Custom handmade rug after Sophie Taeuber-Arp‘s painting Vertical and Horizontal Composition
This bespoke handmade rug, inspired by Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s Vertical and Horizontal Composition, is a graceful expression of structure, clarity, and subtle depth. The rug translates the artist’s geometric language into a tactile, serene surface that feels at once architectural and poetic.
Rendered in a composed palette of soft greys, ivory, ochre, earthy reds, and deep blue accents, the design is divided into three vertical sections. Each one presents a refined play of vertical and horizontal bands, blocks, and voids—like the careful arrangement of architectural forms seen through a gentle, contemplative lens. The result is a rhythm of presence and pause, of form and silence.
Handcrafted by skilled artisans, this rug is available in either flatwoven or handknotted techniques and tailored to suit your space. Whether placed in a library, a serene entryway, or a calm living area, it brings with it a quiet sophistication and the soul of early abstract modernism. A piece for those who notice the details, who value the intelligent elegance of restraint, and who delight in art that continues to reveal itself over time.
Details:
- Suggested rug sizes:
- 210 x 150 cm (6.9 x 4.9 ft)
- 250 x 178 cm (8.2 x 5.8 ft)
- 300 x 214 cm (9.8 x 7.0 ft)
- or request your custom rug size
- Design inspired by Vertical and Horizontal Composition by Sophie Taeuber-Arp
- Technique options:
- Flatwoven as Kilim
- Tibetan handknotted, 150 knots per square inch
- Material: New Zealand wool
- Included alternatives: Semi-worsted wool, Linen, Tencel™
- Premium upgrades: Mohair, Silk (please contact us)
- We are happy to advise the best material for your lifestyle and space
- Delivery time: approx. 8-10 weeks, depending on size and technique
- Numbered limited edition of 100 rugs
- Certified fair-trade production in India
Each piece is made to order—crafted with care and purpose, using only the necessary resources. By avoiding unnecessary stock and waste, we honour both the artwork and the environment.
Find out more about our techniques and materials.
About the artwork this rug is inspired on: Vertical and Horizontal Composition
Vertical and Horizontal Composition exemplifies Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s gift for balancing order with intuition. This piece reflects her enduring fascination with the grid—not as a rigid framework, but as a living space where forms can play, shift, and breathe.
Working in the 1920s and ’30s, Taeuber-Arp was deeply engaged with the emerging languages of modernist abstraction, but her approach always carried a gentle humanism. In this work, strict geometry is softened by the modulation of color and the spatial intervals between forms. The vertical triptych structure offers a narrative of visual movement, echoing architectural windows, musical notation, or woven patterns.
The composition is a poetic reflection on alignment and rhythm, on the balance between stability and liveliness—an enduring theme in her art.
The artist: Sophie Taeuber-Arp
“The wish to produce beautiful things – when that wish is true and profound – falls together with [man’s] striving for perfection.”
Sophie Taeuber-Arp
To someone who sees not just with their eyes, but with their whole being, Sophie Taeuber-Arp offers a world of quiet delight and profound intelligence.
Born in Switzerland, she was a pioneering force in geometric abstraction and concrete art. Taeuber-Arp’s work is deeply intentional yet vibrantly alive—every form purposeful, every colour attuned. Her textile and graphic compositions explore the interplay between structure and spontaneity, order and joy. She embraced circles not as mere shapes, but as containers of all other forms—a visual metaphor for completeness, harmony, and cosmic rhythm.
Her life and art were guided by bold curiosity, humour, and intellect. She moved effortlessly across disciplines—dance, design, architecture, painting, embroidery—never needing to shout, always creating with elegance and substance. Together with her husband Jean Arp and close friends like Sonia Delaunay, Wassily Kandinsky, and Joan Miró, she contributed to a rare artistic movement rooted in experimentation and authenticity.
Kandinsky once wrote of her:
“The forms, by their sobriety, their silence… often only a whisper; but often too the whisper is more expressive, more convincing, more persuasive, than the ‘loud voice.’”
If you feel that, then you are already in conversation with her.
And now, through these rugs, that dialogue continues—in your home, in your way.
Disclaimer: Due to the handmade process and use of natural materials, slight variations (up to 3%) in size and colour may occur.
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This is such a precious interpretation of this art piece. It is an art piece, a new one, so respectfully inspired in the painting by Taueber-Arp. The feel of the shapes and how carefully traced they are with these thin lines. I know you see this every day, but for us this is indeed something special. Getting to see each of the knots your team made and knowing how the process was, having seen their hands making this rug that is now here with us. We feel so close to the people who made it, to you who accompanied us with such dedication, and even to the artist. I know she would have loved seeing what you have created. Thank you. Our home feels even better now.
Disclosure: This review was shared directly with Rug Your Life by the client and is published with their permission. It may have been translated from its original language, and personal details may have been shortened for privacy.
Note: Some clients purchase through interior designers, custom commissions, or offline orders, which is why reviews may not display as “verified purchases” in the shop system.
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