The dhurrie is the indigenous Indian flatweave, with a continuous workshop history across the subcontinent stretching back further than the knotted rug. Its geometry, stripes, chevrons, stepped lozenges, was settled by village and palace weavers long before the Mughal court imported the first Persian looms.

One on a horizontal loom for about two weeks. The yarn was hand-spun and dyed in small lots before any of it reached the warp. The composition was built up by feel from the weaver's count, with the weft packed down after every pass by a hand-held beater. The piece is reversible and sits close to the floor.

The composition

A multi-toned palette 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

At 2' diameter the round form sits naturally under a bistro table, beside a bed as a contrasting island to a rectangular pad, or beneath a circular reading lamp. The geometry is closed; nothing in the room needs to align to it. The piece is read whole from a standing position and the design has no preferred orientation, which makes it useful in a foyer or beneath a centred ceiling fixture.

Care

Routine care is simple. Vacuum weekly with no rotary brush. Flip the rug end for end every six months to balance the wear across both faces. Spills are addressed with a clean dry cloth followed by a damp one and a small amount of mild soap. A professional dry clean every three years preserves the structure and clears any dust trapped against the weft.

Reference

• Medium: hand-woven jute flatweave
• Dimensions: 2' diameter (61 cm)
• Construction: weft-faced flatweave, no pile
• Hands: 1 weaver, about two weeks
• Pile: none, flatweave structure
• Origin: India

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