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Sandy Jones’s handspun-wool Peloponnese carpet, £9,480, at Afridi Gallery in London
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Afridi Gallery Celebrates carpet maestro Sandy Jones
By Nicole Swengley
March 2019
Sandy Jones may be a little under the radar compared with her interior designer husband, Chester Jones, but anyone familiar with her bespoke carpet designs regards her as a superstar. Now her “greatest hits” of the past 20 years will be showcased at Afridi Gallery in London (May 14 to June 14) with some of her original designs specially recreated for this impressive selling exhibition.
Kicking off Afridi’s new series celebrating living textile designers, Sandy Jones: Stepping Into The Light highlights the playful nature of her luxurious carpets, which are made to order in Turkey from hand-dyed, handspun wool woven on traditional looms. The designs (£6,000 to £9,600) are inspired by diverse influences including 20th-century British artists, Islamic tile motifs, traditional Kuba cloth from the Democratic Republic of Congo and tribal artworks. Some carpets, like Dalban (£7,800) and Kontor (£7,800), feature lively curves; others, such as Embrace (£5,760), champion bold, graphic lines; while vibrant blocks of colour give Drieveren (£6,120) and Blue Square (£8,880) their impact. Baratta (£7,680), an abstract composition in blue, has echoes of Picasso’s work, while Peloponnese (£9,480) recalls the torn paper of 1960s British collage work.
Jones's design influences range from 20th-century British artists to Kuba cloth from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Carpets such as Dalban, £7,800, are woven on traditional looms in Turkey
Jones’s abstract Baratta design, £7,680
Displayed against the Chelsea gallery’s collection of 20th-century furniture, objects and artworks, the carpets will also be accompanied by Jones’s highly detailed, small-scale preparatory designs including richly tonal watercolours, sketches and handmade paper collages.
Embrace, £5,760, one of the most graphic designs in the Afridi Gallery show.
“Sandy’s feel for colour is second to none, but her designs also have a lovely whimsical quality that complements serious art objects,” says the gallery’s owner, Shahbaz Afridi. “Her bespoke carpets will become important vintage pieces in the future.”