The Pieces That Make a Home Personal
As an interior designer, I’m always looking for the pieces that give a room character, because those are often the things that make us feel connected to a space and make it feel like our own. They might be handmade pieces where you understand who made them and where they came from, something brought home from a trip, an object that evokes a memory, something deeply personal, or a piece that has been handed down through generations. These are the things that tell our stories and make a home feel distinctly ours.
That idea is at the heart of RB Curated. I created the collection around pieces I wanted to use in my own design work but often had a hard time finding: beautifully made, handcrafted textiles that feel distinctive and bring another layer of meaning to a space. Pieces that work just as naturally in a designer’s project as they do in someone’s home.
What These Pieces Carry
Every piece in our collection was designed with intention. They carry:
Cultural depth — each textile is rooted in a weaving tradition that stretches back generations, encoded with symbolism, regional identity, and inherited knowledge
Human touch — no two pieces are identical, because no two human hands are
Time — a single throw or pillow can take weeks or months to produce, and that investment of time is visible in every thread
Conversation — these are the objects guests ask about, the ones that open a window into another part of the world
Longevity — made to last, and made to be passed on
These are not decorative objects. They are connective ones.
The Pieces That Tell a Story
Nestled between three majestic volcanoes along the shores of Lake Atitlán, Santiago Atitlán is a place of rich tradition and breathtaking artistry. This piece is our tribute to the extraordinary textiles crafted and worn with pride in this vibrant community. The foundation of the traditional huipil from Santiago Atitlán is often a simple plaid, serving as a backdrop for intricate, hand-embroidered designs that adorn the entire garment.
Here, we highlight a precious pair of birds, a motif carefully brought to life by master embroidery artisans. With over 700 species of birds found in Guatemala, these embroidered designs reflect the country’s deep connection to nature, where birds symbolize freedom, beauty, and spiritual significance. A celebration of heritage and craftsmanship, this piece captures the spirit of a weaving tradition as vibrant and enduring as the landscape itself.
PRODUCTION TIME: 30 Hours
The Pájaro Throw Pillow is perhaps our most storied piece. The fabric is handwoven by artisans on the shores of Lake Atitlán, then travels by boat across the lake to a second community, where it is embroidered by hand. Each community specializes in its own technique, rooted in traditions that have been passed down through generations. I love that two different artisan communities, each bringing their own craft and expertise, have a hand in making a single pillow. And when you know where it came from, who made it, and what went into making it, it becomes so much more than something beautiful in a room.
Handwoven by Alirio and his team on a footloom using the rare falsería technique, this one-of-a-kind throw is a masterwork of craftsmanship and cultural heritage. Once common in Guatemala, falsería is now practiced by only a few master weavers capable of its complex execution. Designed to replicate the intricate motifs of traditional backstrap weaving on a larger scale, the process requires the precise coordination of 40 heddles. For each line of pattern, the weaver lifts a specific sequence of ropes by hand, guided by a meticulously drafted graph-paper design. This labor-intensive method can take up to eight times longer than weaving a solid fabric.
Each loom used is custom-built by local carpenters and tailored specifically to support this sophisticated technique. The floral motif woven into this throw is timeless and versatile, rich with symbolic meaning—one of many reasons falsería serves as a cornerstone of our collection.
We named this design Montaña, the Spanish word for "mountain," in honor of the highland communities we work with in Guatemala. Mountain motifs, traditionally symbolized by zig zags, appear frequently in Maya textiles—an enduring presence in the region's geography and history. During Guatemala’s armed conflict, many weavers were displaced to remote mountain villages, yet these motifs predate even that period, found in some of the oldest surviving textiles. Alongside the zigzag, this design incorporates the diamond, symbolizing the four cardinal directions, and the flower—a nod to Guatemala’s nickname as the “land of eternal spring.”
Woven in narrow panels, the throw is constructed by Irma using a flat felt seam for durability and structure. The edges are finished with a meticulous hand-stitched blanket edge, adding refinement and strength to this heirloom-quality piece.
PRODUCTION TIME: 96 Hours
See available samples here: SAMPLES
The Montaña Throw Blanket is handwoven by Alirio and his team using a rare technique called falsería. It’s an incredibly complex way of weaving that can take up to eight times longer than a solid fabric and requires the coordination of 40 heddles and a pattern carefully mapped out on graph paper before weaving even begins. We named the blanket Montaña for the highland communities we work with in Guatemala, and the pattern itself is full of meaning. The zigzag represents the mountains, the diamond the four cardinal directions, and the flower is a nod to Guatemala, known as the land of eternal spring. I love that these aren’t simply beautiful motifs. They connect the piece to the place and culture where it was made.
A simple idea, beautifully executed. This handwoven silverware holder brings the warmth and artistry of our textile collection to the table, transforming an everyday place setting into something worth lingering over. Designed as much to be admired as to be used, it is an effortless way to introduce handwoven textile into your tablescape.
Irma finishes each one by hand in her workshop, adding a delicate hand stitch along the edge and a signature tassel. Small details that make the difference between ordinary and considered.
Made using fabrics from our handwoven collection, it pairs naturally with any of our other textiles already in your home.
PRODUCTION TIME: 5 Hours
See available samples here: SAMPLES
The Mesa Silverware Holder is one of those small details that can make a table feel special. Each one is finished by hand by Irma in her workshop, with a delicate stitched edge and one of our signature tassels. I love using them because they’re simple, but they bring something handmade and unexpected to a place setting. It’s an easy way to incorporate a handwoven textile into the table and to make even an everyday meal feel a little more personal.
Why It Matters
In a world where everything can be sourced from the same catalog and delivered in two days, the handmade object is increasingly rare. And increasingly powerful. It is the thing that makes a room feel like no one else's, because it genuinely is.
That is what we set out to build at RB Curated. Not just a collection of beautiful textiles, but a reason to look more closely, to ask where something came from, to feel the weight of something made by hand and understand why that weight matters.
Your home deserves that.
