Editor’s Miscellany: 5 Under 40: The Rugs

By Kyle Hoepner

Two weeks ago I introduced this year’s winners of New England Home’s annual 5 Under 40 Awards. Today, I will give you a preview of some very special creations by those winners.

In addition to finding and honoring the most promising younger home-design professionals in New England, our 5 Under 40 program also includes an important charity component. Each year presenting sponsor Landry & Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting works with the winners to help them design their own custom rugs, which are then handwoven and hand-knotted by Landry & Arcari’s south Asian artisans. The unique and sumptuous results—five one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen luxury carpets—are then auctioned off at the gala 5 Under 40 celebration that kicks off the design year in early September.

Proceeds from the sale of the rugs go to Barakat, a charity based in Cambridge, Mass., that runs basic education and literacy programs, particularly benefitting women and children, in many of the rug-producing areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

One of this year’s rugs being made. Photo courtesy of Landry & Arcari.

So, as you can see, the various aspects of 5 Under 40 are, if you’ll excuse the pun, very tightly interwoven. And you have the chance to take part, not to mention enjoying an evening of drinks, small plates and fun with your design-world friends. Please come to this year’s awards gala on the evening of Thursday, September 12, at the Galleria at 333 Stuart Street in Boston. A preview of the rugs begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony and auction at 7:00. Then, around 7:45, we’ll all party down until…who knows when. Tickets are $35 in advance (available right here); they will be $45 cash at the door.

The mere description should be enough to galvanize you into action—but we’re admittedly a very visual crowd, so here’s a taster of the five custom designs you could take home that night, simultaneously helping to improve life’s possibilities for some of your fellow humans in deeply troubled parts of the world.

Custom rug by 5 Under 40 winner Matthew Cunningham of Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design, Winchester, Mass.

All rug photos by Hornick/Rivlin Photography.

Custom rug by 5 Under 40 winner Tiffany Eastman of Tiffany Eastman Interiors, Stamford, Conn.

Custom rug by 5 Under 40 winner Rina Okawa of ZEN Associates, Woburn, Mass.

Custom rug by 5 Under 40 winners Sara Ossana and Jonathan Glatt of O&G Studio, Warren, R.I.

Custom rug by 5 Under 40 winner Phoebe Lovejoy Russell of Lovejoy Designs, Boston

Special thanks to all of our sponsors for this year, including Landry & Arcari and the five signature sponsors who do so much to make the gala evening possible: Back Bay Shutter Co., Snow and Jones Kitchen & Bath Solutions, Wayne Towle Master Finishing & Restoration, JW Construction and Pressley Associates landscape architects. You can visit the 5 Under 40 website for more information about the awards. Or click here for more information about Barakat and their programs.

I hope to see you on September 12!