if you’re up to date with your modernism, i’m sure you will have heard the news already about the heralded bernat klein studio by peter womersley. if you’re new, let me break it to you: it is up for auctionfor a guide price of just £18,000. camper vans are more expensive than that.
but this is a grade A lised building in the scottish borders, currently on scotland’s buildings at risk register - it was already in an awful state in 2016 when i first visited and i can only imagine the state it is in now. as sat derelict since the early 2000s and like so many modernist gems, it’s not only been neglected but overlooked. with its protected status, i do wonder about the real amount of funds required to restore it into anything structurally sound. but one can dream, right?
as many of you already know, i visited this building during my university days as part of a project exploring womersley’s work. it left a deep impression, the proportions, the materiality, the quiet authority of its modernist geometry while retaining the human scales and the airy, cantilevered forms that is such a signature style of womersley’s genius.
and so, naturally, as a brutalist and modernism-obsessed textile designer, it feels like it’s my duty to fantasise about it a little. so i’ve been daydreaming and i’ve created a series of speculative interior visualisations using AI – don’t shoot me for using it, i know fine well these renders are a not a replacement for reality (some prints really do not resemble zitozza at all and don’t even get me started on the cat..), nor is this a serious, budgeted proposal. it’s just a little bit of fun to put some ideas out to the universe and help stimulate the imagination about the building’s future. (or as the kids would call it, “manifesting”…)
in this parallel universe, the studio is lovingly restored not into an airbnb or a “writer’s retreat” (sorry barnabas calder, love your books but we really can do better here.) so in my head i turned it back into a working textile studio instead. my vision is an idea that is only half-selfish, and it would also contribute to the economy and give back to the scottish borders. i’m obviously thinking about zitozza here, but also a space for creative jobs, education, apprenticeships, and professional development. it could be quite a serious place for the textile industry with not only a space for designing, printing and production but there could also be workshops, residencies and exhibitions – continuing the building’s original purpose and klein’s spirit of thoughtful and considered, sustainable design.
okay, yes, the millions required to make it happen are currently in the realm of fantasy… but hey, everyone tells you that to do well in business you need to dream big so that’s exactly what i’m doing.
so, here’s a (completely unbudgeted) proposal. we don't need more holiday houses – we need permanent homes for making and creativity. modernist ideas - egalitarian notions of simplicity, abstraction and rational proportions - need to make a comeback and become mainstream again. spaces where design isn’t just theorised and talked about but physically made to furnish real spaces. achitecture, at its best, can enable that.
these are my ai generated fantasies, but it’s also a bit of food for thought. and hey, if you don’t have the money but want to keep the dream alive you can always just buy a teatowel… but if you do happen to have a few million pounds to spare and a soft spot for brutalist textile utopias, well, you know where to find me!
***edit: serious news! you can actually donate to bring it back to life, open to the public as a design centre - the bernat klein foundation along with the national trust and the scottish historic buldings trust have joined together in a bid to raise funds to acquire it and you can contribute to the cause.***
as promised at the start of the year, i shall be blogging more about hungarian architecture, so here’s a long brewed post about an entire town about 70km south of budapest. dunaújváros doesn’t make the shortlist for european weekend breaks — but it should make the shortlist of any designer interested in modern architecture, pattern and systems.
originally founded in 1951 as sztálinváros (stalin city) on a medieval settlement, this hungarian new town was conceived as a fully planned socialist utopia — a postwar industrial town anchored by the danube and a massive steel and ironworks (still the largest in the country). in architectural terms, it’s a concentrated study of 20th century hungarian architecture - you will find 1950s neoclassical buildings, extended panel blocks, public buldings and kádár cubes, and of course, some post-modern too.
this lineup of residential architecture has of course an obvious reason: the ironworks. a new industrial complex of the town required a good few thousand employees to start with - with a university and the accompanying cultural life with it, it’s grown to be a city of approx 60,000 people in the 1980s (with about 40,000 still residing here.)
what’s visible is obviously how lived in it is. like many newly-built places all over eastern europe, it is dominated by panel housing blocks (panelházak) — modular concrete structures produced en masse from prefabricated panels. built for speed and scalability, they were the architectural manifestation of the socialist promise: equality through uniformity, comfort through standardisation.
i am absolutely obsessed with these forms and one day i will write a whole series on them alone i think. to a pattern designer, these facades are simply intoxicating. they are order and rhythm, made real. a whole library of windows, balconies, and seams, repeated like tiles across the skyline - very much like the housing inspired PANEL set, a deliberate, direct translation of this pattern language into modular sets.
from a distance: monotonous. up close: full of subtle variation — patched cladding, satellite dishes, repainted railings, growing trees - and that very hungarian water tower design that soften the edge of geometry. the proportion, rational form gives them a unique sense of cosiness and familiarity.
in the 1950s, the city’s earliest civic buildings were constructed in a more imperial socialist style — neoclassical proportions with murals, porticoes, and symbolic reliefs. there are a few examples of this in the town centre, but later, the tide (and a particularly revolutionary one at that - the town played an important role in the 1956 revoltion) turned from ideological to practical.
the town hall, municipal buildings and courthouse is particularly following a more international style of modernism, as socialist nations sought to express efficiency and modernity over stalinist pageantry.
the overly 20th century history does not mean it is some kind of formaldehyde-preserved version of a lost era though, there are decidedly postmodern buildings as well as the whole riverbank decorated with contemporary sculpture. i’m not from dunaújváros and i don’t have particular links here - apart from being a textile designer obsessed with geometry. i see this city as as a living sketchbook. the repetition of panels, the wide pavements and comfortable planning of spaces — it all reads like a surface design system scaled to the urban level..
in zitozza’s work, i think often about how to create order and a sense of calm through repetition. and when i block print a rug or a cushion, i am, in some abstract way, replicating that logic: starting from a repeat, introducing variation and make everything fall into place.
dunaújváros reminds me that even the most rigid, iron-cast surface can hold warmth, if you know how to read it.
