Each historic civilisation has made architectural contributions to the world, and alongside the Egyptian pyramids, Greek columns, and China’s nice wall, one in every of India’s most vital are the stepwells. These distinctive and complex constructions as soon as numbered of their 1000’s throughout India, and have now offered the inspiration for a brand new assortment of rugs designed by Shalini Misra (whose inside design prowess we’ve beforehand explored in a London household house) and produced by Cc-tapis (a model amongst our Greatest Surrealist Design winners within the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024).
Designed to permit entry to water through a collection of cascading terraces – in order that it was inside attain irrespective of how excessive or low the extent – the stepwells turned the easy act of fetching water right into a vibrant public present. They have been lavishly ornamented, with niches and pavilions the place individuals may swim, bathe, carry out spiritual rituals, and benefit from the pure cooling impact of the saved physique of water. Right this moment, stepwells could be discovered scattered throughout India, some deserted, some nonetheless in use.
Stepwells Assortment by Shalini Misra for Cc-tapis
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Shalini Misra)
The Stepwells assortment is the primary unique product that Misra has designed for Curio, her proprietary digital platform providing a curated edit of handmade furnishings, lighting, equipment and artwork sourced from all over the world. The London-based designer established her inside design studio in 2000, and now operates from places of work in New York, Dubai and Delhi.
It was her personal Indian heritage, her expertise with the nation’s craftsmanship and dedication to wellness in her design that drew her to the stepwells as a supply of inspiration. In India, as in lots of cultures, water is taken into account a purifying, renewing and sacred factor.
These rugs should not simply lovely items of artwork but in addition a reminder of the significance of sustainability and group, Misra explains. ‘We needed to create items that will replicate the useful, non secular, social and aesthetic properties of the stepwells, that will not solely showcase extraordinary craftsmanship, however that will be actually rooted in a way of place too. As an architect by coaching, I’ve at all times been impressed by the unbelievable performance and complex aesthetic of India’s stepwells.’
Every of the three assertion rugs options conventional references and a domestically impressed color palette, and is called after the precise stepwell that impressed its design. ‘Ujaja Bioli’ is a big rectangular rug, ‘Adalaj ni Vav’ is a round rug, and ‘Rani Ki Vav’ is a runner rug (stepwells are also referred to as baolis and vav).
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Shalini Misra)
In Cc-tapis, Misra finds an ideal producer for the Stepwells assortment. The Italian rug maker is famend for its superbly crafted and sustainable designs in addition to its rising collection of artistic collaborations. Founder Fabrizio Cantoni describes how each bit takes 14 to 17 weeks to finish, and the corporate prioritises sustainability via using ethically sourced supplies and eco-friendly manufacturing practices.
‘Our artisans pour every thing into every rug,’ he says. ‘Items can embrace as much as 232,000 particular person knots per sq. metre. The ending processes, together with hand-cutting and embossing, contribute to the distinctive high quality. The hand-knotting approach is on the core of our manufacturing course of, a way widespread within the Center East, India, and China.’ From refining uncooked supplies to dying processes, each stage is managed in-house.
(Picture credit score: Courtesy Shalini Misra)
The photographs of Indian stepwells are translated onto the rugs by weaving exceptionally delicate gradients of hand-dyed Himalayan wool. To evoke a surreal and sculptural impact, Cc-tapis’ Nepalese artisans combine completely different pile heights, textures and an unique mixture of colors to outline the various ranges of stepwells and elaborate carvings – considerate craftsmanship at its most interesting.
Lowering the geometry of the stepwells to a extra two-dimensional kind within the rugs doesn’t compromise their energy to deliver individuals collectively, says Misra. ‘Just like the stepwells, rugs, as useful and textural foundations, have a unifying energy, and that is one thing we needed to spotlight.’ They act as grounding parts for each entertaining and on a regular basis dwelling, she says. ‘Traditionally, the stepwells would act as the guts of group, a protected haven – particularly for ladies, providing safety and shelter from the overwhelming warmth as they fetched water for the group.’
Although India’s stepwells are disappearing and plenty of have been left abandoned because of modernisation, governmental and heritage organisations are working to preserve the architectural phenomenon.
shalinimisra.com
cc-tapis.com
Supply: Wallpaper
