In a world rushing towards the new, sisters Saina and Kanika Takkar, founders of the contemporary rug brand Ardhi Looms, have chosen to pause—and listen. “We don’t see craft as decoration,” says Saina, with quiet conviction. “For us, it’s rooted in memory, in place, in feeling.”
That belief comes alive in Loomroot, Ardhi Looms’ latest offering: a limited-edition collection of hand-tufted rugs inspired by the natural elements—earth, air, water, and rain. But don’t expect literal representations or overworked motifs. Instead, Loomroot evokes the sensory textures of the outdoors—sun-warmed stone, the hush of rain-soaked earth, the flow of water between rocks.
“We weren’t trying to recreate nature exactly,” Kanika explains. “It was more about capturing a feeling—the way wind moves through trees, or how soil holds the scent of rain. That feeling of being held by the ground.”
Crafted over months using fine Tencel silk—a material chosen for its soft luster and fluidity—the rugs shimmer gently under light and shift softly underfoot. This attention to materiality and emotion has become Ardhi’s signature language. As Kanika puts it, “We want each piece to feel like an invitation to slow down.”
The process is intuitive, collaborative, and deeply personal—perhaps unsurprising, considering the brand is led by sisters. “We’ve always had an unspoken understanding of each other’s creative rhythm,” says Saina. “One of us might start with a texture or a colour, and the other just knows where to take it.”
With roots in both art and design, the duo brings complementary perspectives to the studio. “Saina sees the bigger narrative, the emotional arc,” says Kanika, “and I go into the material, the lines, the shape of things. That’s how Loomroot happened—one thread at a time.”
Each rug carries with it a trace of the landscape: organic curves echoing water’s movement, broken lines resembling roots or wind trails, and subtle colour gradients that mimic shifting skies. The names themselves—Loam, Drift, Dune—suggest terrain more than trend.
“The memory that kept coming back to us,” says Saina, “was walking through a garden after it’s rained. That smell, that silence, the feeling of being grounded. Loomroot was built from that place.”
Even the colour palette is earthy but gentle—mossy greens, clay browns, soft dusk blues—offering a sophisticated neutrality that works seamlessly in contemporary interiors.
And while the artistry is quiet, the intention is bold. “Our philosophy is simple,” says Kanika. “Honour the past. Design for the present. And shape the future—quietly.”
Priced between Rs 70,000 and Rs 90,000 (for a standard 9x6 ft size). Available online.
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
@ManuVipin
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