this is going to be another one of those meandering blog posts but those who know zitozza will appreciate how much i value tactile, haptic design and i often explore this further — even on the buildings i frequently post about. in interior design, it’s often the surface that gets the glory. glossy interior magazines, pinterest kitchens, machine-mixed, precisely matched wall paints — all of these speak first and foremost to the eye. but do they speak to the hand? we decorate our homes by looking, mostly. but living happens through touch.
why touch matters
this re-discovering of tactile design has been going on for a while, finnish architect juhani pallasmaa argued in the eyes of the skin that modern design has lost its connection to the body. “architecture” he wrote, has become “an art of the printed image” — increasingly flat and ocular, distant from the sensory depth it once held. we experience spaces with our skin as much as with our eyes, but you wouldn’t know it from most interiors magazines.
touch is the forgotten sense of design — until you step onto a coarsely woven jute rug barefoot, or brush your hand against a natural linen fabric. that fleeting physical experience tells us more about comfort, quality, and materiality than a thousand words of product copy.
at zitozza, this is something we take seriously. every hand block printed cushion, rug, or lampshade is an invitation to feel as well as see. the patterns may be graphic — influenced by architecture, brutalism, modernist grid systems — but the textures are deliberately tangible. you don’t just see the ink sitting on the weave. you can feel it, the texture is within the patterns and the way it is applied by brush too.
materials are more than surfaces
i want to make a clear distinction here between “surface” and “material.” although as a surface pattern designer, i have designed hard finish surfaces such as floor patterns and carvings, surface to me means something visual, often cosmetic. material carries structure, meaning, weight, and i don’t think you can design for any kind of surfaces without understanding how materials behave.
in her book thinking with things, art historian esther pasztory proposes that objects — and their materials — are not passive. we use them to think with. they shape how we relate to space, culture, and ourselves. in design, this means we don’t just use things to build with, or decorate; we also use them to express what we value.
a hand-printed lampshade might say “i believe in craft.” a concrete-textured cushion might say “i value raw honesty over perfection.” material, in other words, does not just have physical weight but also a subjective kind of significance.
this is why surface-led decorating often feels fleeting. trends change, finishes date, colours come in and out of favour. but materials with presence (e.g. stone, wood to raw jute and block-printed textures) carry weight and can be adapted to outlast different fashions.
the material as Architectural element
our work at zitozza comes from the intersection of graphic design and material design. our blocks aren’t carved by hand — they’re precision-cut from digital vector drawings, a nod to order and modernity. but once that design hits the textile, once it’s printed, imperfectly, by hand — it becomes something else. it becomes a tactile surface. a material transformation.
this is why we speak of our textiles not just as “homewares” but as architectural materials. wallpaper, for example, becomes more than wall decoration — it becomes part of the structure’s language. our newly released AGGREGATE collection for instance, can be printed by hand on non-woven wallpaper rolls and it embraces this exact idea: bold modular graphics that are not only seen but felt, shifting as light and touch interact with the ink.
what does this mean when you decorate?
it means you don’t just choose based on colour schemes. you choose based on how something feels, both physically and emotionally. that’s why the texture of a printed cushion, the density of a handwoven rug, or the grip of a paper-mounted fabric print matters. these are materials that invite interaction. they’re not background, they’re architecture in soft form.
so next time you consider updating a room, ask: what do i want to touch every day? what kind of surface do i want to live with — not just look at?
explore tactile design
if you’d like to explore zitozza's approach to materials, here are a few places to start: printed rugs (for pattern underfoot.) cushions (for texture on the sofa or bed.) mounted prints (for a feel of the cloth without needing upholstery) fabrics and wallpapers (for sampling our prints.)
oops! we forgot to announce the upcoming summer markets. nevermind, there’s still time! in two weeks time, we will be popping up at the first summer event of tea green events! i love exhibiting with them as the curated line-up makes me feel really positive about the quality of work and talent that this country has to offer. so join us at the kelvingrove and the national portrait gallery and browse the whole lot - you’re guaranteed to find something pretty, useful and sustainable.
28th /29th june: kelvingrove art gallery and museum
10am - 5pm on saturday, 11am - 5pm on sunday. argyle street, glasgow, g3 8ag
9th /10th august: national portrait gallery
10am - 5pm on saturday and sunday. 1 queen street, edinburgh, eh2 1jd.
after a bit of a biggie (three launches and clerkenwell design week) it’s now time for a bit of a breather. i’ve wanted to blog more about architecture but the link between the concrete buildings and the jute rugs isn’t always obvious to everyone so i thought i’d write something about it as a bit of an explainer. when we think about architecture, we often think vertically — facades, elevations, materials rising around us. but the floor is where spatial experience begins. It’s where rhythm is established, circulation is guided, and texture makes its first tactile impression.
at zitozza, i’ve always been drawn to this horizontal plane of architecture - afterall, everything gets built from the ground up. it always starts with a floor plan and i’m thinking about the layout a lot. my printed jute rugs are designed not simply as soft furnishings, but as modular surface patterns for the ground. they take inspiration from the repeat logic of tiling systems, urban grids, and brutalist detailing — and reimagine them in natural fibre and pigment.
Modular Rugs, Architectural Logic
the design of each zitozza rug begins with a modular block tile - designed on the computer, precision-cut by a machine. these blocks are based on repeating geometric systems (steps, bricks, windows, columns) which you might recognise from pavement markings, concrete formwork, or mid-century cladding systems.
the prints themselves, when repeated across a jute base, create patterns that feel both structured and handmade and rustic — mathematical but never mechanical. these aren’t rugs that “fade into the floor”; they articulate it.
The Beauty of Soft Geometry
so why print, not weave? because print allows for crisper, graphic interventions on natural texture. block printing on jute brings a grainy tactility that reflects the rough honesty of these sustainable materials — not unlike exposed aggregate or board-marked concrete. it’s a dialogue between graphic clarity and material softness, one i find particularly rich when designing for interiors.
zitozza rugs aren’t trying to mimic tradition — they’re rooted in contemporary spatial language, designed to support interiors that favour simplicity, repetition, and material integrity. In homes with architectural ambition, they become not an accent but a foundation.
