With the yearning to travel and escape in full tilt these days, the exotic locale that offsets Beni Rugs' latest custom collection is certainly a sight for sore eyes. In spite of the stay-at-home orders that were enforced around the world, the emerging label chose to make the most of an unfortunate situation by creating a fictional world that is equal parts Brazilian modernism, Bauhuas cleanliness and desert sensuality of Morocco, all effortlessly blended into one.
Designed in partnership with illustrator Charlotte Taylor and her multi-disciplinary creative studio Maison de Sable, which collaborates with a collection of 3D rendering artists to create distinct, yet highly varied imaginary environment, the sumptuous setting evocatively sees pieces from Beni Rugs’ new customizable flatweave collection situated beside a cool stone plunge pool, covering a sun-scorched terrace or beckoning from the shaded interior of a terracotta lodge.
‘When stay at home orders around the world canceled our planned shoot in Copenhagen, we decided to let our imaginations wander,’ recounts the company’s co-founder Robert Wright. ‘At the core of Beni is a melding of ancient craft and modern technology; so a virtual shoot that drew on historical references of the Bauhaus and Brazilian Modernism seemed like a fun way to travel the world despite being stuck at home. We asked ourselves, if this collection were a home, what would it look like? Then we dove deep into our archive of images, settling on a dreamy modernist villa nestled into the dunes of the Moroccan Sahara. Charlotte and Maison de Sable were the perfect partners to create this mirage.’
‘The settings and architecture came about from a desire to create something between Brazilian modernism, desert architecture and Barragán detailing,’ adds Taylor, who teamed up again with the CGI artist Victor Roussel (they both worked on Sight Unseen Offsite Online in spring) on the project. ‘Whilst all the spaces inhabit the same world, the variant landscapes and materials create a sense of a placeless place which is a very curious topic for us. To bring the images back to an essence of reality, we focus[ed] on some domestic details. like fruit and sculptural objects. Rendered space can sometimes seem sterile and lifeless, [so] we tried to disassociate our images from this cold appearance.’
This imaginary is certainly an appropriate place to consider Beni’s new customizable designs, which like their original Ourain styles, can be tailor made from a choice of ten different background and line colours. With 19 designs available in eight sizes to choose from, all traditionally made by hand from 100% natural wool, each rug is truly one of a kind and every design fan’s dream.
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