Rugosa Collection
A Love Letter to the Living Room
The Rugosa Collection is deeply personal to us. Named for a seaside home in Rhode Island that has shaped our lives for nearly two decades, it carries the spirit of a place where we return each summer to reset, to think, and to decide on new work. Rugosa’s rooms—comfortable, breeze-filled, and lived in by generations of artists and scholars—invite long stretches of time, whether alone with your thoughts or immersed in conversation. This duality was the quality we most sought to capture in our design.
Rugosa is also the culmination of a two-year conversation about what living rooms can be. We lived with early versions of the pieces in our homes, refining each form until it felt essential—warm, bright, functional, comfortable, and boldly simple. Defined by distilled forms and straightforward geometry, the pieces are unembellished yet deeply considered. Above all else they are pieces to live with and allow for a space where the mind can wander.
When the collection debuted, it did so during a uniquely reflective moment, amplifying our desire for objects that offer comfort, contemplation, and togetherness. Crafted from sustainably harvested Western sugar pine, bronzed glass, and Belgian linen, Rugosa reflects our belief in the quiet impact of natural materials. Familiar to the senses and intuitive to live with, these materials bring a warmth and ease that shape the atmosphere of a room as much as its form.
Rugosa first appeared at Alcova during Milan Design Week and at Sight Unseen Offsite in New York—two fairs that continue to shape the contemporary design landscape in distinct and meaningful ways. As part of those exhibitions, we recorded a conversation about the collection’s origins, its material language, and the intentions that guide our work at Kalon.
Listen to Kalon’s Founders Michaele and Johann discuss the evolution of the collection.
The Rugosa Collection debuted May 18, 2020 as part of the online exhibition Offsite Online, the 2020 iteration of Sight Unseen’s yearly design fair that showcases what’s new and next in contemporary design.
