Bronx born…Norwalk, Connecticut raised…Brooklyn based African-Caribbean rug designer Malene Barnett is amazing. I was watching the Nate Berkus show one day and this rug designer was featured on the House Proud segment of his show. Her mother classical pianist and educator, Dr. Cynthia Barnett, required her daughters to play violin. Malene played for 6 years and then decided that she loved to paint. Malene has art in her blood. Her grandmother was a fashion designer so fashion illustration became appealing to Malene. With guidance from her professors, she was able to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Textile Surface Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Her international travels have inspired her to create amazing works of art in her rug designs. Her love for culture stems from her background and travels to places such as Dakar, Mumbai,and Kuala Lumpur. Her carpet art work is eclectic, fresh and soulful. With her many travels she could never run out of design ideas. All of her rugs are handcrafted to fit ones needs. She has designed rugs for professionals such as Nicole Miller, Martha Stewart, Nate Berkus and others before introducing her very own line.
Malene is also a humanitarian. She’s donated profits to Aid to Artisans from the sale of her “Tap Tap” carpet inspired by the colorful buses in Haiti. Malene also supports Goodweave which is an organization to end child labor in the carpet industry and supports educational opportunities to children in Nepal, India and Afghanistan.
Find out more about Goodweave here: www.goodweave.org. | Learn more about Malene B. and have a look at some of her handcrafted artistic carpet’s here: www.maleneb.com.