Design Distinction

Tekla

“It’s good that someone is making something real,” Hotchner said of Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg’s shaggy Tekla rugs, which combine ancient ways of weaving Nordic sheep’s wool with contemporary patterns inspired by candy and confetti. Tekla descends from the Scandinavian rya rug tradition, which dates to the 1400s. The rya was often used as a prayer rug in weddings, and weavers would rove about towns with their bulky looms, taking commissions. Lanolin in the wool helps keep the rug dirt-resistant. “This is the puppy of the review,” Gillingham-Ryan said. “Nobody can not like a puppy.” With some irony, Hotchner pronounced it “very ’60s,” and Saez fantasized about lying on a Tekla rug at home and watching a James Bond movie.

Design Kasthall (Kinna, Sweden): Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg, chief designer Materials Wool and linen