Designing From the Ground Up
there’s a reason architects often start their drawings with the floor plan: the floor defines flow. at zitozza i think of printed rugs as a continuation of that principle — a tactile, visible layer of design that offers rhythm, grounding, and visual structure to a space.
whether you’re designing a gallery-like living room, a textural study, or a quiet corner (of maybe a brutalist building), i invite you to explore the possibility of printed rugs as spatial tools — not just decor, but material floor drawings.
what does it mean to build a collection? to assemble not just products, but ideas — shared textures, values, and visual systems?
this month, zitozza launches three new collections at clerkenwell design week: AGGREGATE, TOYTOWN, and RAJZ. at first glance, they couldn’t be more different. one is sun-bleached and structural, the next graphic and playful, the third modular and abstract. but beneath the surface, they speak the same design language — one rooted in architectural rhythm, material honesty, and the tactile potential of the printed block.
let’s start with AGGREGATE. this is a lookbook, a surface collection. it doesn’t rely on a single repeating motif but offers a suite of block-printed designs in bright, contemporary colours — from punchy blue to sof pastels and warm oranges. the name comes from the material that forms concrete and holds it together “aggregate” as a general term also means something composed of many different parts which is exactly what this lookbook is - a consistent, contemporary interiors look with many geometric components, all built up block by block.
individual units that do not ever come out the same, building something whole. the results are minimal but expressive, grounded in texture and tonal contrast. designed to be versatile, AGGREGATE is for modern interiors that favour order without coldness.
TOYTOWN, by contrast, is a little cheekier. it’s our summer collection, responding to the stripes and checks trend with bold colours. these prints feel stacked, balanced, almost like diagrams of imaginary cities. inspired by the geometry of play — toy blocks, funfair architecture, early modernist colourways — this collection embraces high contrast and graphic shape. it’s not childish, but it’s full of character. think grids gone rogue.
what really is special about these is that the entire collection has been designed with two blocks only. one element from our recently released TÉGLA set and a pair of the ever-so-architectural PANEL. it just shows how combineable these elements are and the endless creativity that can serve interiors. lines that loop, punch, repeat. it’s for spaces that don’t take themselves too seriously, and for people who still see joy in the abstract.
and then there’s RAJZ — our newest block tile set. named after the hungarian word for “drawing”, this series reimagines the blueprint as ornament. with references to architectural plans, elevations, and notational marks, RAJZ is modular at its core. each tile is a language of arrows, pathways, and boundaries.
like everything in our systems, they can be combineable with each other and with all the other MODERN blocks (we have over 130+ of these now.) you can use them seamlessly in endless configurations and colourways, creating layered narratives across textiles. it’s a set made for customisation — for architects, designers, and pattern obsessives who want to build with their hands.
together, these three collections reflect what zitozza has always done: design at the intersection of architecture and craft. they are built, not drawn. printed, not produced. and they all begin with one simple gesture — the press of a precision-cut block, inked with intention, aligned with care.
if you want to come and see them in person, please say hello at clerkenwell design week, at the platform venue (70 cowcross street, ec1m 6ej) throughout 20-22 may - register for your free tickets here.
we are ready to show it all and we do hope you love them. for custom samples, please get in touch. if you’re interested in our bespoke design services, you can find more information here.
a short while after we discussed our love for modular systems, we are talking about grids again. this isn’t just a graphic-designer-turned-textile-person’s obsession — they structure our cities, inform our screens, and quietly underpin almost every page layout and pattern we encounter. but beyond their role in organising space, grids can be a springboard for creativity, allowing designers to build complexity from simplicity. this post explores the grid not as a constraint, but as a tool of liberation — from early modernism to contemporary practice, including how zitozza plays with modularity in its textiles.
The Grid as Modernist Foundation
grids found their spiritual home in early modernist movements. bauhaus, and de stijl artists in particular, like piet mondrian reduced visual language to the essential: horizontals, verticals, primary colours. continuing the idea after the war, the swiss style emerged in the mid-20th century, with designers like josef müller-brockmann using grids to create visual harmony in posters and editorial layouts.
this was design as a rational act — about clarity, neutrality, and structure. the swiss grid system created a framework where typography and imagery could be arranged with precision. it was less about decoration and more about logic, a way to strip back the unnecessary and design a hierarchy of information.
speaking of the swiss — we love brutalism here, so now is the time to mention le corbusier, one of the most influential figures of architecture in the 20th century. in his seminal work towards a new architecture, 1923), he argues for a new visual order grounded in function, technology, and standardisation.
le corbusier's urban visions, particularly the ville radieuse and the controversial plan voisin, proposed cities built on a grid: modular, repetitive, efficient. these were not just aesthetic gestures but ideological ones, attempts to impose order on the chaos of industrialised life.
the city becomes a machine for living. blocks of buildings aligned on rigid axes, roads intersected at clean right angles (and roundabouts - think about glenrothes!), and light, air, and greenery were prioritised through geometric planning. the social and emotional consequences of these ideas are still felt today, but their influence on modern urban environments is undeniable.
the outskirts of bratislava, by SI Imaging Services / Imazins (source: getty images)
the outskirts of bratislava, by SI Imaging Services / Imazins (source: getty images)
Grids in Graphic and Interface Design
in contemporary graphic design, the legacy of the swiss grid lives on in everything from magazine layouts to responsive web design. grids provide consistency across platforms and allow for flexibility within a rational structure.
this is something i have less experience with but it has translated on from print to digital, and in UI/UX design, it is the grids that make digital interfaces feel coherent and navigable. the hidden scaffolding of columns and gutters supports typographic hierarchies and interactive elements, creating experiences that are intuitive without drawing attention to their structure.
