Ikat is a resist-dye discipline rather than a weave. The pattern is bound into the threads before they reach the loom, so the colour and the structure arrive together rather than being applied to a finished cloth. The blurred edges that distinguish ikat from any other patterned textile are an artefact of the dye seeping a fraction past the binding, and weavers across South and Central Asia have spent centuries refining how much blur to allow. The composition in this rug is drawn from that tradition and translated into the language of pile.

This 9' x 12' (274 x 366 cm) rug is hand-knotted in recycled sari silk, the long cellulose fibres salvaged from used silk garments and respun by hand. Three to four weavers shared the loom for around six months, tying knot after knot against a cotton foundation. Sari silk takes dye differently from new mulberry silk because the underlying fibre carries traces of its first life, which is what gives the colour its characteristic depth and slight unevenness across the field.

The composition

A light blue ground carrying ikat-derived motifs in deeper indigo, with secondary bands in cream and silver. The silk catches light directionally, so the field shifts in tone as the viewer moves around the room. From one angle the blue reads pale and aqueous; from the opposite angle it reads as a denser teal. This optical behaviour is the hallmark of a silk-pile rug and is impossible to reproduce in wool at any density.

What you are buying

Antique silk carpets in this scale, even those of recent provenance, sit in the $25,000 to $50,000 range at international auction. Recycled sari silk lowers the material cost without sacrificing the optical behaviour, which is why it has become the medium of choice for serious contemporary silk weavings. At £,78,299 the rug is priced against the labour of six months at the loom. A hand-knotted silk rug of this density holds its value indefinitely with proper care.

The piece in a room

9' x 12' is the canonical drawing-room scale. The light blue palette and the optical play of silk both flourish in rooms with high ceilings and indirect daylight. Pair with cool plaster walls, with light woods such as ash or oak, and with upholstery in stone, ivory, or pale grey. Avoid placing the rug in direct continuous sunlight, which fades silk faster than wool.

Conservation

Rotate one half turn twice a year. Vacuum monthly, suction only, with the beater bar off. Silk is more delicate than wool and a beater bar will pull fibres from the pile within weeks. Blot spills immediately with a clean cotton cloth and call a silk-trained conservator for any stain larger than a coin. Professional hand-cleaning every four years.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted recycled sari silk on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 274 x 366 cm (9' x 12')
• Construction: Persian asymmetric knot
• Hands: 3-4 weavers, ~6 months
• Pile: silk, low
• Origin: India

Free UK delivery. 14-day returns. Authentic hand-knotted craftsmanship.