For decades, the story of renowned Mexican architect Luis Barragán has been told through his architecture—his luminous planes of vibrant color, masterful use of light, and poetic understanding of space. Less frequently discussed are the wool rugs underfoot, softening their geometry while contributing to the material richness that defined the architect’s spaces. Yet as decades of visitors passed through Casa Luis Barragán, those original textiles slowly deteriorated, prompting a restoration effort that would eventually become something far greater than conservation.
That investigation now takes shape in Barragán Rugs, a recently launched collection by Mexico City-based design studio txt.ure, created in collaboration with Azotea and French graphic design studio Ich&Kar. Rather than borrowing Barragán’s aesthetic language, the collection traces the forgotten weaving techniques behind his interiors, bringing material tradition into contemporary collectible design.
Research Before Design
Courtesy of txt.ure and Barragán Rugs.
Founded a decade ago by art historian Regina Pozo, txt.ure has never operated like a traditional furniture studio. Each project begins not with sketches but with archives, conversations, and field research
“We’re more interested in telling stories through objects than simply designing objects,” Emilio Trujillo shared during a recent studio visit, a philosophy that continues to define the practice.
Courtesy of txt.ure and Barragán Rugs.
Courtesy of txt.ure and Barragán Rugs.
That approach first brought international attention to txt.ure through its woven petate furniture. Long before the Barragán Rugs, the studio became known for sculptural chairs, benches, loungers, and poufs that reintroduced an almost-forgotten weaving typology once common throughout Mexico, particularly in Acapulco during the ‘80s. txt.ure spent years studying archival examples before collaborating with artisans in San Pedro Tultepec to refine proportions, ergonomics, and construction for contemporary interiors. The result feels timeless with objects that carry the intelligence of traditional craftsmanship while belonging comfortably in today’s homes.
“txt.ure helped plant the seed for reintroducing the power of handmade objects into contemporary Mexican design,” explains Trujillo. The studio often describes this process as one of “territorial translation.” Every project begins with place: the materials available, the artisans who continue to practice local techniques, and the cultural histories embedded within them.
A Living Textile Archive
Courtesy of txt.ure and Barragán Rugs.
Courtesy of txt.ure and Barragán Rugs.
The Barragán Rugs collection extends that same philosophy from furniture to textiles. Working closely with Casa Luis Barragán, Pozo became fascinated not simply by the architect’s rugs, but by the techniques used to produce them—and by the realization that the knowledge behind them had nearly disappeared.
“The project was not born from a desire to visually reinterpret Barragán’s work, but rather from a need to recover a lost material language,” says Trujillo. Working alongside Casa Luis Barragán, Fundación Tapatía Luis Barragán, and master artisan Tito Millán, the studio spent years reconstructing a traditional Turkish-knot weaving technique that had largely vanished from contemporary Mexican production. The process extended far beyond weaving itself, encompassing regional wool sourcing, custom dye development, material testing, and rebuilding an entire workshop capable of sustaining the technique for future generations.
The three new rugs introduce an original graphic vocabulary developed alongside Ich&Kar. Drawing upon pre-Hispanic geometries, imagined cosmologies, and symbolic references, the collection offers a distinctly contemporary interpretation of Mexican visual culture. One composition explores the fifth cardinal direction—the symbolic center shared by Maya and Mexica cosmologies—while another references glyphs associated with Tlaloc, the deity of rain, translating ancestral iconography into bold abstract forms.
Designed to Be Lived With
Courtesy of txt.ure and Barragán Rugs.
Entirely handmade in the Estado de México, each rug takes approximately six weeks to produce, requires two artisans, and contains more than 36,000 individually tied knots. Yet unlike many collectible rugs, they are designed to be lived with. Because txt.ure has reconstructed the weaving technique from the ground up, every piece can be repaired, restored, and maintained by the studio over time.
That philosophy extends to customization as well. “We can create custom pieces and custom colors,” Trujillo says. “Clients come to us saying their space needs something greener or more neutral, and we develop iterations specifically for them.”
Every rug can be commissioned in bespoke dimensions and custom colorways developed specifically for each interior. In many ways, the approach echoes Barragán himself, whose architecture rarely separated furniture, textiles, color, and space into independent disciplines. Instead, interiors were conceived as deeply personal environments, where every element contributed to a singular atmosphere.
