Though we can’t all be together this year to celebrate the 2020 5 Under 40 winners, you can still support emerging talent and make a difference in the lives of young people living in Pakistan and Afghanistan—even if you don’t live in New England.

Bid on these five one-of-a-kind rug during a virtual auction, happening November 9–13.

Jessie Carroll
Whitten Architects

Inspiration: 
There is gravity to being an architect, creating works that will grace our planet longer than my own lifetime. To create timeless spaces that honor its context and reflect its owners. There is quietness and ease I seek in that highly considered effort with my team at Whitten Architects. The opportunity to design a rug with Landry & Arcari was a moment of sheer levity. Where color and texture could evoke path, depth, directionality, space, and time. I designed a statement piece meant to hold a gaze, and with a familiar palette, inspire nostalgia

 

Elizabeth Hendrickson
Kathryn Herman Design

Inspiration:
While Landscape Architecture and the design work that I have completed throughout my career focuses on defining shapes and outdoor rooms, emphasizing form and function, a softness is ever-present. This softness is achieved through the plant palette of trees, shrubs, and perennials, using a variety of textures and colors. Every planting design is unique to each project.

Each project has a distinctive color palette that meets the client’s aesthetics while also enhancing the architecture, garden and surrounding site. This rug design is an abstraction of a planting plan for a recently installed perennial garden.

 

Stephanie King
Heather Wells Inc.

Inspiration:
My path to becoming a designer was my deep appreciation and love for modern art. For this piece, I wanted to create a celebration of the bold graphic art of the modernist era, such as Josef Albers, and the hand-crafted textures of a Moroccan rug. I brought this to life with colors being combined in surprising and unusual ways that are reminiscent of the extraordinary tulip fields of the Netherlands.

 

Emily Pinney
Pinney Designs

Inspiration:
I have long been fond of vintage textiles, and as such, they can be found on pillows and throws, throughout my home décor boutique, SYD+SAM.  I took my inspiration for my rug’s design from these vintage textiles to create a warm, and eye-catching, abstract scheme.  My goal was to create a design that could translate well in both modern and traditional spaces while still standing the test of time.

The warm abrash background created with the use of wool and aloe, create the familiarity of an antique textile, showing years of wear and patina. I introduced strong lines of color which add contrast and interest, emphasized by the mix of cut and loop knots for texture. For juxtaposition, I added latticework on one end of the rug.

My color palette is one of grey, mauve and lilac neutrals.  These cool-toned colors would look stunning in any season while it dials up a touch of luxury and elegance.

Alina Wolhardt 
Wolf in Sheep Design

Inspiration: 
My inspiration for the rug is based on my past. I grew up in Japan and being half Danish and half Japanese- it was a little tough to be accepted in either the Western or Eastern culture. Where once I saw weakness in my mixed heritage, I found strength in my design work and today I have much appreciation of having both ethnicities as part of my background.

Growing up with both Japanese and Danish design aesthetics was very formative and this rug takes from my Japanese past in overall design, and mixes in the Danish concept of 'hygge'. Hygge can be described as a decor sentiment of creating a comfortable and serene design sensibility. I was definitely inspired by the famous Japanese artist Hokusai after receiving a book on him this past Christmas from a dear friend. The three circles were a representation of different backgrounds merging together.