Rugberry Universe

In Praise of a Worn Stool: Artek 2nd Cycle

Artek goes looking for its own old stools in flea markets, schools and shipyards, and sells them with their scratches intact. A rare maker that treats patina as proof of quality.

Golconde, the Ashram That Brought Modernism to India

Before Chandigarh, devotees of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram built a concrete dormitory in Pondicherry, casting its hinges from their own brass. The story of Golconde.

In Bagru, Mud Is the Pattern

In Bagru, printers press a paste of clay, lime and gum onto cloth so the indigo cannot reach it, and the cracks where the mud dries become the pattern. A lesson in reading the irregular.

Casa Luis Barragán and Colour as a Building Material

Behind a blank wall in Tacubaya, Luis Barragán let pink, yellow and gold do the work of structure and left the green to his garden. A lesson in letting one plane of colour carry a room.

The Girdlers' Rug: Lahore, London and a Survivor's Story

Ordered from Mughal Lahore in 1630 and presented to a London livery company in 1634, the Girdlers' rug has outlived the Great Fire and the Blitz. The strongest argument that a knotted rug is built ...

Padmanabhapuram, the Timber Palace Built to a Carpenter's Code

The old capital of Travancore was built to a carpenter's code, with timber walls, courtyards for light and air, and a dark floor polished to a mirror. A masterclass in natural materials.

Cafe de Flore and the Room That Refused to Change

Paris reinvented itself many times around Cafe de Flore, and the room barely moved: red seating, mahogany, mirrors. Why a fixed palette and good materials let a room outlast every fashion.

Arne Jacobsen's Copenhagen, from the Museum to the Sea

Arne Jacobsen designed at every scale, from a beach to a petrol station canopy. A walk from the design museum up the coast to Klampenborg, and what his consistency means for a room.