, and painting,” she says.
Sayeed obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the prestigious J.J. School of Art in Mumbai and completed her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Iowa. Her impressive pedigree in fine art has led to a bountiful collaboration with Landry & Arcari, the distinguished New England dealer of fine rugs. The Global Chic Collection is a weaving of art, culture, and beauty, says Sayeed, who recently launched a second collection inspired by her journeys and her artwork.
“Some of these designs come from my travels and from nature – rocks, waterfalls, a summer’s day – all of these become textural expressions in the rugs,” shares Sayeed.
The process of the rug design starts with the selected art or inspired imagery, which is then interpreted by pencil sketches and digitally fabricated images to study pattern, colorway, and scale.
Two of her new designs, Asha Summer Day Walk and Asha Existential Sun are direct renditions of Sayeed’s paintings. Summer Day Walk is a marbled abstract with swaths of blue and gray, pierced by sprays of organs and burgundy. Existential Sun offers more vibrancy, with a central orangy red through-line and patches of lemon yellow and royal blue. These impressionistic designs are in contrast to others in the collection, such as Iman Blue Orb and Iman Four Square, which are more repetitive in pattern and muted in tone.
“I’ve been sourcing custom rugs from Landry & Arcari for various clients for a long time,” she says. “So I knew what they could do in terms of design, delivery, and the quality of the product.”
Hand-knotted and customizable in styles and finishes, the Global Chic Collection has proven to be popular. “We did so well on the first round of the rugs,” says Sayeed. “They were instantly successful, and we sold out of everything very quickly.” She is expecting more inventory in the second collection throughout the year, but Sayeed keeps tabs on when product is coming in because she has clients constantly seeking her rugs. “They have been very well received, which is wonderful.”
