Pity Studios is an upstart London workshop that makes rugs around the globe. Founder Hector Coombs invested nearly 10 years working for Christopher Farr before introducing his own company. He describes that the name Shame is meant to work as “a day-to-day justification: a tip to be brave and unapologetic in imaginative expression while staying thoughtful, mindful, and humane in how things are made.”
The studio’s most current collection, Roots, was produced in partnership with Furnishing Futures, a UK charity that combines social work with interior design expertise to assist survivors of domestic abuse reconstruct their lives. The 14 handwoven designs feature natural themes, subtle textures, and colors that “stimulate security, convenience and belonging.” For every carpet offered, Pity Studios contributes another for the living quarters of a Furnishing Futures’ recipient. Writes the Pity group: “Roots champions the concept that thoughtful style can do more than decorate an area; it can assist people recover, reconstruct, and put down brand-new roots.”
Photography by Nat Aubry, styling by Anna Sheridan, thanks to Shame Studios (@shamestudios).
Above: The new collection– all four-ply wool flat-weaves made in Bhadoi, India– exists here in the Shame Studios showroom in Shoreditch. Each is named after an alias selected by a Furnishing Futures client– this is Lucie– and was created in response to stories told by the ladies and kids supported by the charity. 
Above: The collection is the work of two members of the Embarassment group, Sarah Lane and Scarlett Paget, who were moved by the work of Furnishing Futures and wished to contribute to the cause. Prices begin at ₤ 875 and all of the carpets, including, Lucie, can be made in a range of sizes and colors. 
Above: The styles work similarly well on floorings and
walls; this is Ingrid, a horse-patterned flat-weave paired with striped Reya. Bhadoi, near Varanasi, is an area in Inda that has been a center for weaving for centuries. Embarassment notes that the techniques used are ages-old, “yet its artisans stays open up to experimentation, making it among the studio’s most valued places to work.” Embarassment is a certified partner of the fair-trade not-for-profit Label Step and is devoted to paying all hands relatively: “we exist to provide equivalent advantages to the craftswomen and men who produce these beautiful items,” they write, “and the clients who will enjoy them.”
Above: Reya is edged with tassels that extend its stripes. Above: Nyla has a bundled border that doubles here as a frame. The rug on the floor is called Pearl. Above: A complete view of Pearl. Above: Isla, on the wall, is a variation of Lucie, revealed above. The flower-bordered rug is called Gail.
Embarassment Studios has a pop-up exhibit of the Roots rugs at Furnishing Future’s space, The Atrium. It’s up through April 4, Thursday to Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm, at 11A Argall Ave, System 4, London E10 7QE
Here’s some recommendations and more of our favorite rugs:
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