The Balance Between Structure and Creativity
but the grid isn’t just about order. it can also serve as a space for subversion. architects and designers often use grids to set expectations — then disrupt them. breaking the grid, or the grid itself, can both become a statement - think about the iconic tables of superstudio.
in textile design, modularity offers a similar tension. zitozza's approach to block printing starts with fixed elements—repeating tiles, geometric forms — but introduces variation through placement, layering, and colour. a grid may begin the composition, but it rarely contains the outcome. it's not unlike building a city out of toy blocks: rules exist, but imagination ultimately dictates the layout.
Grids as a Living Language
grids, like language, evolve. they provide a shared syntax for designers, architects, and urbanists, but are constantly reinterpreted across time and context. from the pure geometry of modernism to the playful modularity of contemporary practice, the grid remains one of design's most enduring tools.
at zitozza, we embrace this legacy. our new collections explore grids as both framework and provocation. they are starting points, not boundaries.
after all, there is joy in structure. and sometimes, the most surprising creativity begins with a line drawn straight.
ahead of our new collection launches, i want to revisit a core idea behind zitozza: the joy of modular design. it’s at the heart of how we create patterns — and why our textiles bring so much flexibility, structure, and character to modern interiors. we talked about this before, in our very first blog post - but we’ve come a looong way since then so it’s perhaps time to revisit these thoughts because i feel like it’s at the core of everything here, yet there is so little written about on these pages.
there’s something quietly satisfying about a system that lets you build from the ground up — pattern by pattern, block by block. at zitozza, modularity has always been at the heart of what we do. it’s more than a method; it’s a mindset.
the act of printing by hand using custom-made blocks invites a kind of architectural thinking. each motif becomes a unit — a brick, a tile, a module — capable of being repeated, rearranged, or rotated to form something larger. the process echoes the very structures that inspire our designs: functional, concrete, geometric. it’s a design language rooted in the modernist ideal that beauty comes not from decoration, but from clarity, rhythm, and purpose.
and yet, there’s so much play in it too.
modularity allows for variation — for reassembly, surprise, even subversion. every print starts with a simple shape, but it rarely ends there. colours collide, edges misalign, and new patterns emerge unexpectedly. it’s not about perfection, but about the whole picture, richness that comes from composition. the hand-printed surface becomes a space of improvisation. each textile becomes a landscape, or rather, a cityscape with buildings and structures.
our new tiles, the RAJZ set (to be released soon!) takes this even further. designed for modern interior spaces - we printed this on wallpaper for the first time ever! - and inspired by the abstract logic of architectural plans and schematic drawings, these blocks are designed for movement and multiplicity. they're not just shapes, but visual cues — arrows, intersections, corridors, walls. they suggest flow. they ask to be built with. as part of the MODERN set of course, these will go seamlessly with other blocks, allowing you to create even more patterns.
the upcoming TOYTOWN and AGGREGATE collections (also coming in may) are just our way of creating with our existing sets. they embrace this philosophy in different ways — one playfully, the other structurally — but both grounded in the joy of repetition and reconstruction. you’ll see echoes of grid systems and city plans, the raw tactility of concrete, the subtle logic of elevation lines. and you’ll also see softness, colour, and warmth. because modularity doesn’t mean rigidity — it means possibility.
i designed these two very different new collections for this summer, to emphasise the variety of moods, colour schemes, looks that you can create with the same handmade process, the same handmade texture, yet very different interiors can be achieved. i love this kind of versatility and if you want to create your own look with these systems, start here.
in an age of ready-made looks and fast consumption, there's something refreshing about design that invites creativity and such freedom of thought. modular design is never final. it welcomes revision, addition, and layering. it lets people participate in the pattern.
and that’s the joy of it.
if you want to be among the first to browse our collections when they’re released, sign up below to our newsletter. it comes with a free downloadable poster every month. stay tuned for our release!
we’re back and finally able to sit down with our thoughts after having watched (and somewhat forgotten about) the brutalist movie. in that review i encouraged the research into the work of the real-life hungarians and brutalists whose lives the fictional story was based on - and i decided to start with marcel breuer since i received a great book about his work for last christmas.
those into design will know this already but i always like starting with the facts, he was born in 1902 in pécs, southern hungary and was one of the youngest students (and mentors) at bauhaus. he went on to establish his own practice in berlin, and after a two-year stint in london he moved to the states in the 1930s, first to teach architecture at harvard, then later to new york city where he continued to practice until the late 1970s.
the cesca chair, 1928
the wassily chair, 1925
for those into design, it’s also easy to recognise the heavy concrete masses of marcel breuer’s brutalist buildings — the hulking cantilevers and deep shadows of the 1960s and 70s that have since become icons of modernist architecture. but what’s more compelling than their visual impact is the thread that connects them to breuer’s earliest work. his design logic didn’t emerge suddenly in béton brut — it evolved from an obsession with functionality, structure, and modularity that was evident from the very start.
before architecture of course, there was furniture. in the 1920s, as a young bauhaus student, breuer designed the wassily chair using steel tubing — a radical departure from traditional craft at the time. lightweight, repeatable, and industrial, the chair wasn’t just functional: it was a system. breuer’s approach treated each part as a modular unit, capable of being assembled into something greater than its parts. this thinking didn’t just define his early designs — it forecast an entire architectural philosophy.
