Chances are Hermann Rorschach never imagined his famous Rorschach inkblot test would be the inspiration behind a signature handcrafted collection of rugs, but Erik Lindstrom saw otherwise. Drawing innovation from the renowned Rorschach psychoanalysis test, the Inkblot Collection consists of eight original rug designs that were unveiled this past July.
“It took about 100 attempts to create eight unique inkblots”, Lindstrom explains. The Seattle native and founder of Lindstrom Rugs credits his West Coast upbringing for sparking a dedicated attentiveness to the great outdoors. “I find pattern and form in the details of nature’s elements … clouds, trees, rivers, oceans, animals, insects. There are intricacies in all of these arenas, especially when you look closely.”
This appreciation for the organic is obvious in Lindstrom’s decision to manufacture his Inkblot rugs from 100 per cent Tibetan wool, which is alternatively blended with hemp, cactus, nettle, and bamboo silk. The power of nature also resides within each rug pattern. “Anytime you create an inkblot, you may have an inkling of what the mirrored image will look like,” says Lindstrom, “but in the end it’s up to the laws of nature”
Unlike the chaotic and unpredictability of nature however, Lindstrom relies on a team of talented artisan weavers who have passed down century-old traditions in rug making to ensure a high level of quality and accuracy is maintained. Situated in Nepal, the Lindstrom Rugs factory brings designs to life with meticulous dyeing, washing, cutting, and weaving. “Experience goes a long way,” says Lindstrom; it is a sentiment that is echoed in each final product.
Karim Rashid has recently joined forces with the company, releasing Korgamy, a geometric collection of rugs—it is Lindstrom’s first collaboration with an outside designer. This spring, Lindstrom will also reveal a new collection that will be in touch with nature, “but this time from stones and the beauty inside them.” New partnerships with showrooms in Miami and New York will showcase these designs.
Like the Rorschach test it imitates, the Inkblot Collection offers a look inside the subconscious of Lindstrom Rugs, revealing the inner workings of a creative mind that began from the humble creative beginnings of, “brushstrokes, spatter techniques, and a little luck.”
