The salt marshes of the Venice lagoon form a unique and priceless heritage, a fragile system of low-lying islands that host incredible biodiversity of both flora and fauna. With their varying levels, the salt marshes create ever-changing landscapes that vary with the slow rhythm of the tides. When the water rises, portions of land are gradually submersed; when the tide recedes, the salt marshes reemerge revealing a complex network of channels – known as “ghebi” – which wind between pools of water and stretches of salt-water vegetation such as seagrass and glasswort.

This extraordinary natural richness inspired Barene, the new collection of rugs from Carpet Edition designed by Marco Zito. It is a project which showcases the deep connection between the designer and the lagoon and its delicate ecosystem.

“Barene is a suggestion that comes from the landscape that surrounds me, the Lagoon of Venice. A suggestion that is not only poetic, but also an actual topic which speaks to the fragility of an environment that is unique in this world” says Marco Zito. Due to erosion and human activity, the salt marshes are at risk of disappearing, which would result in irreparable changes in the Lagoon and loss of species that inhabit it.

The hand tufted rugs of the Barene collection reinterpret the primordial interaction between land and water, an “exchange” in which fluid and irregular shapes recall the changing surface carved by the tides, while the colours recount the changing of the seasons in this unique place.
“We began from maps and aerial photos of the salt marshes, keeping in line with the colours and proportions of the levels, the design became a digital pattern of layers with various possible combinations” continues the designer.
To achieve this result, a fundamental element of the project was the research of materials: the use of New Zealand wool, Felted New Zealand wool, Hardtwist New Zealand wool and Linen creates a balance between structure and plushness, while the varying pile heights (10mm velvet/boucle, 10mm boucle, 14mm velvet, 20mm velvet, 40mm shag) reproduce the different levels of the lagoon’s landscape, generating reliefs which amplify the tactile and visual perception. Each rug becomes a deeply evocative and rich “atoll” with significance to be imagined “in a space that allows the surfaces to breathe, to be an experienced tactilely, and to appreciate the emergence of varying levels” concludes Marco Zito.

Barene rugs are offered in three colour stories, Polvere di Limonio (Limonio Powder), Giunco Veneziano (Venetian Rush) and Verde Salicornia (Green Glasswort), and are available in three sizes 105×145 cm, 203×214 cm e 221×300. The three rugs can also be connected to each other, creating one large 400x400cm surface.