IBM research centre, la gaude, france
IBM research centre, la gaude, france
UNESCO headquarters, paris
UNESCO headquarters, paris
fast forward a few decades of immense architectural output (his practice designed more than 100 buildings), and the same logic manifests on a much larger scale. buildings like the UNESCO headquarters in paris (1951-1958), the IBM research centre in la gaude (1960-1961) or the iconic whitney museum in new york (1963-1966) carry the same DNA — modular systems, articulated forms, and a deep respect for material honesty. breuer’s concrete isn’t decorative. it’s structural, expressive, and fundamentally rational.
the book i’ve been reading — published in 1970s, written by máté major, long out of print, with that peculiar warmth of faded paper and sans serif fonts — documents this journey. the photographs, drawings, and models inside don’t romanticise his work; instead, they reinforce the relentless clarity of his method. whether designing a chair or a cultural institution, breuer asked the same questions: how can material, form, and repetition serve both function and expression?
whitney museum, new york
whitney museum, new york
as someone with a hungarian background myself, i’ve always felt a connection to breuer — not just because of the cultural context of course (despite our country being somewhat late and reluctant to recognise him), but because of how he saw the world through systems. that kind of thinking, for me, translates into surface design: building pattern from modules, constructing rhythm, shaping repetition. of course, my materials are softer, but the logic is not so different.
breuer reminds us that beauty can be found in structure — in the clarity of parts assembled with intention. whether it’s furniture, architecture, or textiles, that modular imagination still resonates.
i wanted to write this blog post for a long time but never knew where or when to start - but if that’s the case, then any time is good i guess, so why not share these thoughts now. this is pretty much the main “why” of what i do, and it just explains why i’m so interested in architecture as an inspiration. when we think about home decor, and specifically textiles, the sharp geometries of modernist and brutalist architecture isn’t always the first influence that comes to mind. yet, at zitozza, it’s at the heart of every pattern. the geometry of a brutalist facade, the rhythm of windows on a high-rise, or the weathered texture of a concrete wall — all of these architectural details find their way into our hand-printed textiles. but how does a building become a rug?
Finding Beauty in Structure
architecture is all about structure, rhythm, and materiality — elements that also define textile design. just as an architect carefully considers proportions and spatial balance, a good pattern plays with repetition and symmetry. the block-printing process we use mirrors this approach: each block is a building block, quite literally, in the design.
From Facades to Fabric
consider, for example, our TÉGLA collection. inspired by the bold, repeating brickwork of modernist and brutalist buildings, the pattern distills architectural structure into textile form. what might seem cold or industrial in concrete becomes warm and tactile when printed on fabric. the transition from one material to another changes how we experience the design, bringing an unexpected softness to rigid geometric forms.
Materiality Matters
the choice of materials is just as deliberate in both fields. architects think about light, shadow, and surface—how materials weather over time, how they interact with their surroundings. with textiles, texture plays a similar role.a pattern printed on jute has a different presence than one printed on cotton; the roughness of the fabric enhances the depth of the ink, just like roughcast concrete reveals layers of shadow and light.
Bringing Architectural Thinking into Interiors
so how does this translate into interior design? architects and designers often work with a restrained, neutral palette, focusing on form and function. patterned textiles — especially those inspired by architecture — can complement this aesthetic by adding a layer of depth and storytelling. whether it’s a cushion that echoes the lines of a city skyline or a rug that captures the essence of a tiled facade, these pieces allow architectural appreciation to extend beyond the built environment and into the home.
A Living Connection to Design
so i guess how i want to create a dialogue between buildings and interiors, between public spaces and personal ones, the external and the internal: by bringing the architectural influences onto textiles. i really believe that the interior of a designed space can reflect the same thoughtfulness, structure, and material integrity that define great architecture on the exterior. and in doing so, it becomes not just a space to live in, but a place designed with intention.
hello fellow makers, this one is first and foremost to you, however other fans of our block printed textiles and products are welcome to visit our next event - we’re delighted to announce our participation in the spring clean market bywasps studios at the briggait in april.
we are just getting ready to be serious about making our business visible at clerkenwell design week - and we need space! so we are desperate to get rid of old stock, textiles that we will not use anymore, misprints and end cuts. the prices will therefore be extremely reasonable - and this event is so sustainable and zero waste that i even made patchwork bundles of the smallest of bits and bobs (and only a fiver for a well stuffed A4 cello bag!)
so do come along and grab yourself a bargain! see you on the weekend of 12-13 april at the briggait, from 11am to 5pm both days (coffees and cakes on sale too of course!)
hello again - this is a short announcement that we will be debuting our little brand at london’s leading design festival. we are thrilled to announce our participation as we are extremely busy working towards the event where we’ll unveil our brand new tileset, a little summer collection and a lookbook for new patterns and prints. the festival will grow bigger and better this year with even more venues between 20-22 may 2025. visit our stand g3 at platform, 70 cowcross street EC1M 6EJ - a hotbed of emerging talent that gives space to emerging brands about to break into the industry (the perfect place to introduce zitozza to architects and interior designers!)
hello again! we have some news for you, or more like, a review. not a building or a book this time, but a fictional story which i’m not that used to. however when something titled “the brutalist” came onto the scene about a hungarian, of course i felt obliged to visit the cinema for the third time in the decade and i thought i’d share my thoughts with you.
i want to emphasise though, that i am not a story person, it’s probably personally my fault that cinemas are dying, i can’t keep up with any series and, despite loving books and reading, the last piece of fiction i read was probably in high school. i am not proud of this, i am just providing some context for this review so you can safely ignore my take and go view it yourself. the first thing i want to say that it is beautifully made and you can tell that everyone involved in the making of this film took their craft extremely seriously. it is rather spectacular, filmed with a 1950s technique called vistavision, and it’s quite something i recommend watching in the cinema. there is an interesting score throughout, the writing moves at a decent pace despite the long runtime and the actors all do a fantastic job (with a bit of ai enhancement- the hungarian did sound fluent mind you.)
the second thing i want to say about this film though that if you were expecting to see a lot of cool design and beautiful architecture, you will be disappointed. when i first read about the story, following a hungarian-born brutalist architect finding his feet in america after the war, i was hoping it would be more closely inspired by icons such as marcel breuer, lászló moholy-nagy, or even ernő goldfinger but it is a different story. most crucially, our fictional hero, lászló tóth (adrien brody) was unfortunately not able to escape the horrors of the holocaust and moves to america only after having survived it, in 1947, having to start his life and career all over again.
