MARGRETHE ODGAARD

The Danish colour and textile designer on her collection of wall tapestries for Ca’lyah

What inspired your new ‘Versus Edition’ series? The architecture in Nepal. I’m interested in what I call ‘cultural colour identity’ – the way we unconsciously express our cultures through colour choices. In Nepal, they do not use a lot of different hues, but the ones they use are strong and represent values coming from their culture and religion.

Why are these particular colour combinations so impactful? They are uncensored, direct and powerful – almost contrary to the Scandinavian tradition. One half of each tapestry is woven in wool and the other half in silk. Wool absorbs light and silk reflects it, so the surfaces react very differently. Both are of an incredibly high quality, especially the pure Himalayan wool with its long fibres and naturally oily texture.

What hues are inspiring you at the moment? Earth tones, inspired by minerals. I’ve moved away from all industrial and synthetic colours, searching for the natural and the original. £1,700 (calyah.com).