A floral rug works on the same logic as a textile printed with botanical motifs, but with one important difference: the wool pile holds the colour for decades rather than for seasons. The floral vocabulary in the Indian tradition has been continuously refined since the seventeenth century and shows no signs of running out. The piece is one entry in that ongoing record.

The work took 5 weeks at the loom. Two tufters drove the wool through a tensioned canvas with a hand-held tufting gun, building the pattern row by row in a continuous loop. A finisher then sealed the back with natural latex, applied a cotton scrim, and sheared the surface to a uniform pile depth. The borders were bound in cotton tape by hand to hold the edges over decades of use. The rug is offered in a grey register, made in India.

The composition

Grey dominates the composition. The drawing is built on contrast that resolves into harmony rather than tension. The dominant colour holds the field, the secondary values trace the figure, and the smallest accents punctuate the corners. The composition reads in a single take from a doorway and rewards a slower look from a chair. The pattern photographs differently than it reads in person, which is true of every wool surface and one reason rugs of this calibre are ideally seen in the room they will live in before purchase.

The piece in a room

At the format here the rug suits a study, a smaller drawing room, or a primary bedroom. The composition pairs with mid-tone walls and warm wood furniture, and rises against off-white walls as a fielded ground. The size also works as the entry rug for a longer hall, with the pattern reading as one walks across it.

Care

Vacuum weekly with the beater bar disengaged. Every tufted rug loses fibre to a beater bar regardless of price. Blot spills with a clean cotton cloth, never rub. Expect light shedding for the first six weeks of use as loose fibres work themselves out of the pile; the body of the rug is unaffected. Professional dry clean every three years to refresh the surface and maintain the cotton scrim that supports the pile.

Reference

• Medium: hand-tufted wool, latex bonded, cotton scrim
• Dimensions: size as listed above
• Hands: 2 tufters and 1 finisher, ~5 weeks
• Pile: 12 mm
• Origin: India

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