the long runtime is split across two halves, and in the first half, taking place from 1947 to 1952, we see him taken in by a relative (alessandro nivola) who gives him a job in his furniture shop in a small town in pennsylvania, where he meets a wealthy businessman (guy pearce) who will later hire him to design as a sort of memorial to his family for the community, a cultural and sports centre with a library and a church (yes, all that in one building.)
watching this half of the movie i thought this film should be titled “the modernist” instead, as we see him in a quite contemporary struggle of being radical and different in a somewhat more conservative environment. this would be fairly relatable to any millennial i’d imagine, but i’m not sure how true to the depicted age it really is. at one point he creates a steel frame furniture set, reminiscent of something by marcel breuer, only to be met with indifference and rejection. in real life the cesca chair for instance, was a huge hit that would influence furniture design for the rest of the century and further, and, by 1948, it was already a 20-year old design. i’d imagine even in small town pennsylvania it would not be seen that unusual - this is still the country of charles and ray eames. for more context, the new bauhaus, founded by the very real lászló moholy-nagy, was already open in chicago for about a decade by then.
instead of joining them, his supposed ex-colleagues, our hero shovels coal until he gets hired by guy pearce’s unscrupulous character - if this is a metaphor of the loneliness of the average 2010s creative trying to get by in a foreign country with an evening job whilst on an unpaid internship in the hope of securing their first temporary contract at a big-name studio surviving on lawsuit payouts over half-built vanity projects, then i guess it works - i can assure you that an entire generation got the t-shirt.
however as a believable story set in a golden age of industry and building, it does not work as much, although i only have the word of art history books as i was not alive at the time. i do accept that cutting edge modernism wasn’t ever truly “mainstream” as such, but during the time the film was set, it was at least desired, aspirational, and, i’d imagine, decidedly cool. the second half of the movie picks up in 1952 - modernism is massive in the states by now, and for a bit of global context, despite still the rationing, festival of britain is already happening across the atlantic, chandigarh is being built by le corbusier in india and the plans for brasil’s new capital will also be drawn up in a few years time. the film completely forgets about this enormous, global movement of hope and optimism. eyewatering budgets are approved for huge projects to be built, celebrated for generations afterwards. this is a unique era in history of unmatched ambition and prosperity, with a real creative buzz in the air - and this context, this positive mood is entirely, and sorely left out of this miserable story.
then it falls apart a little bit more and there is a revelation in the epilogue that i will spoil below, so please do not read further if you have not seen it yet and want to.
it turns out that the main concrete building (which we never get to see in full) is a replica of the architect’s and his family’s suffering in the concentration camps. no, it is not explained as some kind of visual metaphor, we are explicitly told that it is a near-exact representation. now i understand why a filmmaker, a storyteller might think it works - of course, there are many stories of awful, unimaginable suffering that are told beautifully. but i do not think that spatial design can be like that and i struggle to accept that you can physically recreate the worst known hell on earth and offer it as a sanctuary and place of relaxation and learning for the community. if you really believe that form follows function, then you simply cannot take a building where the function was the extermination of people and give it a different function, especially not of recreation. in fact i find it really quite distasteful towards the memory of the holocaust. i also think it is strengthening this lazy and misunderstood idea about brutalism, that it equals brutality and that the raw surfaces and austere interiors can only come from a place of oppression, imprisonment and suffering. this is quite damaging towards this style of architecture and it might not help the celebration and preservation of these buildings - although if the movie wins awards hopefully it becomes a bit more recognised.
so despite all the miserable nature of the film, i hope that you will still get inspired and will want to explore the work of the real-life hungarians and the real buildings of this era - and find the hope and optimism in the works along the way. i have just got my hands on a hungarian book about marcel breuer from 1970 (when he was still alive) and i will write about this next. subscribe below to be the first to read about this and more brutalist wonders.
new year, new trends! yes, it’s that time of the year when we survey the home interior decorating trends and pick our favourites, that we simply love or would love to serve. 2025 seems to be the year of big, bold decisions as we move away from overly curated spaces and wavy decor in favour of cleaner lines. is the comeback of brutalism on the cards? here are our picks from this year’s roundup:
indivudalism and creativity
it appears that 2025 might be a year of free-flowing creativity and a definite, distinct move beyond minimalism and cookie-cutter curation. it’s the year to be free and make bold decisions to truly express your individual style. pattern clashing, colour clashing, scale clashing, and bespoke designs - it’s 2025, just go for it! if you want custom printed anything - check outwhat we can do for you!
statement hallways
yes! it’s confirmed, no more neglected hallways - despite not spending too much time in them, they do tend to be one of the most frequently used, frequently seen parts of the house and it’s time to breathe some life into them, or go all out. make that first impression! and boy do we just happen to have the runners for you!
it’s still earth tones
yes, brown, terracotta, and of course, mocha mousse. jute, clay, warm, soft textures and colours are still very much in. it doesn’t matter what surfaces you use them on they’re all so comforting and calming, a safe haven from the brutal harshness of the outside world. it’s time to use them, really use them bravely and freely!
vintage & retro
this one is a sweet spot at zitozza! we love mid-century modernism and as the brutalist is at the top of the nominations in the award season for movies we keep our fingers crossed this is our time for the style to make a comeback as we have lots of prints to offer. other sources mention the slick, simplified forms of the 1970s and a comeback of vintage furniture - we love seeing it!
at home spa
remember the covid years and the home office? times have changed, we want to rest at home now, and rest fully and in ever-more indulgent ways. the bathroom is a safe haven for the ultimate me-time and if you kept putting off that bathroom renovation or have always wanted the quiet corner, maybe this is the year to do it, and go all-out on the feature tiles, yoga mats and meditation alcoves.
yellow
oh we love this one. aside of the earth tones mentioned above, yellow is promised to make a comeback in 2025 and we are here for it. it is not the shouty, neon yellows we’re talking about here but the soft, inoffensive kind of mellow-yellow that can be applied in large quantities for maximum happiness. we are solar-powered, desperate modernists here who want the bright, cheerful hues here to stay!
