"I’m a visual archaeologist," says designer Raju Peddada, founder of the Des Plaines–based Future Environments Company. His bold new rug collection and neo-retro sterling silver tabletop pieces are inspired, he says, by ancient forms, by his reading of history (Euclid is a hero), and by travel. Peddada based the dyes in the rugs, which are woven in India and Nepal, on colors he observed in nature. "Every gray is out of the Chicago skies in winter," he says. "It’s a tribute to the place where I live." He sells primarily to the trade and through http://www.peddada.com/. The candelabra, water pitchers, fruit bowls, and other silver pieces run from $2,000 to $6,000; hand-knotted rugs are $35 to $40 per square foot, wholesale

Peddada’s bold, high-pile rugs are woven from wool and silk; (top left) Chain and (top right) Wholesome. Below, his silver collection includes the Orca footed dish (left) and the Aquaring pitcher (right).