New York City-based design studio, Lucy Tupu LLC has announced the launch of Lucy Tupu Studio, alongside the inaugural exhibition of the Max Gimblett rug collection in beautiful Aotearoa, New Zealand.
"Lucy Tupu Studio is officially open for business on two continents. We are excited to collaborate with the talented design community and private clients in Aotearoa, New Zealand, all while maintaining our extensive ongoing projects in New York," said Tupu.
Lucy met Max back in 2016 in NYC at a Kiwi design event. Given her huge admiration for Max and his work, Lucy immediately introduced herself and mentioned she would love to visit his studio. The following week they were sitting together in his Bowery space and began discussing a collaboration.
“We went through a lot of his works, and it was the colorful ones that really stood out to me. It wasn’t to replace his artwork in any way but rather another medium for his work to be expressed. Vibrant, contrasting color is sometimes central to Gimblett’s work and it was this distinctive element that I was excited to replicate. It was an honor and an inspiration to transform his iconic inks on paper into textural, functional pieces.”
The quatrefoil featured in so many of the designs is a medieval symbol of a flower, often used in Christian architecture, and the skull motif is complementary to Max Gimblett’s ideas on rebirth. The full collection comprises twelve designs, handmade in Nepal with 100% Tibetan wool and a cut pile construction. Each rug can take between 12-16 weeks to produce and is GoodWeave certified. GoodWeave is an organization dedicated to ending child labor and forced and bonded labor in global supply chains with whom we have been a proud partner for 8 years.
"Collaborating with Lucy Tupu on custom rugs and carpets has been a real treat for me," stated Max Gimblett. "She makes everything flow so well and I found that working down flat, in contrast to being upright, is astounding! The element of people walking over and sitting on these objects, as opposed to simply viewing them, is refreshing. What is under our feet is stabilizing and grounding. There's also a civilizing aspect, designating the functions of the various rooms her rugs inhabit. Carpets and wallpaper were the things that lasted and lasted in my childhood homes. I am thrilled Lucy has made some beautiful rugs with my inks on paper, which were inspired by ancient Tantric works. This really comes through."