Odegard

Welcome to Odegard, a leader in design and color innovation in the production of high-end, handmade carpets. We invite you to enter our site and learn more about us.
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Since founding her company in 1987, Stephanie Odegard has produced and imported collections of uniquely
designed carpets that have revolutionized the United States market. By combining time-revered techniques with
contemporary European aesthetics and the highest standards of quality, she has transformed ancient textile art
forms and traditional artisanal crafts of developing countries into commercially viable industries capable of raising
standards of living for thousands of people.
Prior to founding Odegard Inc., Stephanie Odegard worked as a buyer at Dayton Hudson, owned her own
business in the textile arts field, followed by twelve years abroad--first serving in The Peace Corps and then for
The World Bank, the United Nations and the governments of Nepal, Jamaica and the South Pacific islands as a
marketing consultant for exports from cottage and small-scale industry.
In the mid-1980’s when she traveled to Nepal on assignment for the World Bank, she worked particularly as
consultant to the emerging carpet industry being developed by Tibetan refugees with whom she lived and worked
until 1986. After helping to stabilize the Tibetan wool market and having developed relationships with the most
reliable suppliers, she formed her own company later in New York to import her specially produced carpets and
designs into the States. Her lifelong interest and expertise in design, product development and technical aspects
of the textile and other traditional industries combined with her merchandising experience uniquely qualified her
to build the international success of Odegard, Inc.
The hallmark of Odegardâ designs is Stephanie Odegard’s sophisticated and subtle use of color in carpets made
of hand-carded, hand-spun, hand-knotted Himalayan wool. Integrity of the raw materials is paramount. Inspiration
comes from sources as varied as Venetian fabrics of Mariano Fortuny, traditional Tibetan motifs such as tiger pelts
and Buddhist symbols, ornate ironwork filigree, architecture and the antique textile collections at The Art Institute
of Chicago. Many of Odegard’s distinctive designs draw inspiration directly from nature--from the shapes of
tropical leaves and grasses to the vibrant colors of a Himalayan sunset.
As handmade products of distinctive cultural heritage, Odegard rugs are valuable contemporary works of art in the
great tradition of collecting textiles. Stephanie Odegard also designs and markets carpets and home furnishing
accessories from other countries where she is able to adapt traditional craft techniques to create products of
quality and beauty. In addition, her import company sells and markets both Fortuny lamps and lighting sculptures
designed by artists and executed entirely by hand using silk and other natural materials.
In all her products, Stephanie Odegard requires strict adherence to social responsibility in countries where
production takes place. She is a Director of RugMarkâ, a carpet industry foundation, for which Odegard, Inc. is its
largest U.S. contributor. The foundation maintains the only recognized certification program to insure that carpets
are made free of child labor; its funds are used for education and welfare of the children. All Odegardâ carpets
bear the RugMarkâ label.
Stephanie has garnered numerous accolades and awards that acknowledge both her design talents and her
commitment to social progress and philanthropic accountability, including the 2006 Mountain Institute Award for
Excellence in Sustaining Mountain Livelihoods, the Editors Award for Best of Show Carpet and Flooring at the 2006
18th annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF, taking first prize in three categories at the Domotex
2006 Carpet Design Awards: “Best liked by Visitors”, “Best Modern Design Collection” and “Best Design over
250 Euros/psm”, the 2004 Aid to Artisans Award for Innovation in Craft, being named a 2004 “Giant of Design”
by House Beautiful Magazine, being named the number two carpet brand by House & Garden’s “Best on the
Best” Survey in 2004 and 2005, Legacy Award finalist for the 2004 WOW Award presented by WithIt (Women
in the Home Industries Today), the 2002 Elle Deco International Design Award for Floor Covering and the
National Peace Corps Association 2001 Business Symposium Award for Entrepreneurship. She serves, as a
member of the Director's Circle of the National Peace Corps Association, and is on the board of The Alpha
Workshops, and The Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust.
Odegard, Inc. has always developed its own designs that may be custom ordered by interior design professionals
for both corporate and residential clientele. Stephanie Odegard also works with architects, designers and curators
who wish to commission unique carpet designs special public spaces. Recent commissions include Restaurant
Daniel and The Chambers Hotel project with David Rockwell--both in New York City, The J.P. Getty Museum in
Los Angeles and The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.