Lise El Sayed Carpet Slippers
Carpets, mats, rugs … these are just two-dimensional, flat, boring objects that (at most) have a bit of color, texture and maybe some sort of ornate printed pattern. Or at least that is the tradition – before Lise El Sayed comes in to cut, bend, twist and tear convention at whim, creating constructive chaos in her wake.
Carpet Chairs by Lise El Sayed
Bulbous Carpet
Not so sure you want shag-carpet slippers? Fair enough – the patterns look a lot more like cushion covers for classic chairs anyway. With each piece cut out in the right sequence, the once floor-bound area rug simple lifts up to a new level and becomes a jigsaw-puzzle version of its former self. Talk about a stylish matching set.
Carpet crosswalk
Cutout carpet design


If it is possible, her works get even more surreal as they progress. Sure, there is something functional, simple and appealing about a modular set of rectangular mats (which can be assembled into a carpet of essentially any size). However, a rotating circle of carpet within a larger whole, oriental-patterned mounds and/or floral-motif crosswalks might be a bit beyond the realm of practicality. El Sayed has a fascinating way of turning mundane items into objects of fascination.
Here’s what she says about this series, entitled Tapis:
“Give the carpet back his nomadic roots.Once a necessity good, it is filled with a sacred past which inspired respect.In our homes it becomes sedentary, and a luxury item of our modern comfort . It stands as the symbol of a place, life space and passage ways.Offer it new destinations, from our rooms to the public space. Spread the carpet around and take it out of its perimeter.Used carpets upgrade to a unique item. This process gives the old item a new aesthetic, and the result still caries the DNA of the original carpet. Colors and shapes which vary with trends, eras and cultures and ensure each carpet to be unique.”