Rugsville Bamboo Silver Gray Silk Carpet 5' x 8'

Silver grey in silk reads differently from silver grey in wool. The fibre is smoother, the light bounces farther down each thread, and what looks like a single tone from across the room resolves into a hundred fractional shades when you stand on it. This rug was dyed to a cool, bright grey with a silvery cast that reflects ambient colour the way a polished pewter dish reflects what sits beside it.

Two weavers in India worked the loom for close to four months. Bamboo silk pile, cotton foundation, every knot tied by hand using the asymmetric loop that the Tibetan tradition developed for soft, slippery fibres. The rug went through four rounds of dry shearing and one wet wash, each pass cutting the pile down by fractions of a millimetre until the surface was flat enough to read as a single optical plane.

The composition

One field, one colour, varied only by the directional shimmer of the silk. A faint vertical striation suggests the bamboo motif the collection is named for, but only at oblique angles. There is no border, no medallion, no central figure. The rug is built to be a quiet, reflective ground that takes whatever colour story the room provides and lets it set the tone. From standing height it reads pure silver. From a chair it reads slightly warmer, almost platinum.

What you are buying

This is hand-knotted silk in 5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) at clearance pricing. Comparable bamboo silk pieces from Western galleries land at multiples of this number. The rug appreciates with use rather than depreciating, which is what separates a knotted silk from any other surface that goes on a floor. Walking on it gradually opens the pile and deepens the lustre over the first three to five years.

The piece in a room

5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) is the working size for a small living area, a primary bedroom centred under the bed, or a small dining area with a four-seat table. Silver grey lifts pale walls and grounds dark walls. It pairs cleanly with brushed nickel, with chrome, with bleached oak, and with blue-grey upholstery. Avoid using it under heavy ornamental furniture; the silk reflects too much for the room to settle.

Conservation

The silver pile shows footprints when fresh. This subsides as the pile relaxes during the first months. Vacuum on suction only, beater bar disengaged. Blot any spill with a clean white cotton cloth, working from the outside in. Hand-clean by a silk-trained conservator every five to seven years. Rotate the rug twice a year.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted bamboo silk on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 152 x 244 cm (5' x 8')
• Construction: Tibetan asymmetric knot
• Hands: 2 weavers, 4 months
• Pile: 8 mm bamboo silk
• Origin: India

Free shipping anywhere in India. Cash on delivery available. 7-day exchange from delivery.