Dezeen Magazine

Claesson Koivisto Rune patterns leather rugs to look like fields from above

Stockholm 2016: Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune's collection of stitched leather rugs for its Inde/Jacobs gallery in Texas are going into production with textile brand Ogeborg (+ slideshow).

The A Sense of Place leather carpets were first designed to cover floors in the gallery building in Marfa, which Claesson Koivisto Rune completed in May 2015.

Leather rugs by Claesson Koivisto Rune
The Via Appia carpet has an irregular outline that can be customised by adding or removing leather panels

The studio, founded by Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune, referred to the region's agricultural history when designing the rugs.

The rectangular Marfa Crossroads rugs and circular Midwest verison all replicate the repetitive lines of farmland and fields as seen from overhead.

Leather rugs by Claesson Koivisto Rune
The circular Midwest rug is patterned to look like an aerial image of farmland

The Via Appia carpet is made from block-shaped pieces of leather stitched together. It features an irregular outline, and can be customised by adding or subtracting pieces from the pattern.

"To put leather on the floor seems at first like an odd thing," said Claesson Koivisto Rune, who launched its own home accessories brand last year. The studio has also designed stripy furniture, giant pendant lamps and champagne glasses.

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Marfa Crossroads has similar stripes based on field patterns

"But when you think of it – it is in many ways the perfect material," the studio continued.

"Natural and durable, it looks good even after years of fierce use. Furthermore, it is a responsible use of what is in fact a by-product from the meat and dairy industry."

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The Marfa Crossroads rug is available with different patterns

The collection is now being produced in numbered editions by Ogeborg. Each design is handmade in vegetable-tanned organic leather, and manufactured at the Tärnsjö Garveri tannery in Sweden.

The rugs will be shown at the A Sense of Place exhibition at the Nitty Gritty Store, which takes place from 10 to 28 February, during Stockholm Design Week 2016.

Leather rugs by Claesson Koivisto Rune

British designer Tom Dixon is also showing a carpet collection at Stockholm Furniture Fair, featuring patterns based on the paving slabs, bricks and railway tracks of London.

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Other rugs covered by Dezeen include Ma Yansong's meat-patterned carpets for dogs, and Dutch designer Nienke Hoogvliet's Sea Me rug woven from algae yarn.