Rugsville Beni Ourain Moroccan Ivory Black Wool Carpet 5' x 8'

Berber weavers from the Atlas mountains built their carpets from undyed wool because the local sheep gave them ivory, charcoal, and the soft greys in between. Pattern was scarce because pattern took time the household did not have. What survived from that economy of means was a graphic vocabulary that the modern eye reads as wholly contemporary.

The pile is hand-knotted wool on a cotton foundation. 2-3 weavers shared the loom across 3-4 months, working at roughly 80 knots per square inch. That gives a finished count of around 460 thousand hand-tied knots. The dyes were prepared in small batches and the wool was lowered into them before being washed in clean water and sun-dried over several days. Every step is done by hand because the result depends on it.

The composition

An ivory field, charcoal lines, and the small irregularities of a hand-drawn diamond grid. The wool is undyed, which means the contrast deepens rather than dulls as the rug ages. The composition rewards an empty room. The dominant tones run to ivory, black.

What you are buying

What you are paying for is several months of weaver-time on a loom, in wool of a specified micron, on a cotton foundation that has to outlast every soft fibre tied into it. The price reflects the labour rather than a brand premium. The piece compounds in value over a domestic ownership cycle.

The piece in a room

5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm) is the canonical scale for a primary living room with a sectional or two facing sofas above it. The composition is built to be read from the standing height of someone walking into the room. The ivory tones sit well against lime-washed plaster, raw oak, and warm metal.

Conservation

Vacuum once a week with the beater bar disengaged. Rotate the rug 180 degrees every six months to keep the wear even. Use a clean cotton cloth on spills and work from the perimeter inward. Engage a hand-wash conservator every five years for the deep clean a domestic process cannot reach. The piece holds its value across decades of household use.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm)
• Construction: hand-tied asymmetric knot
• Knot density: ~80 KPSI
• Total knot count: ~460k
• Hands: 2-3 weavers, 3-4 months
• Pile: 8 mm, hand-spun wool
• Dye: vegetable and low-impact mineral
• Origin: India

Complimentary shipping across India. Cash on delivery offered. 7-day exchange policy. Inspected, rolled, and crated before dispatch.