Marla Henderson has created babik, a collection of rugs that merge ancestral functions with contemporary sensibilities. Fabricated from swatches of handmade flat-woven wool once used for tents and blankets by the nomadic tribes of Anatolia, each rug is carefully reassembled and preserved in new patchwork designs. The compositions are expressive in their simplicity, befitting both classic and contemporary interiors.

The coloring of most vintage Turkish fabrics and kilims was largely dictated by what was available. The textiles were hand-dyed with natural materials - roots, flowers, insects, leaves, berries, bark and wood - all indigenous to the surrounding habitat. The deepest colors were more difficult and expensive to procure. The process of hand-dyeing is largely unpredictable and recipes are personal, therefore no two fabrics are exactly alike. Within the community, the dyer was an esteemed craftsman, easily identified by his color-stained hands.

Color created using these recipes from natural elements endures. All color fades with exposure to light, but natural dyes mellow, leaving lighter tones that are as rich and deep as the original colors. It is this natural color vibrato that gives each rug a vitality and sense of mystery.

Marla Henderson has also created newconcept, a line of patchwork rugs using new textiles and colors. Blue, a color rarely found in the palette of Anatolian fabrics, is central to the designs. Hand-tinted, the powder dyes produce rich, opaque colors. One hundred percent wool, the new flat-woven fabric allows for a more consistent weave pattern. The result is a collection of fresh compositions. Equally suitable for the floor or the wall, the patchworks brighten any environment.