Interview With The Creator Behind Sarakele Studio, Sára Kele

Explore the creative mind of Sára Kele, an industrial designer who juggles many skills, techniques and talents to cultivate timeless yet personal furniture collections. Through the exploration of innovative and traditional craftsmanship, her work has been featured in design press publications as well as Sara has received numerous awards in Hungary, United Kingdom, USA, Slovenia and even Singapore. In this interview, Sára shares the key elements behind her work and inspiration for unique furniture and rug collections, and reveals the tips for styling sarakele furniture.

Join us and dive into the world of rug and furniture designer, Sára Kele.

Hi Sara, could you give a brief introduction about yourself and your work for those who may not be familiar with you?

By education, I’m an industrial designer, but the knowledge acquired at different universities - aesthetics, architecture, cultural anthropology - also affects my complex design approach. I’m creating simple and timeless furniture and interiors while keeping sustainability in focus. The home of my most cherished projects is the brand sarakele studio, where together with the team, we are integrating traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge, innovative techniques whenever possible. My experimental, forward-thinking approach goes beyond the visual to investigate new materials and production methods. We’re creating furniture and lifestyle objects from different materials including newly developed natural materials and traditional ones such as wood or stone.

Sára Kele’s 001 rug from “Piedra” rug collection

What led you to dive into rug design creation and career?

Working with craftsmen from various fields can be a truly enriching experience. Hungary's vibrant history of textile design and its rich heritage of patterns and symbols have long fascinated me, making it a desire of mine to work with textiles. 

What led to rug design was that here I find an incredible sense of freedom and powerful possibilities, allowing me to play with emotions and moods through my creations. It's a fulfilling and gratifying experience to express myself in this way and infuse my rugs with a unique blend of artistic and cultural influences.

Could you share how you came up with your newest collection and from where your inspiration derived?

When it comes to my furniture, it is important that they reflect something from my personality, connecting various objects and forging them into a brand. I wanted to take this further - this time, establishing a carpet collection. Through the patterns, I incorporated pieces of myself, as they were all inspired by significant milestones in my life.

I’m a mother of two little boys. My children's existence has been the most powerful shaping force for me. Motherhood has called me on a unique journey, simultaneously inspiring and filled with challenges. The imprints of my elder son's unique worldview have become an integral part of our lives. The Spectrum rug patterns stem from his drawings, but I've left my touch in their transformation as well.

The remote, lunar landscapes of Fuerteventura island - where I lived for a while with my family - inspired the Piedra series. The rich emptiness of this magnificent world opened up a range of feelings and moods within me, transforming into abstract yet meaningful paintings over the years spent there. The variations in textures and visual structures of my paintings are reflected in the structure of the Piedra carpet series.

What elements do you consider essential when creating a rug?

The choice of material and weaving or knotting techniques is crucial in rug making, offering different possibilities for creativity. In my Piedra and Spectrum rug series, I mainly utilized wool with flat weaving techniques, exploring various structures, yarn thicknesses, and occasionally incorporating hand-knotting elements. This combination of materials and techniques allows for a diverse range of textures and visual effects.

Sára Kele’s “Piedra” 001 & 002 rugs collection

Another significant aspect for me is the color palette, pattern, and composition. I prefer using pastel colors with a wide variation, yet my goal is to achieve a harmonious overall picture and visually balanced rug design. By drawing inspiration from nature, I continuously learn and am amazed by the millions of colors and textures present in the natural world, and how they always manage to blend harmoniously.

Your rugs feature unique yet minimalistic designs, how would you decorate them in the interior design space? And what tips would you give to your rug owners?

I prefer simple and balanced interior spaces, with natural materials and a few very characteristic and personal items which resonate with the people living there. I hope my rugs would fit in a home where people interact emotionally with them and enjoy walking bare feet on them.

Sára Kele’s “Spektrum” rug collection

It is your first time partnering with DressMyCrib, what opportunities do you think the partnership proposes to our readers?

Our goal is to assist in the decision-making process and not just offer trend-following solutions but to guide people to discover their own tastes and choose accessories for their space accordingly. In many cases, my aim is to provide completely unique solutions, patterns, and designs by using custom-made rugs.

If you could name only the top 3 favorite interior designs, which ones would you choose?

As I’m more present in the product design field, let me tell you some of my favorite designers. For example, I really admire the strategic thinking of the Form us with Love studio, the emotional playfulness of the Bouroullec Brothers and the soft calmness of Cecilie Manz.

My favorite Hungarian interior design studio is URBA. I really appreciate their clean sophisticated design language. Another Danish international studio that comes to my mind is called Norm Architects, whose work I really admire. They create magic with very simple solutions, mostly made out of wood.

Finally, what are your 3 most beloved interior trends right now?

The Japanese Wabi Sabi, which embraces natural materials and allows the passage of time to be felt through objects, where imperfections become deeply personal, a detail carries a unique tale of our journey.

The other style let’s call emotional minimalism, that is characterized by simple spaces that are definitely not overstimulated. Despite their simplicity, they hold some sculptural and personal meaning through the objects and composition.

The natural trend, which focuses on using authentic materials rather than imitations. Emphasizing the true beauty of raw materials, incorporating earthy and monochromatic colors, showcasing the diverse shades of natural surfaces.

Sára Kele’s “Repeta” furniture collection

Thank you Sára Kele for sharing the creativity behind your work with us! Learn more about Sára and follow her work here:

SARAKELE

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