This week’s featured tufting artist is Charlie Serotoff, a 40-year-old textile artist based in NYC. Check out Charlie’s Instagram @charliethetuna1 and his website Rugs of Reflection.
By day, Charlie works in tech, but in his free time, he immerses himself in the world of rug-making, using tufting as a way to process emotions and explore the complexities of human connection.
From First Workshop to Full Immersion
Charlie’s journey into tufting began in November 2023 with a simple workshop. “I was instantly hooked,” he recalls. Now, he rents studio space to create larger, more intricate rugs, channeling his experiences and emotions into each piece.
“What captivates me most is how tufting puts me in a state of flow. Time disappears as I translate feelings and concepts into wool and color, one line at a time.”
The Meaning Behind “Sonder”
The rug Charlie is sharing with us this week is inspired by the concept of “sonder”—the realization that every person you pass, whether a stranger, a waiter, or a barista, has a life as intricate and complicated as your own.
“It’s a surreal and bizarre sensation—that you’ll never actually know anything about almost everyone you pass by on the street. The sheer volume of knowledge, experience, and connections left floating in everyone’s little singular universe of their life experience just seems like a lot.”
The rug’s black-and-white palette reflects the flatness of first impressions, how we often see others only as passing figures. But the flowing lines and subtle 3D effect invite a closer look—just like real human connection.
“The face at the center captures this tension between surface and depth. The flowing lines dissolve into the background… people’s lives intersecting and weaving through one another, often unnoticed and without lasting impact.”
For Charlie, this rug is a reminder of the hidden depth in everyone’s story, a call to notice more, to look beyond what’s immediately visible.
The Creative Process
Bringing this rug to life took about 25 hours from design to tufting, gluing, and carving. One of the biggest challenges? Color selection.
“I’m partially colorblind, so I have a lot of trouble selecting the right colors, especially for gradients. I was initially picking greens instead of greys, but a friend helped me find the right ones.”
Charlie used acrylic yarn for the piece and, if he were to tuft it again, he’d consider simplifying the design slightly by reducing the number of shades of grey.
