URBAN FABRIC is an exciting series of area rugs inspired by cities you love. They are based on scale maps extruded and meticulously cut out of hand-tufted or hand-knotted New Zealand virgin wool. They are soft city models, as instructive to touch as to view. There is a seriousness to the work—the city plans are very accurate—and, at the same time, an element of fun in their fuzzy tactility.

Urban Fabric can be read as a counterpoint to Rem Koolhaas’s generic city critique. The project examines cities not as a ground level experience of bland airports and shopping centers, but from a Google maps vantage point which reveals that city cores remain differentiated from one another in terms of history, urban design, and the constraints of geography. Like these places, no two rugs even of the same city are alike—each is tailored to the individual commission. Urban Fabric place its bets on difference, clinging to the notion of uniqueness of place in the vein of Camillo Sitte’s City Planning According to Artistic Principles. Inspired by the unique patterns of cities, traditions of rug manufacture and representation the work links urbanism, architecture, textile design, and scale.

Mark Morris,

Associate Professor and Director of Exhibitions and Events
Dept. Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University

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URBAN FABRIC Rugs are made by leading socially responsible mills in Thailand, India and China. Our facilities use the highest international standards for environmentally sustainable production, while maintaining strict socially sustainable hiring practices. All our rugs are made by adults earning a living salary.