Introducing Join and Mending – a balance of craft, performance and care
Designtex, the leading designer and manufacturer of applied materials for the built environment, introduces a debut collaboration that fuses its expertise in contract textiles with the creative vision of nanimarquina. This partnership reflects a shared belief in the enduring beauty of the imperfect and the handcrafted. nanimarquina, an international benchmark in contemporary rug design, brings its deep respect for craft and nuance. Designtex extends that vision, engineering high performance textiles to capture this beauty. The result is Join and Mending, a study in rhythm, repair, and restraint, textiles conceived as both function and feeling.
”As designers, we have been huge fans of nanimarquina—their dedication to craftsmanship and celebration of material is perhaps not always paramount in commercial materials. This collaboration gave us the challenge of being able to translate those high-level craft cues into Join and Mending,” shares Catherine Stowell, VP of Design at Designtex. “We wanted to capture nanimarquina’s material sensibility in durable constructions that would make these textiles especially useful in commercial settings. We did that by using performance yarns and intentionally imbedding imperfections into the weaving process.”
A tactile meditation on care and connection, Mending is a high performance textile that celebrates the quiet beauty of visible repair. Inspired by the humble act of stitching as a way to hold things together, it reflects a return to what matters. Structured as a grid, its woven patch motif echoes handwork—intentionally imperfect, deeply human. With subtle irregularities and a softened palette, Mending speaks to a growing desire for simplicity, tactility, and things that endure.
“When we see something hand-sewn, something irregular, we understand it,” says pioneering Spanish designer Nani Marquina, who founded her namesake design studio in 1987. “We connect to it. Maybe we don’t need to fix everything; maybe we just need to hold it together. Maybe we can’t explain the world. But we understand a thread. We understand a stitch. That’s enough.” This spirit of patient craftsmanship defined the collaboration process. “Designtex was so comfortable with taking the time to explore every direction and with letting things evolve. That’s rare, and it allowed us to keep pushing to get it right.”
A study in rhythm and restraint, Join is composed of offset stripes drawn for balance. Reminiscent of piano keys, the pattern is slightly irregular, softly structured, and always in motion. Stripes, a recurring language in Marquina’s work, form a quiet rhythm—not quite perfect, not quite predictable, but inherently harmonious. Woven for outdoor use, Join brings understated texture to both natural and architectural spaces, finding beauty in the balance of repetition and variation.
The color story is rooted in the natural world. Once drawn to saturated reds, greens, and blues, Nani Marquina now turns to tones shaped by nature, weather, water, and the changing Mediterranean landscape around her. Now splitting her time between Barcelona and the Costa Brava, she draws palette inspiration from stones, plants, and even the play of moonlight on the sea. Mending and Join are stories of care and patient craft, of knowing that the materials we live with shape the mood of our spaces and the rhythm of our days. These textiles were not rushed. They were tested, reworked, reimagined, and woven with time, trust, and an appreciation for a simplicity that feels both effortlessly refined and ready to be lived with.
Learn more about Mending and Join at designtex.com.
About Designtex
Designtex is the leading company in the development, design and manufacturing of applied materials for the built environment. For over sixty years, Designtex has been providing innovative materials to customers around the world. Designtex is a Steelcase company, headquartered in New York City, with national and international locations. www.designtex.com
About nanimarquina
nanimarquina was founded by Nani in 1987 with a singular desire: ‘I wanted to design rugs that were visually stunning, that people would enjoy’. nanimarquina is a pioneering family business that constantly seeks innovation in the use of techniques and materials, designing and manufacturing highly customised contemporary rugs. Although the company is based in Barcelona and New York, all manufacturing is carried out in India and Pakistan, revealing the limitless possibilities of the artisans. The company collaborates with renowned national and international designers to ensure the diversity of styles and experimentation with textures, materials and shapes for which it has become renowned. The result is a unique nanimarquina rug for every person, for every space, for every emotion. nanimarquina.com