Rug-onomics

Textile designer Ryan Reitmeyer steps out with his new Retorra design lab, and the ‘macro’ picture looks promising.

Jhane Hoang
JH1_5280
JH1_5280

Local design enthusiasts are likely already familiar with the work of 41-year old textile artist Ryan Reitmeyer. The former managing partner at Houston-based Carol Piper Rugs has been keeping H-Town floors fabulous for well more than a decade. This fall, he’s stepping out on his own, with Retorra (3637 W. Alabama St, 713.647.2884).


The 1,200-square-foot just-opened “design lab,” named for the Latin word for yarn, is located in Upper Kirby. With a primary focus on Reitmeyer’s own rug designs — all handmade in Nepal, India and Thailand — Retorra also represents rug brands Jan Kath, The New England Collection, French Accents, Langhorne Carpet, Fibreworks and Design Materials, and serves as a source for what Reitmeyer calls interesting 20th-century antiques.

“My collection is very distinctive,” says the upstate New York native, who acquired his taste for design early in life. “When I was in the third grade, I watched the Charles and Ray Eames documentary Powers of Ten and it blew my mind. It has informed all of my aesthetic decisions — the ability to zoom in and out, the micro and macro picture.”

Reitmeyer’s work is best described as a fusion of geometrics and optics, a play on forms seen close-up and what they reveal from a greater distance. “I love art and designs you can unpack,” says Reitmeyer, who infuses the complex designs with unique color palettes that are rarely seen in the rug world — think soothing olive neutrals and pops of dusty mauve. “During my career I have learned that so much of what I do as a designer is what can I make that I feel passionate about, but what also has the potential for commerce.”

Reitmeyer grew up a pastor’s son, always on the move — “basically like growing up in a military family,” he says. After bouncing back and forth between New York and Texas, he landed at UT, graduating with a degree in economics. His love for the micro and macro was a natural fit for econ — but an art elective convinced him otherwise. “The professor asked why I was in econ, and said he would give me a recommendation for art school,” says Reitmeyer, who enrolled in the Bard Graduate Center in New York.

Reitmeyer wasted no time fully immersing himself in the textile market while studying at Bard. He took positions in rug sales and design at various outposts, getting an education in all aspects of the biz before moving back to Texas. “I enjoy learning about how these objects are constructed. They are so tactile. Carpets are designed to be walked on. People don’t necessarily appreciate off the bat how much a great carpet can change a space.”

Fashion+Home
Cool for ‘Schools’! CIS Wants to Transport You to a Whimsical ‘Wonderland’ at Milestone Gala

CIS 2024 Gala Honorary Co-Chair Judy Tate, Co-Chair Lauren Brollier, Co-Chair Cassie Milam, Honorary Co-Chair Kirby McCool

WHETHER YOU PREFER Alice, the Mad Hatter or the Queen of Hearts, Communities In Schools of Houston’s A Night in Wonderland 45th Anniversary GalaA Night in Wonderland 45th Anniversary Galais not to be missed! Join in the celebration for a whimsical good time on Thursday, April 4th, at the luxurious Post Oak Hotel.

Keep ReadingShow less

A model wearing Savannah Friedkin's Broken Collection (photo by Jeremy Choh)

SAVANNAH FRIEDKIN, A NEW fine jewelry brand with pieces crafted from 100-percent certified recycled precious metals and climate-neutral lab-grown diamonds, launched this week on SavannahFriedkin.com. The innovative collection is the conception of its namesake, Savannah Friedkin, a Houston-born and -raised, third-generation conservationist who values preserving our environment and empowering its people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Style

Helen Winchell, Marti Grizzle, Brittany Franklin, Jensen Wessendorff

HUNDREDS OF TREE-LOVING Houstonians savored and celebrated the good life at the La Dolce Vita-themed, 30th-annual Root Ball benefiting Trees for Houston.
Keep ReadingShow less
Parties