At Rugged Looks, you step into a warm, creative studio in Brooklyn to create your tufted rug using yarn and a tufting machine. After some basic guidance, you spend the rest of the session creating at your own pace. With music in the background and tools in hand, you shape color and texture into something made entirely by you—from start to finish.
By participating in this experience, you engage in steady, repetitive hand movements that draw your attention to the present moment. As you work with color and texture, you practice staying with each moment as it unfolds—cultivating mindfulness through action.
You can incorporate learnings by bringing the same steady focus to everyday tasks—slowing down, minimizing distractions, and staying present with whatever you're doing.
Rugged Looks is a cozy, creative studio tucked away in Brooklyn that offers a tactile pause from the pace of city life. Rooted in the practice of tufting, the space invites you to slow down, work with your hands, and reawaken a grounded sense of presence. With soft lighting, textured materials, and curated music, the studio is designed to quiet external noise and draw focus inward.
The setting encourages a kind of mindful making—where repetition, color, and rhythm come together to offer not just a finished piece, but a moment of calm attention. It’s an environment that naturally cultivates mindfulness, self-expression, and the quiet satisfaction of creating something from start to finish.
Founded by experienced tufting artists who are passionate about process-driven creativity, Rugged Looks is built on the belief that art-making can be both meditative and accessible. Their approach emphasizes guidance without pressure, presence over perfection. The space holds you gently in a shared rhythm of making—offering a simple, hands-on way to reconnect with focus, ease, and the joy of creating.
Ancient text name: Chandogya Upanishad (c. 800–600 BCE)
Title: The Art of Being Mentally Healthy: A Study to Quantify the Relationship Between Recreational Arts Engagement and Mental Well-Being in the General Population
