These Recycled 'Pasture' Rugs Bring Nature's Textures Into the Home

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Updated January 31, 2023

Child reading a book inside on a rug that looks like meadow — Alexandra Kehayoglou

For most people, carpets and rugs are utilitarian things—soft under the feet and great for warming up cold floors. For artist Alexandra Kehayoglou, they are works of lush, verdant art, made using recycled scraps and thread from a carpet factory in Buenos Aires that is owned by her family. Much of her recent work makes a statement against deforestation and does a beautiful job of increasing environmental awareness.

We've seen Kehayoglou's stunning art previously, and her this work is pretty eye-popping too, creating both a backdrop and a ground of nature that emulates the feeling of moss, grass, sand, pastures, and even snow.

© Alexandra Kehayoglou

When placed in a room, Kehayoglou's rugs bring the soft textures of nature into the environment. She designs and tufts each piece by hand, a long, labor-intensive process. The artist calls these unique works "pastures" and "refuges," demonstrating an awareness of how the ground that the rug provides can become a transformative element for the imagination to take flight and participate in the healing 'pasture' of the mind.

© Alexandra Kehayoglou

We talk a lot about how to integrate nature into our lives—oftentimes, that means making an effort to spend more time outdoors and unplugging. But bringing nature into the home works too, and besides cultivating more plants, that's why these rugs are superb: simple, made using recycled materials, evocative of nature's beauty—and reminding us of the places we can't afford to lose.

Check out other rugs and recent work—like her exquisite Santa Crus River—at the artist's website: Alexandra Kehayoglou.