Rugsville Laka Gray Wool & Silk Carpet 8' x 10'

Lanolin-rich hand-spun wool carries the carpet tradition forward across centuries because no industrial substitute matches its combination of body, lustre, and dye affinity. The fibre is washed lightly to retain the natural lanolin coating, hand-carded so the staple length stays long, and spun on a low-speed wheel that introduces the slight irregularity that gives hand-spun yarn its characteristic textile breath. The Laka collection, of which this 8' x 10' grey-and-silk piece is part, is built around exactly that fibre discipline.

The carpet measures 8' x 10' (244 x 305 cm) and was woven in India by three weavers across approximately six months. Hand-spun lanolin-rich wool was knotted together with silk threads on a cotton foundation, using the asymmetric Persian knot at a fine density. The wool was dyed in three closely related grey lots before knotting, with the silk threads left in their natural undyed ivory tone to lift the principal drawing. The finished carpet was washed in mild plant soap, sun-cured, and hand-sheared.

The composition

A soft to mid grey wool field with a quiet abstract drawing lifted by silk threads that catch light at a different angle than the surrounding wool. The composition reads as a single restrained chromatic event from across a room and as a layered textile object on close inspection. The lanolin in the wool gives the field a faint sheen and the silk gives it a brighter highlight at every angle. Surface variation across the hand-spun wool keeps the grey alive under interior light.

What you are buying

Hand-knotted wool-and-silk carpets in this size and density sell through Western interior dealers at four to eight thousand pounds, with the better contemporary studio work pushing higher. The pricing on this listing represents direct workshop sourcing from India. The fibre is genuinely lanolin-rich hand-spun wool, an increasingly rare material in the contemporary trade. The carpet appreciates with use rather than depreciating; wool deepens, silk gains lustre, and the surface develops the patina that distinguishes long-lived hand-knotted work.

The piece in a room

Eight by ten in grey wool and silk grounds a primary living area beneath a long sofa, a primary bedroom under the foot of a king bed, or a serious study under a writing desk and reading chair. The grey palette accepts almost any wall colour without conflict and reads beautifully against pale plaster, oak panelling, or polished concrete. Pairs cleanly with brass, walnut, oxblood leather, and undyed linen. Reads especially well with abstract art and minimalist sculpture.

Conservation

Wool-silk carpets want gentler handling than pure wool. Vacuum weekly on suction only with the beater bar fully off. Rotate a half turn at the start of each spring. Blot any spill instantly with a dry cotton cloth from the outside in. Avoid prolonged direct sunlight on the silk passages. Hand wash by a wool-and-silk-trained conservator every five years. With this care the carpet retains its character and gains its patina across multiple decades of use.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted lanolin-rich wool and silk on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 244 x 305 cm (8' x 10')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot, fine
• Hands: 3 weavers, ~6 months
• Pile: short, wool body with silk highlight
• Dye: three-value grey wool, undyed silk highlight
• Origin: India

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