happy belated new year i guess, many apologies for making an appearance so late in january - as you know it is an admin-heavy, busy time of year so i will be short and to the point: we’re working on a brand new tileset! i’m so excited to show you these work in progress materials and the launch will be rather special… coming with another exciting news announcement soon! (sorry to be cryptic a bit!)
these tiles will be part of our MODERN collection, to fit seamlessly into the whole system of modular prints with our usual bold colours and our abstract, universal, architectural style - coming soon onto sustainable fabric near your home.
if you’re interested in anything bespoke, please do get in touch, we’d be delighted to hear about your project and print fabrics for your interior schemes.
thank you for your orders, commissions and enquiries throughout 2024. we really appreciate your continued support and hope to serve you with more hand printed and bespoke homewares in the new year!
today is a special day as this is going to be my first ever post about hungarian brutalism. i’m not entirely sure why i haven’t blogged about anything in my home country before - perhaps the pressure to know more about these buildings than i do is too much! but i guess the time has come to present something cool and exciting and interesting - this is one of the more famous ones and as such, an internationally more accessible and digestable example - that is the OKISZ offices in budapest, hungary.
built between 1971 and 1973, this office complex is located in a particularly leafy pocket of zugló, the 14th disctrict of budapest, almost exclusively surrounded by art nouveau villas and churches. the architect is recordedas jános mónus - who won an ybl-award (a sort of hungarian pritzker prize i guess) for the “high quality fusion of structure, technology and form” demonstrated in this very building. the company was ÁÉTV at the time, the state development company (according to the construction archives, operational from the late 50s until the late 90s) tasked to build public-use buildings for budapest: schools, hospitals and of course, offices - this one to house the countrywide union of small-scale industry bodies (the acronym is the OKISZ in the building name) and i’m really sorry that the language of the economic structures of socialist hungary does not necessarily translate too well to my engllish language readers but hey i’m trying my best!
it is a striking, fine piece of brutalism that understands and seamlessly fits into its environment without losing its character, not trying to be imposing without being too modest. a review from 1984 claims - and i’m paraphrasing somewhat, that “it would have been shameless and impolite to try and compete with its surroundings, however you should also live up to such an environment full of notable buildings” and it does do a remarkable job at that.
it has an exciting elevation of five floors stacked upon each-other in a dynamic, stair-like manner and a somewhat L-shaped plan. the facade continues this rhythm of protruding concrete mullions between the slick windows - for those who love this style it’s a bit of a jackpot i think. i went on a freezing cold january day in thick heavy snowfall - the white contrast it created with the concrete was really eye-catching from a pattern point of view too, but it also somehow emphasised the spatial nature of this building.
obviously, this is a textile designer’s blog, so i’m a layperson when it comes to the ins and outs of the structural geniuses of such architecture, but eye-pleasing proportions are, i think, a universal language that can be appreciated by everyone.
brutalism is also not necessarily inherently minimalist, you can notice fantastic details even outside - but this is also an interior textile blog so i was yearning to go inside. even though i could not (in fact, a security guard came out to check what i was up to outside too, haha!) however as a part of othernity, the hungarian project for the venice biennale for 2021, a series of guided walks by the centre of contemporary architecturewas organised back in 2020, several bloggers and journalists attended taking amazing photos of the inside. it looks very 1970s, cosy and very socialist (every building in my childhood memories has a similar details or typeface i think!) and it also has one of those ever-moving lifts that we call paternoster in hungary.
i’m going to recommend you two of these articles about this walk in 2020, both with brilliant photography - first hype&hyper (if you don’t know them, please get acquainted with this comprehensive cultural quarterly focused on eastern europe.) and also check out the blog post from welovebudapest, with fabulous indoor shots including of the roof terrace.
for the floor plan and elevations, and an interesting drawing on the accompanying furniture design, please see the previously quoted lechner centre article, it’s very insightful! the reason for this many resources available on this particuar building is of coruse the venice biennale project for 2021 - this building was one of the 12 selected to represent the hungarian pavilion. all 12 were focused entirely on this particular era of architecture and architects of our surrounding countries were invited to participate in their re-interpretation.
despite this celebratory re-discovery happening, brutalism in hungary is quite endangered and none of these buildings are under listed status, however many are loved and used and perhaps the attitudes are changing somewha and after years of the somewhat over-politicised and emotionally fuelled attitudes the architecture of the socialist era in hungary, it’s refreshing to see it getting more appreciated and putting some of these buildings into a more recognised place. i hope to bring you more examples of hungary in the future.
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it’s been a while since we last shared some interior tips but i do always enjoy this time of year for a good old fashioned clearout. in light of that, as autumn settles in, i think it's the perfect time to look at how to introduce bold patterns, deep colours, and plenty of cosy textures - of course with that flavour of modern architectural twist to seasonal decor. below you'll find some inspiring ideas to create a space that feels both snug and strikingly stylish this autumn—featuring our pattern blocks for a fresh architectural edge.
1. large scale, abstract prints
it's dark, it's cold, it's depressing, boo! i always thought autumn is an ideal time to be daring with your decor, and adding bold, abstract prints can cheer you up instantly. our newest TÉGLA tileset offers a modular way to introduce strong geometric patterns inspired by architectural forms. whether it’s through a statement rug, a striking lampshade, or a patterned cushion, these bold prints can bring a somewhat rigid, yet still very playful vibe to your living space. they’re perfect for adding a contemporary edge to classic autumn decor.
top tip: opt for a large printed rugs to ground the space and provide a stunning visual anchor for the room.
2. warm, cosy hues
cherry red is so in this year! and i don't know about you but this year in scotland we've been really lucky with a dry, sunny autumn that highlighted the rich foilage for us. nature's colour palette is all about deep, warm, earthy tones, and incorporating hues like burnt orange, terracotta, warm ochre, and rich burgundy creates an inviting atmosphere. layering these shades with neutral tones—like warm beige or soft grey—can soften the look while still making a bold statement.
top tip: mix and match textiles in complementary colours and patterns. try adding one of our cushions or kitchen towels in a bold burnt orange print to bring warmth to your space.
