If someone asked me where my design journey began, I wouldn’t say the boardroom

If someone asked me where my design journey began, I wouldn’t say the boardroom.
I’d say — the dyeing factory.

That’s where I first learned the importance and power of colour.
How it shapes emotion, defines mood, and transforms something ordinary into something timeless.

Years ago, my father took me to a trade fair in Germany — Domotex, one of the largest textile shows in the world.

I met an old mentor there who told me something that has stayed with me ever since:
“There are only three things that matter in this line of work — colour, colour, and colour.”

He was right.

That day, I decided that if I truly wanted to understand design, I had to begin where colour is born.

So I started in our dyeing factory — where every batch of yarn has its own rhythm of temperature, timing, and chemistry.

Over time, I realised that colour isn’t just a design decision — it’s emotional, instinctive, and deeply human.

That understanding continues to shape everything we do at Understorey.

When we say a rug is bespoke, we don’t just mean it’s customised — we mean it’s crafted from the ground up.

From recipes we’ve refined over decades, from yarns dyed by hand, and from techniques developed by us working alongside artisans who’ve been with our family for generations.

Every rug is a collaboration between chemistry and creativity — a balance of science, patience, and art.

So when people ask why a handcrafted rug takes months, I smile.
Because in our world, colour isn’t chosen.

It’s alchemised.