Rugsville Moroccan Beni Ourain Dara Dark Gray Wool Carpet 8' x 10'

Dark grey is a more recent palette in the Beni Ourain tradition. The original Berber weavers worked in undyed black sheep wool against undyed ivory wool, so the contrast was the structural property of the fibre rather than a dye choice. A dark grey ground is a contemporary reinterpretation, achieved with a measured iron-mordant bath that pulls the wool into a softer charcoal than the structural black would give. The Dara figure in dark grey reads as a quieter Beni Ourain than its black-ground cousin.

Three weavers built this 8' x 10' (244 x 305 cm) loom in India over around five months. The pile is hand-spun wool on a cotton foundation, knotted in the deep pile of the Beni Ourain tradition. The dark grey was achieved with iron-mordanted wool prepared in cold-water vats. The ivory diamonds are undyed New Zealand wool worked into the field by feel against the cartoon. After weaving the long pile was combed by hand and the rug washed in a lustre bath.

The composition

A muted dark grey field carries an irregular diamond grid in undyed ivory, with the Dara figure (a doubled or tripled lozenge) repeating at intervals. The grey is not a flat black; it carries warmth and a quiet variation between batches that reads as natural light on the field. Over the first decade the grey will deepen slightly as the wool oxidises and the ivory will warm into bone.

What you are buying

Hand-knotted Beni Ourain rugs at this size and pile depth price at $6,000 to $14,000 at North American dealers. This is a contemporary weaving in the same tradition, on the same kind of vertical loom, in hand-spun wool. The rug appreciates with foot traffic as the long pile relaxes and the wool gains lustre.

The piece in a room

8' x 10' (244 x 305 cm) is the working drawing-room scale. The dark grey ground is more flexible than navy or charcoal; it sits with cool and warm walls equally. Pairs with limewashed plaster, with raw oak floors, with leather upholstery in tobacco or oxblood, with brass and bronze lamps. The thick pile rewards bare feet; place near a primary bedroom or a den.

Conservation

Vacuum weekly with the beater bar disengaged. Comb the pile occasionally. Blot spills immediately with a clean cotton cloth. Hand-wash by a wool conservator every five to seven years. The dark grey holds its tone with this routine; the rug deepens slightly rather than fading.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted hand-spun wool on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 244 x 305 cm (8' x 10')
• Construction: Beni Ourain, deep pile, Dara diamond
• Hands: 3 weavers, ~5 months
• Pile: long, hand-spun wool
• Origin: India

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