Modular sofa series by Katrin Greiling for Traffic 2009. Fun and colorful. Download brochure here.

Upholstery that makes you weak in the knees is how I would define Bokja Designs. Created by Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, Bokja creates contemporary furniture using traditional artisans from the Lebanese area. The one of a kind pieces are unique and breathtaking. Modern colorful and beautiful. See more here.

“Sevya” means caring through service; caring for humanity and for the environment.’

Sevya is an eco-friendly organization dedicated to maintaining indigenous art forms of India through programs that give artisan communities the opportunity to continue long traditions of art. Sevya products are all made from natural materials. The sales earned are recycled to provide developmental programs throughout India.

Another wonderful organization producing beautiful art with a greater purpose in mind. The handicrafts available represent artforms centuries old, sustaining the beauty of tradition and the communities they come from. Handmade cards, painting, scarves, jewelry are some of the products available. See and learn more about Sevya here.

Kandahar Treasures not only stands for beautiful home decor but an even more amazing mission. The organization started by Rangina Hamidi has founded itself on the social responsibility of  being “fully committed to supporting the improvement of women’s social and economic life in Afghanistan”.

KT employees 400 artisans from the area, empowering women by bringing literacy programs to their homes and educating them on medical awareness. A really great program with beautiful end product. Learn more at their site here.

Some finished products include beautiful shawls, pillows and throws.

Found this while doing some Etsy browsing – how cute are these letters!
Check out the etsy shop here.

“Waafia (waa-fee-uh) is a U.S. based company that specializes in Islamically oriented and sunnah-conscious clothing and accessories.” Waafia creates Muslim-in-mind gifts and accessories that are cute (see personalized custom pillows) and practical (see fridge magnets)! 

Waafia has an array of products that are diverse from baby to youth and to adults. My favorite has to be the “Arabic Alphabet Poster” available in a variety of colors and designs. They’re a great gift for anyone, especially those with an affinity for arabic design! 

A great company to support, visit the full site here – where you can order your very own personalized pillow!

Educated at Pratt but inspired by the local artisans of Asia, John Robshaw (full site here) creates textiles from his penchant for South Asian art and techniques. Currently working in workshops in India, he travels extensively throughtout Asia to Rajasthan and Gujrat to find his next inspiration. Fascinated by the dyeing and printing processes that are common among the local artisans in India, he learned and created his own mix that defines his textiles. His bedding is hand printed in India — using various prints and patterns, colors and textures to bring together a vibrant mix. (In order: Jessamine, Kochi, Damascus, and Precious Metals)

My favorite — inspired by the winding souks and the patterns of the Ummayad mosque.

And last but not least, he even does baby bedding!

Another find from ISNA09 – Syed Art Glass had a creative gallery space in the bazaar that was hard to miss.

Inspired by the waters around Malaysia Syed creates beautiful art using glass as a medium. He explains on his site “This is by no coincidence because glass shares similar light bending properties with water. In much of my work I explore past experiences with water and create pieces based on them.”

His work is created for residential and commercial art using various metal materials.  Syed further explains, “the dichroic’s interesting properties allow me to stack the glass in many layers to achieve significant visual depth in an essentially two dimensional piece.” All put together, creates beautiful art! Here are some samples from his site: 

I discovered Barakah Life at ISNA 09 and absolutely loved the clean design style. The Azaan prints are beautifully designed prints/images for your home decor. They also have some cute stuff for kids (Ramadan star calender, etc) check them out here.

An all time favorite calligrapher with a unique timeless style is Haji Noor Deen. His unique style combines Chinese and Arabic calligraphic traditions from the pen to the paper – using the Chinese scroll as a canvas for his work. “When combined the result is an artistic piece that is a work of incredibly unique beauty, and a testimony to man’s synthesizing genius.” His style of calligraphy is organic and fluid and he brings together cultures in a way that can only be appreciated.

Visit his beautiful site and online gallery  here.

Some of my favorites: