The overdyed patchwork rug came out of the Istanbul workshops in the 1990s. Old Anatolian carpets, often beyond economic restoration as full pieces, were cut apart, washed clean of their original colour and re-dyed in single saturated tones, then sewn back together as a quilt of histories.

Two weavers and a finisher worked the rug over six to seven weeks. Wool was pushed through stretched cotton canvas one row at a time with a tufting gun, then the back was sealed with natural latex and a cotton scrim. The final pass was done by hand with long shears, cutting the pile down so the design reads in relief above the field. Hand-spun wool, washed after finishing to settle the colour and bring the surface to its sheared finish.

The composition

Rust, blue and green carries the field. The geometry holds at distance and resolves into smaller incident on approach, so the rug rewards both walking past and sitting beside. The wool was washed after weaving to settle the dye and bring the surface to a low matte sheen that catches changing light differently in the morning than in the evening. Saturation tightens in lamplight; the cooler tones lift in daylight. The piece will continue to settle into its palette across the first year of use. Photographic accuracy was never the goal; the colour the rug carries in person is warmer and more variable than any image of it can suggest.

The piece in a room

5' x 8' is the working living-room scale for a flat or a primary bedroom. The rug holds a three-seater sofa with a chair on each side, or floats centred under a six-seat dining table. Walnut or oak floors set the palette off; pale stone lets the rug carry the room as the dominant ground colour. Furniture sits with the front legs on the rug and the back legs on the floor, which is the canonical living-room arrangement at this size.

Care

Vacuum weekly on suction only; the beater bar will pull fibre out of any tufted pile regardless of price point. Blot spills with a clean cotton cloth and work from the outside in; never rub. Expect light shedding for the first six weeks of normal use as loose fibres work themselves out of the pile. The body of the rug is unaffected. Professional dry clean every two to three years to preserve the wool finish.

Reference

• Medium: hand-tufted wool, latex bonded with cotton scrim
• Dimensions: 5' x 8' (152 x 244 cm)
• Construction: hand-tufted through stretched canvas, sheared finish
• Hands: 2 tufters and a finisher, six to seven weeks
• Pile: 12 mm, hand-spun wool
• Origin: India

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