woven concepts - halleh hakimian
Woven Concepts is a boutique wholesale firm, specialising in the conception and creation of high-end artisan rugs for well-known establishments. In addition to our signature collections, we provide extensive custom rug capabilities for commercial, residential, corporate, retail and hospitality interior design projects. Accuracy in weave and texture, precision of scale, and quality of yarn and dyes are distinctive signs of a Woven Concepts’ original.
We spoke to Halleh Hakimian of Woven Concepts.
TELL US YOUR STORY?
My sense of aesthetic and how I interact with the world is a result of an unusual blend of cultural influences. My multi-cultural heritage as a first-generation American, daughter of Iranian Jews, born and bred in the Midwest, living in New York, has provided me with a diverse life experience.
I identify more as a tastemaker than a designer. The most important philosophy of our work at Woven Concepts is that design should always be as practical, as relatable, as it is beautiful. We create functional art for people to enjoy and experience the rugs, rather than admire them as display items, so we utilise weaving techniques and durable materials that translate in a visually spectacular way.
We have strong, rich history behind Woven Concepts. It began in the 1920’s when my grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-uncle traveled from Iran to Pakistan to work as bonded agents. From the port city of Karachi, they transacted rug sales between Iranian vendors and European buyers. My father and uncles continued the family tradition by opening a retail rug showroom in St. Louis. My father eventually became an innovator in making custom rugs an accessible reality for the everyday buyer.
During my college years I worked at Riccardi, a high-end clothing boutique in Boston. This sales experience in retail luxury integrated into my career trajectory over a decade later. The summer that I graduated from Boston University, I somewhat accidentally fell in to the family wholesale rug business.
Who ARE YOU working with right now?
I enjoy working with all of my designers, because they really have an admirable talent. Whether it’s helping a customer select a single statement rug for a living space or realising a designer’s custom concept for a series of rugs in a hospitality setting, it is an honour for me to be able to even partially contribute to their remarkable process.
What are you working on right now?
The UnTitled Collection, our collaboration with Jaime is our current pet project. The large, abstract designs reach beyond conceptual expectations of space and style. The collection is a metaphoric celebration of limitless capability and boundless creativity. Woven Concepts is currently focused on unveiling the collection in all of our 2019 design markets.
What does sustainable design mean to you?
Woven Concepts leaves a green carbon imprint with the creation of each hand-made rug. We implement rigorous quality, environmental, ethical production guidelines. Master artisans hand-weave fine remnants of sari silk, for our Rumi and Odyssey collections. The use of repurposed silk creates an organic appearance, with textural body and intentional color variation. The Larruzko Collection upcycles excess automotive suede to flat-weave the rugs with an organic modernism aesthetic. Our high end, well-crafted rugs are also made to endure decades of regular use, with virtually no maintenance. We create a long-standing product; beautiful rugs that seamlessly blend in to their surroundings.
What designs or creative work has you excited right now?
My second love affair is with lighting, which I’m currently obsessed with! My favorite personal piece of art is an eight-foot Barbie hologram, by Cecile Plaisance. Barbie is juxtaposed on a solid black background, wearing black. She stands in a dressed, then undressed state, depending on your vantage point. It’s a great conversational piece. To me, her visual presence invokes strength and grace. She also contrasts dramatically with the Rumi Collection, flamingo pink, silk rug that lays at her feet.
Who are you collaborating with right now?
Woven Concepts recently launched a new collection designed by Jaime Derringer of Design Milk. Working with Jaime has been a truly enjoyable and creatively collaborative process. We share a common work ethic and a purist mentality about design and construction. Our design methodology is different from, but harmonious with Jaime’s.
What do you love to do when you're not working?
Entertaining family and friends at home is how I decompress. I really enjoy cooking, or more candidly put, directing in the kitchen. Visual details and small touches are most meaningful for me. For special occasions, I make a home brewed Moroccan-Jasmine tea with fresh mint. I like serving the tea in mini French Picardie tumblers, poured from a honed porcelain Italian Seletti teapot, placed on a Japanese Fog-Linen resin coated linen tray, with a single, tropical orchid on the side. That which looks visually beautiful, tastes all that much better!
what are your thoughts on the industry right now and what would you like to see?
Our industry is currently experiencing a strong challenge. The housing market crash was followed by a new generation of home buyers with revolutionary purchasing preferences. An appreciation for old world craftsmanship and extravagant design has shifted to a desire for understated luxury aesthetics. What we would love to see is a revival of interest in craftsmanship, but we respect and honor the direction that our buyers provide.
Do you have advice for emerging designers?
Our advice to emerging artists and designers is not to get distracted by generic design influences; the unconscious stimuli that we are exposed to on a regular basis. Creating something unique and authentic is much like a meditative experience, where you must first make note of your surrounding influences in able to then tune them out, and ultimately look within.
Visit Woven Concepts online.