Rugosa makes its debut as part of the online exhibition Offsite Online, curated by Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer of avant-garde design magazine Sight Unseen. Offsite Online is the 2020 version of Sight Unseen Offsite, Sight Unseen’s yearly design fair that showcases what’s new and next in contemporary design.

The Rugosa Collection is named after a summer home on the Rhode Island coast which served as a creative retreat for artists and scholars for decades, and is meant to evoke the same breeze-filled living space for the homes of today. Incorporating an incredibly rigorous sustainability standard, the new pieces are as deeply comfortable as they are environmentally considerate.

The design of Rugosa, true to its namesake, is meant to inspire lively conversation and equally serve as a solace for quiet study and reflection. The new collection consists of seven new pieces, including The Rugosa Sofa, Daybed and Chair, all of which are made from broad planks of western sugar pine and upholstered in Belgian linens. The Sofa and Chair can be outfitted with the The Rugosa Glass Wing, made from machined-polished, bronzed glass. This elegant accessory is sized to both pieces and can be easily slipped over any arm as desired.

The Rugosa Side Tables are made from the same sugar pine and glass. Designed to playfully mix and match, the side tables offer three unique, straight-forward forms: the X, H and Delta. The Rugosa Coffee Table, made of the same two materials, is available in two shapes: Oval or Round. The Rugosa Bookshelf epitomizes the straight-forward aesthetic of the collection. Also in sugar pine, the bookshelf is a beautifully spare and essential piece of furniture. The default configuration offers two columns but the unique joinery allows the bookshelf to infinitely expand according to the needs and desires of the buyer.

“Since starting Kalon in 2007, our goal has been to create the simplest, but most elevated version of an everyday object in the most sustainable way possible,” states Kalon co-founder Michaele Simmering. “In this way, the Rugosa collection - our most comprehensive furniture launch to date - embodies what we set out to do from the start. Our sustainability efforts encompass every aspect of this collection from the decision to use locally-sourced wood to the organic finishes.”

Adds Kalon co-founder Johann Pauwen: “We’re thrilled at the opportunity to debut this body of work as part of Offsite Online, as we have the utmost respect for the curatorial vision of Sight Unseen, and feel honored to be included among their selection of creatives on the vanguard of design today.”

Kalon’s goal in creating the Rugosa collection was not to simply meet the accepted standards and practices for environmentally safe production, but rather to push beyond them to find the exact limits of what can be done to have a net positive effect on the environment, economy, society and culture. From its raw materials to its finishes and upholstery, the collection utilizes solid, all-natural materials that enrich rather than deplete resources. To minimize the carbon footprint, all the materials and resources selected (with the exception of linen) are local to the factory. The lumber selected is western sugar pine, a readily available domestic timber harvested from a sustainably-managed forest local to the factory. The pieces ship upon completion, minimizing the energy use and carbon output created by fuel and transport. Each piece is hand-rubbed with the Kalon Bare Finish, a custom-mixed, premium organic, non-toxic, plant-based oil-wax finish which avoids the use of petroleum-based synthetics and harmful chemical compounds and was developed exclusively by Kalon for their products.