Canvas, Carpets and Cushions exhibit for the first time, presenting their brand Carpets CC showing off her original paintings that have become handcrafted limited edition carpets.

Born out of her passion for painting, Swedish-born Cecilia Setterdahl started Canvas Carpets Cushions after a chance encounter with a carpet manufacturer in Mumbai, who transformed two of her original paintings into two unique, hand knotted carpets.

Cecilia first paints designs onto canvas from her studio in Dubai Design District, with each carpet produced a limited edition of just 10. Canvas Carpets and Cushions has only recently introduced matching bespoke accent cushions into their creative portfolio, which have all been made in the UAE.

Cecilia's love for Dubai began in 2007 and the choice of setting up her flagship store in d3, in spite of her Swedish/Swiss background, was meticulously thought out: "I had  been visiting Dubai since 2007, and purchased an apartment here with my husband in 2010. During our visits friends often commented,  the UAE is where you should market your designs!" she said.

"Dubai Design District first came to my attention when my husband and I drove past it by accident. We took note of the phone number, checked their website and booked a visit in January last year. We thought the concept was great, [because it offered] us the possibility of 'networking to success' with others in the d3 area, and we thought this was the best way to become known in the UAE design market. We signed in April 2015 and took the keys in August. d3 has always been supportive of our efforts; they even arranged a pop-up shop for us when our showroom fell behind its scheduled opening date" Cecilia adds.

Canvas, Carpets and Cushions offers customers a unique experience with the artist, even before purchasing their desired design piece. After choosing their favourite piece of art in-store, Cecilia will work with customers to ensure the perfect design application and even create one off cushions for their home or space.

Born and raised in Ronneby, Sweden, Cecilia has always been passionate about painting. Her present work feature acrylics in pure geometric forms, capturing various facets of light and colour. “My goal is to find perfect symmetry between form, shape and colour,” says Cecilia. Before moving to Dubai, Cecilia lived and studied in Switzerland for 22 years.

Carpets, Canvas and Cushions recently collaborated with The Fatema Bint Mohammed Bin Zayed Initiative (FBMI) to display 3 of their unique hand-knotted carpets at the FBMI retail store in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi.

Cecilia will debut her brand at Downtown Design this year: "We are very much looking forward to this October where we expect to interact with more of the design community and develop business opportunities," she said.

See Canvas, Carpets and Cushions and over 100 brands at Downtown Design 2016. Register to attend.