Design Process

With her background in the fine arts, drawing, sketching and creating custom patterns has long been a signature aspect of Hana’s work, first as an interior designer and now at Bolé Road.

Each of our signature products begins with a concept drawn from Ethiopia’s culture and natural beauty.  Hana sketches ideas for patterns and repeats, playing with color schemes throughout the process. With a signature look in hand, Hana then builds out the rest of the collection with solid color pillows and more modern designs while still embracing the aesthetic of the collection and design concept.  Once completed, the designs are recreated digitally before being sent out to Bolé Road’s partner artisans in Ethiopia for weaving.

In addition to original designs, we also curate and reuse traditional Ethiopian motifs, often re-coloring them to create a modern and fresh palette that compliments our collections.   It’s a wonderful example of Bolé Road’s modern-meets-traditional aesthetic.