A Sun-Drenched Debut: Patty Studios Translates the South of France Into an Heirloom-Quality Rug Collection

The contemporary home design landscape welcomes a striking new voice this season with the official launch of Patty Studios, a Portland-based furnishings brand founded by industry veterans Candace Cohu, Ally Hasche, and Max Pluenneke. The studio’s premier collection introduces six meticulously handcrafted rug designs that draw deep aesthetic inspiration from the wild gardens, traditional architecture, and sun-washed topography of the South of France. Featuring restrained geometric grids, whimsical floral motifs, and distinctive decorative edges, the collection bridges the gap between historical European craftsmanship and modern minimalist interior architecture. Handcrafted in Nepal using sustainable, earth-derived fibers, the debut line represents an ambitious synthesis of generational artisanal expertise, thoughtful material sourcing, and elevated residential design.

Origins and Collaborative Genesis

The foundation of Patty Studios is rooted in the intersection of interior design practice and textile heritage. Candace Cohu and Ally Hasche, the principal founders of the esteemed Portland-based interior design firm Pat Austin Studio, spent years conceptualizing custom elements for their high-end residential projects. Frustrated by gaps in the market for furnishings that balanced uncompromised quality with distinct character, the duo sought a design partnership that could bring their vision to tactile reality.

Their search led them to Max Pluenneke, a designer whose relationship with textiles is both lifelong and generational. Pluenneke grew up immersed in the rug business, spending his formative years cleaning, maintaining, and repairing antique carpets at his family’s specialized gallery before pursuing formal studies in graphic design. This dual background—combining a structural understanding of fiber durability with a contemporary eye for pattern and composition—proved to be the missing puzzle piece.

Together, Cohu, Hasche, and Pluenneke established Patty Studios as an independent creative outlet. While the brand was conceived initially to supply bespoke pieces for Pat Austin Studio’s interior projects, it quickly expanded into a standalone commercial venture designed to service the broader architectural and design community. The resulting debut collection is a testament to this collaborative synergy, translating interior spatial sensibilities into flat-weave and knotted textile art.

Design Narrative: Translating the Côte d’Azur

The aesthetic DNA of the debut collection is overtly Mediterranean, filtered through a lens of quiet sophistication. Rather than relying on literal interpretations of French provincial decor, Patty Studios extracts the underlying geometries, textures, and natural phenomena of the South of France, distilling them into pattern and color.

The line comprises six distinct designs, each carrying a narrative tied to a specific architectural or landscape reference:

• Elysium: Utilizing a complex relief-pattern technique, Elysium features raised floral and botanical motifs carved into a plush pile. The color palette spans from light, ethereal tones reminiscent of early morning meadows to deeply saturated hues evoking nighttime oases.
• Labelle: Defined by its undulating, irregular border, Labelle instantly evokes the tactile charm of crimped pastry edges. However, the studio clarifies that the silhouette is actually derived from the traditional génoise rooflines frequently found along the Côte d’Azur, where overlapping curved tiles create rhythmic, decorative eaves.
• Puff and Puff Silky: These low-pile grid designs explore texture through minimalism. The standard Puff rug evokes the weathered, sun-baked limestone tiles typical of coastal French courtyards. In contrast, Puff Silky elevates the grid motif into a high-sheen, luxurious plane that mirrors the appearance of rain-slicked European cobblestones at dusk.
• Rue: Capturing the bustling yet intimate energy of a European village thoroughfare, Rue translates architectural elevations and street grids into a repeating, structured geometric pattern that grounds contemporary living spaces.
• When You Were a Tulip: The most whimsical offering in the collection, this design weaves together geometric frameworks, organic curves, and floral iconography into a balanced tapestry that feels both playful and refined.

Material Innovation and Sustainable Production

Beyond aesthetic merit, Patty Studios has placed sustainability and material longevity at the core of its manufacturing ethos. In an industry where synthetic blends and chemically treated fibers are common, the brand has committed to transparency and eco-conscious sourcing.

The rugs are crafted from a proprietary blend of Himalayan wool and Chinese silk, woven in varying proportions over a sturdy cotton foundation. These materials are selected not only for their tactile richness and light-catching properties but also for their mechanical durability. According to Pluenneke, the goal was to create heirloom-quality pieces capable of enduring generations of daily use.

Manufacturing takes place in Nepal, where master artisans employ centuries-old hand-knotting and hand-carving techniques. Crucially, the studio adheres to strict environmental standards during production:

• Yarns are derived entirely from sustainable, earth-derived natural fibers.
• No harsh synthetic dyes or hazardous chemical treatments are utilized at any stage of production.
• The finished textiles are fully biodegradable, ensuring a minimized carbon footprint at the end of their exceptionally long life cycles.

"It is important for us to use the highest quality materials that would last a long time, while also having minimal ecological impact on the environment," Pluenneke notes, reflecting the brand’s commitment to responsible luxury.

Market Positioning and Industry Implications

The launch of Patty Studios arrives at a pivotal time for the high-end residential design market. As consumers and interior designers increasingly move away from fast-furniture trends in favor of durable, story-driven investment pieces, artisan-crafted textiles are experiencing a renaissance. By anchoring its identity in regional storytelling—specifically the romantic yet restrained vernacular of the Mediterranean—Patty Studios successfully differentiates itself from mass-market geometric rug producers.

Furthermore, the brand’s dual-founder background provides a distinct competitive advantage. Because Cohu and Hasche operate active interior design practices, every rug in the collection has been stress-tested for real-world residential applications, ensuring proper scale, weight, and colorfastness when integrated into complex architectural schemes.

Availability and Ordering

The entire six-piece collection is currently available to interior designers, architects, and private clients through the official Patty Studios website. Given the bespoke nature of the line, all rugs are produced on a made-to-order basis, with pricing calculated by the square foot upon request. This personalized procurement model allows clients to tailor dimensions, and in some cases colorways, to meet the specific spatial requirements of their interior projects.

As Patty Studios establishes its footprint in the North American and international design markets, this inaugural collection sets a high benchmark for the brand—demonstrating that modern sustainability, historic inspiration, and rigorous craftsmanship can coexist seamlessly underfoot.