Maharam | Introduction

Impasto, a new rug developed with longtime collaborator Sonnhild Kestler, highlights the designer’s chromatic studies in silk-screening. Alexander Girad’s enduring 1952 design is reissued as Alphabet Twill, a woven upholstery. No.1391, the latest contribution to Maharam Digital Projects, offers an architectural gradient based on an original painting by artist Rana Begum.

Known for her distinct pattern language, Zürich-based textile artist Sonnhild Kestler emphasizes dynamic compositions, vibrant color, and ornate graphics.

Maharam’s collaboration with Kestler embraces her interest in graphic motifs and textile traditions, including upholsteries Amulet, Mela, and Monsoon, and rugs Mandala and Zenith.

Enlisting an intricate hand-knotting technique, Impasto by Sonnhild Kestler is a playful stripe that evokes the look of wet ink scraped across a printing screen.

Alphabet Twill by Alexander Girard, 1952, a reissue of Girard’s enduring design as a woven upholstery, faithfully reproduces the condensed typographical motif in new and original colorways.

Reflecting artist Rana Begum’s extensive research in color and pattern, No.1391’s immersive composition balances vibrant color and architectural scale across a gradient.

Image: Rana Begum. No.1301 Mesh, 2023. Courtesy of Rana Begum, Photograph by Philip White.