Shag pile: India Mahdavi creates a playful collection for La Manufacture Cogolin

The latest iteration of India Mahdavi’s whimsically elegant aesthetic comes in the form of an inspiring rug collection for the traditional French manufacturer Cogolin. Entitled ‘Jardin Intéreiur’, the collection focuses on Mahdavi’s riffs on kilims and expertly casts the Orientalist weaving pattern in a whole new light.

Mahdavi’s contemporary twist on the kilim challenged Cogolin’s traditional ways of working. Formed in 1928, La Manufacture Cogolin has always counted on expert artisans and high levels of technical excellence to create its exquisite wares. The brand’s kilim rugs are typically comprised of a single repeat pattern, but for this collection, Mahdavi created six different patterns that can be assembled into a single composition. The varying pile heights, visible backgrounds and unexpected colour combinations also brought a striking modernity to this conventionally bohemian archetype.

Each design in ‘Jardin Intéreieur’ boasts a bold quality that simultaneously exudes Mahdavi’s signature for mixing sumptuous textures and graphic patterns. The designs range from simple rows of picket shapes, to a more playful mix of chevrons and interlacing diamonds that also cleverly engage with the negative space. Together with shades such as mustard, purple, chocolate, green and red, the rugs create an eye-catching surface that yields a range of effects in various piles.

‘I’ve used rugs by La Manufacture Cogolin in several projects because of their unique weave. These rugs have real personality,’ says the Paris-based Mahdavi. ‘The collaboration with Cogolin on a collection was a perfectly natural evolution of our relationship.’

INFORMATION

’Jardin Intérieur’ is available from Edward Fields in New York. For more details, visit La Manufacture Cogolin’s website