3. mix and match your layers
as the temperature drops, layering becomes essential—not only in your wardrobe but in your decor as well. this season, focus on combining different materials for a rich, tactile experience. our latest rugs, made from heavyweight jute, bring a more textured and rustic feel, perfect for the colder months. pair these with softer fabrics like wool or velvet to create depth and contrast.
top tip: place a printed jute runner in a hallway or layer it over a larger, softer rug for an added cosy effect that feels as good as it looks.
4. light, light, light!
the clocks have just gone back and far up north it means very, very early darkness unfortunately. in these circumstances, lighting becomes a focal point in autumn decor. you can create some really dramatic lighting effects with our architectural lampshades, designed to cast beautiful shadows and enhance the warmth of your space (especially the jute ones). look for lighting with warmer bulbs to create a cosy glow, or use your lamps as accent pieces that add a bit of visual intrigue during the day.
top tip: place a statement lamp with one of our geometric-patterned shades in a dim corner to create an eye-catching focal point and add warmth to the room.
5. make a bold statement
so this is something a bit leftfield, but if you really need that mood boost, then this could also be a great time to experiment with printed linen curtains, or even a statement wall. use our TÉGLA block prints to craft your own unique pattern, mixing and matching colours to suit your personal style. every piece in our collection is designed with versatility in mind, so you can coordinate different prints and sizes to form a cohesive look that’s bold, warm, and entirely your own.
top tip: why not try a bespoke wall hanging on our recycled linens? textured walls are so in this year - a large hanging would be simply a tactile way of introducing an exciting architectural pattern on a feature wall.
don’t be shy and bring out the bold side of autumn, and let your home reflect a cosy yet striking style that’s uniquely yours with our prints.
if you want more inspiration straight to your inbox, you can sign up to our monthly newsletter below - it comes with a free gift every month!
hello again, it’s been another busy month. i’m so sorry to do this to you in october, but my festive calendar is full and i thought it’d be important to share it for those who might want to come and touch some zitozza goodies. at these markets you’ll find a lot of things that are on the website, but also framed prints, little cards and of course, the bargain basket full of our end cuts, which are only available in person, so it is definitely worth coming.
23-24 november - crafted @ dca dundee
152 nethergate, dundee, dd1 4ea - 11am till 5:30pm
we’ll kick this off with CRAFTED at the dundee contemporary arts. i do absolutely love this venue and i’m delighted to be returning for the third time to this amazing creative hub where i always enjoy meeting like-minded people and it's such an impressive gallery setting too.
1 december - v&a dundee winter design market
1 riverside esplanade, dundee, dd1 4ez - 10am till 5pm
i’ll stay in dundee for one more day - i am absolutely thrilled to be included in this winter's line-up of tea green events or the sunday at the v&a dundee. i had an absolute blast in the summer here, i met so many talented new designers and gained so many new fans that i just can't wait to return for the festive period!
7-8 december - great northern contemporary craft fair - online festive market
this is going to be something completely new to me! i've never participated in anything like this before so i’ll be excited to be sharing more information soon as i’m trying to get my brand known outside scotland and make new friends south of the border!
13-14-15 december - bowhouse winter market
st monans, fife, ky10 2db - open from 2pm till 8pm on friday 13th dec, then 10am till 4pm on saturday and sunday
for the last christmas weekend, it'll be time to come home to east fife and meet my local neighbours here. i can't wait to meet you all this winter! do come, see, smell, touch and buy some amazing brand new prints - old favourites and some new gifts too.
*** important notice *** last christmas orders are to be placed by 15th december. anything made to order must be placed before the 9th in order to be made and shipped. the studio will be closed from the 21st december until 6th january. orders placed during this time will be fulfilled afterwards.
can't wait for it to kick off - yes i am eating my porridge as we speak!
hello again - long time no see and long time without hugging some concrete! this month we finally brought to you TÉGLA, our brand new tileset (after many, many months of work and preparation). these were all inspired by brickworks and facades found on so i want to show you a building with an interesting texture and facade that reflects that inspiration. besides, i think we do deserve a trip now, don’t we? so let’s go on a short but sweet one, just to glasgow - as we’re visiting the savoy centre on sauchiehall street.
quite a striking example example of 1970s brutalism, it was built between ‘71 and ‘79 and designed by gavin paterson & sons, on the ruins of the old savoy theatre. it now consists of a shopping centre complete with an indoor market, and an 11 storey office block.
obviously, the purpose of writing these blog posts is to celebrate these concrete designs and bust thay common myth amongst the naysayers that these are depressing buildings - on a particularly overcast day in the glasgow winter it does unfortunately seem to be a bit of a task. rain-soaked or not though, the building has an impressive, exciting looking elevation walking up on hope street (connecting sauchiehall street and renfrew street.)
the glasgow weather must have been considered as the concrete clad facade is somewhat protruding, offering a bit of a shelter above head-hight. the cladding features a concrete pattern of narrow vertical rectangles, with a beautiful relief of the centre’s logo (in a typographic design of what i assume must have been, or perhaps inspired by the original 1910s theatre’s.) this logo repeats on the renfrew street side too, painted in blue - a fresh touch of colour amongst the imposing concrete.
the protection from the elements continues as there is a fully sheltered footbridge connecting the north side of renfrew street - taking you right to the first floor of the building. i did not manage to get inside, however i’m told it’s been refurbished and there are plans to further regenerate - not without controversy. you can follow this excellent and insightful timeline from glasgow heritage (who do happen to run a brutalism-related exhibition at the merchant city as well!)
the 11-floor office blocks towers above the more horizontally laying front of the building - the neatly arranged windows do make inspiring patterns (you might discover them on our printed goodies i’m sure!) - it’s a beautiful and interesting building that makes its surroundings a little bit more exciting.
if you enjoyed this trip, go visit yourself and join us on our next trip - subscribe to our newsletter below.
