Maison Series

The Maison Series is Halıcızade's hand-knotted modern line: wool, viscose and bamboo yarn tied by hand onto a cotton warp in India, drawn in abstract compositions rather than medallions and borders, and woven in room sizes from 170 x 240 cm (5'7" x 7'10") to 300 x 400 cm (9'10" x 13'1").

Most rugs sold as modern are machine-woven reproductions of the same handful of drawings. Maison is the other thing: hand-knotted work in a contemporary idiom, at a size that covers a living room floor. What follows is what the fibers do, why the color behaves the way it does, and how the sizes work.

What makes a rug modern, and what does not

Pattern is the smallest part of it.

A modern rug drops the symmetrical medallion and the repeating border in favor of fluid composition, tonal transition and asymmetric form — but drawing alone will not carry a floor. Yarn quality, weave density and depth of color are what separate a modern rug you keep from one you replace. Maison is drawn abstract and built dense, which is the combination that is hard to find. Compare the wider category in modern rugs.

Three fibers, three jobs

Wool takes the wear, viscose and bamboo take the light, cotton holds the structure.

Fiber	Where it sits	What it does
Wool	Pile, across the ground	Springs back underfoot, holds dye deeply, absorbs light rather than returning it
Viscose	Pile, in the pattern	Reflects light directionally; reads as sheen and shifts value as you move around the rug
Bamboo yarn	Pile, in the pattern	Cool to the touch, high sheen; used with viscose to lift the drawing off the wool ground
Cotton	Warp and weft, hidden	Carries the tension of the knots and keeps a large rug flat and square

The mix is the point. A field of wool alone goes matte and flat under a ceiling light; the viscose and bamboo passages catch that same light and give the surface a dimension that a single-fiber rug cannot. Browse the alternatives in hand-knotted rugs.

Color is the strongest thing about the series

Each design is complete inside its own color world.

The range runs from the warmth of earth tones through metallic sheen to pastels and hard contrast — cream, gray, a coppery vintage tone, plum, and fields that hold several colors at once. Multi-color pieces make a room easier to furnish, not harder: whatever accent you pick up in a cushion or a chair is already somewhere in the rug, which is the opposite of the usual problem with a strongly patterned floor.

Every rug is slightly different

Hand-knotting does not produce identical objects, and this series does not pretend otherwise.

Knot by knot, over weeks, small differences accumulate: a line drifts a millimeter, a band of color sits a shade off its neighbor where one dye lot ended. Rug people call the color effect abrash. It is the standing evidence that a person made the thing, and on a large abstract field it is what keeps the surface alive.

Sizes, and weaving to order

The stocked range covers most living rooms; anything else is woven to order.

Room sizes run 170 x 240 cm (5'7" x 7'10"), 200 x 300 cm (6'7" x 9'10"), 250 x 300 cm (8'2" x 9'10") and up to 300 x 400 cm (9'10" x 13'1"), with individual pieces off-size in both directions — down to about 135 x 190 cm (4'5" x 6'3") and up to 308 x 427 cm (10'1" x 14'). The large formats do their best work in high-ceilinged rooms and hotel projects, where a smaller rug reads as a mat adrift on the floor. Sizes that are not in stock can be woven for residential or contract projects; see custom-woven rugs for how that works.

Living with one

Day to day it takes a vacuum and a damp cloth; beyond that it takes a specialist.

Vacuum with the beater bar switched off, in the direction of the pile, and rotate the rug twice a year so light and traffic land somewhere new. Blot a spill at once and never rub it. Viscose and bamboo yarn mark more readily than wool when they are wet, which is the reason deep cleaning belongs with a professional hand-knotted rug washer and not in a machine.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Maison Series hand-knotted or machine-made?

Hand-knotted. Wool, viscose and bamboo yarn are tied by hand onto a cotton warp by weavers in India. It is neither a loom-woven rug nor a machine-woven one, and the back shows the knots in slightly irregular rows.

What is the Maison Series made of?

Wool for the ground, viscose and bamboo yarn for the drawing, all knotted onto a cotton warp. The wool carries the wear; the viscose and bamboo carry the shine that makes the pattern lift away from the field.

Why does a Maison rug look different from different sides of the room?

Because viscose and bamboo yarn reflect light directionally. Walk around the rug and the pattern brightens and dims as the angle changes. Wool alone does not do this, which is why the two fibers are used together.

What sizes does the Maison Series come in?

The series is built for room-size floors, from about 170 x 240 cm (5'7" x 7'10") to 300 x 400 cm (9'10" x 13'1"). Individual pieces are woven off-size in both directions, down to about 135 x 190 cm and up to 308 x 427 cm.

Can a Maison rug be woven to a size that is not in stock?

Yes. Sizes outside the stocked range are woven to order for residential and contract projects, including hotel work. Lead time depends on the size and the loom, and the request goes through Halıcızade.

What colors does the series come in?

The palette runs wide: cream and gray, a coppery vintage tone, plum, and multi-color fields that carry several tones at once. The multi-color pieces are the easiest to furnish around, since almost any accent color is already somewhere in the rug.

How is a Maison rug cleaned?

Vacuum with the beater bar off and blot spills rather than rubbing them. Viscose and bamboo yarn mark more readily than wool when wet, so send the rug to a professional rug washer rather than washing it at home.

Related collections: abstract-pattern rugs · bamboo-yarn rugs · viscose rugs