Fiji RPCV Stephanie Odegard is credited with the revolutionary combination of traditional weaving techniques with contemporary designs
What's in store: Michael Sydney Ltd.
Published January 7, 2004
STOR07
What's in store
MICHAEL SYDNEY LTD.
210 N. 2nd St., Suite 100, Minneapolis. 612-455-6100. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday.
http://www.michaelsyndey.com.
What it is: The first Minneapolis showroom devoted to hand-knotted rugs designed by Stephanie Odegard.
Who's she?: Odegard is a Minnesota native, former Dayton's buyer, Peace Corps volunteer and World Bank and United Nations consultant. She's credited with the revolutionary combination of traditional weaving techniques with contemporary designs. She also produces her rugs without child or forced labor and is the largest contributor to Rugmark, an anti-child-labor certification program.
Pecker at work
Handout
Now a New Yorker, she frequently travels to Nepal, Tibet and India to visit the traditional factories where her rugs are made.
Is she famous?: She's not a household name yet, but her rugs grace the floors of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles as well as the homes of celebrities such as Julianne Moore, Jerry Seinfeld and Robert Redford.
Who's the store named for?: Her brother, Mick Bundul, who owns the showroom.
What the store has: More gallery than store, it features Odegard's rugs hanging from the ceilings and the mezzanine, a gurgling fountain and slippers in which you can pad around the clean, well-lighted space. The store also features contemporary Italian furnishings, sculptural lighting and home accessories.
Who does the design?: Odegard designs the rugs, drawing from inspiration as varied as patterns on ancient Buddhist prayer books, Japanese kimonos or Indian saris. Unlike traditional Oriental rugs, the designs are simple, if not minimal. Custom rugs also are available.
Who it's for: Consumers with conscience, design savvy and money. The hand-carded, hand-spun and hand-knotted rugs, many of which are colored with vegetable dyes, aren't cheap. The cost for a 9-by 12-foot wool rug ranges from $6,000 to $12,000. The store also carries rugs made of cotton, hemp and silk.
