The stripe is the most economical mark a loom can make. Every weaving culture in the world begins with a stripe and most return to it. The Pueblo, the Tuareg, the Welsh, the Bauhaus, all settled on the simple horizontal band as the truest expression of what a loom does.

Two weavers at the loom for around five weeks. The piece is hand-built throughout, from the carding of the fleece through the small-batch dyeing of the yarn to the final shearing pass that brings the surface to a uniform finish. The slight irregularities in the field are the visible argument for the hand process.

The composition

A multi-toned palette runs through the composition as the structural colour. The geometry is sized to be read whole at standing distance and to reward inspection from a low chair beside the rug. Plant dye gives the surface its slow tonal drift; the slight unevenness across the field is the visible argument for the medium and is what keeps the piece from looking printed. From across the room the field gathers into one quiet ground; on close approach the small irregularities become visible as life in the surface.

The piece in a room

The piece sits naturally inside a primary living arrangement. The composition is sized to be read whole from a standing position at the doorway and rewards close approach in equal measure. Pairs with mid-tone walls, warm wood, brass and stone; reads cleanly against pale lime-finished plaster and against polished concrete alike.

Care

Both faces of the rug carry the design, so flip the piece end for end every six months for even wear and to refresh the side that has taken the traffic. Vacuum on a low setting weekly with the beater bar disengaged. Spot clean spills with cold water and a mild detergent, blotting from the edge inward. Have the rug professionally dry-cleaned every three to four years to clear the weft of accumulated dust and restore the colour.

Reference

• Medium: handmade silk
• Dimensions: size as listed
• Construction: hand-made on a vertical loom
• Hands: 2 makers, around five weeks
• Pile: medium pile, hand-spun yarn
• Origin: India

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