Braided ridges instead of a drawing, cream on cream
195×305 cm
Products
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195×305 cm
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Loops thick as sweater stitch, anthracite drawn in stripes
170×240 cm
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Cream at 12 mm, firm rather than plush: knots you can count
170×240 cm
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Close grays spun into one yarn, wool over cotton in India
170×240 cm
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Knots tight as knitting, anthracite flecked with gray
170×240 cm
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Beige squares in a grid that drifts, wool knotted loop by loop
170×240 cm
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Ribs that run like knitted rows, three fifths of it polyester
130×190 cm
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Knots big enough to see, 2,800 grams a square meter
100×400 cm
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Eighteen millimeters deep, a white that looks knitted
200×300 cm
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Gray drifting to ivory, four parts wool to one of viscose
90×500 cm
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Beige that goes liquid across a room, viscose over wool
300×400 cm
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Eight sizes, and the same faint moiré runs through all of them
160×230 cm
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Cream heathered with gray, wool loops knotted in India
240×340 cm
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Raised loops in banded grays, 250 × 350, made in India
250×350 cm
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Gray, and thick as a pullover: hand-knotted in five sizes
170×240 cm
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Geometry picked out in one tone of anthracite, knotted thick
80×150 cm
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Stripes you feel rather than see: cream, knotted in India
170×240 cm
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Knots as thick as stitches, cream wool out of India
200×300 cm
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Relief woven into a flat kilim, blue stepping into cream
170×240 cm
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Colors that look accidental and are not, wool on cotton
170×240 cm
A braided rug is one whose surface is built from yarn looped or plaited into raised ridges rather than cut into a level pile, so the pattern is felt as much as seen. The texture is three-dimensional, the yarn is usually wool, and the effect is closer to a basket than to a cut pile.
Turkish calls this örgü — knitting, plaiting, braiding — and the word describes the surface rather than a region or a period. These are rugs bought for what they do underfoot and in raking light. What follows is how the structure is made, what it will and will not tolerate in a room, and what is actually in this collection.
What makes a rug braided
The yarn is worked into loops and ridges as the rug is made, instead of being knotted and shorn flat.
In a knotted rug the pile is thousands of short lengths tied around the warps and then trimmed to one level, so the surface is a plane and the pattern is drawn in color. In a braided weave the yarn stays continuous: it is looped, plaited or twisted in a repeating order and worked into the ground, and the ridges it forms are the pattern. Color barely enters into it. Most of these rugs are one color, or two very close ones, and the drawing is done entirely by shadow — which is why they look different at eight in the morning than at eight at night, and why a photograph rarely does one justice.
The thick yarn also means bulk. A braided wool rug is heavy for its size and thick for its price, and it insulates a cold floor better than a thin flatweave does.
What is in this collection
Twenty-two pieces, almost all of them handwoven wool.
The Örge Series — the name is an old Turkish word for motif — is handwoven in India to Anatolian drawing, in stripes and in patchwork-set geometry, in anthracite, gray and beige. The Nika Series is plainer: undyed cream, gray, anthracite and beige, no pattern at all beyond the braid itself. Both run 80 × 150 cm (2'7" × 4'11"), 130 × 190 cm (4'3" × 6'3"), 170 × 240 cm (5'7" × 7'10") and 200 × 300 cm (6'7" × 9'10"), with 80 × 300 cm (2'7" × 9'10") runners. The Bohem Series adds a loom-woven wool kilim at 195 × 305 cm (6'5" × 10'0"), flatter and lighter than the braided pieces. The Jade Series works the same texture in a more minimal register.
Undyed and near-undyed wool is what most of this collection is. That is worth knowing because it sets the palette: the colors are the colors sheep come in, plus a little dyeing at the gray end, and they behave in a room the way quiet, low-pattern rugs do.
What a braided surface does and does not tolerate
One clear rule: nothing that rolls, and nothing that drags.
- No chairs on castors. A wheel run across a loop will eventually pull it, and a pulled loop in a continuous yarn does not stop at one loop. Desk chairs and rolling side tables belong on a flatweave or a low, dense pile.
- Static furniture is the right pairing. A sofa, an armchair, a bed. The compression mark a heavy leg leaves in a braided wool surface lifts with steam or with time; the damage a wheel does is permanent.
- Vacuum with the beater bar off. This matters more here than on any other construction except shaggy. A rotating brush catches a loop, and once the brush has hold of a continuous yarn it can unpick a run of it in a single pass. Suction only, soft head, moving with the ridges rather than across them.
- Weave density decides longevity. A tight braid holds its shape for years under real traffic. A loose, open braid feels softer in the shop and opens up sooner, and it is not the right choice for a room that is walked through rather than sat in.
Braided against the other constructions
| Braided / looped | Hand-knotted pile | Flatweave kilim | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface | Raised ridges; pattern read as shadow | Level cut pile; pattern read as color | Flat, weft-faced; pattern read as color |
| Thickness and weight | Thick and heavy for the size | Medium to thick | Thin and light |
| Underfoot | Textured, springy, warm | Dense and even | Hard |
| Rolling castors | No | Tolerates it | Yes, with a mat |
| Vacuuming | Suction only, beater bar off | Beater bar off, with the pile | Suction only, both faces |
| Where it suits | Sitting rooms, bedrooms, winter gardens | Any room, long ownership | Halls, summer, layering |
Cleaning and care
Wool, worked into loops, wants a light hand.
Vacuum weekly with a soft head and the brush switched off. Blot a spill straight away with a damp cloth, pressing rather than rubbing — a raised ridge takes friction badly, and a rubbed loop fuzzes. Use a mild detergent rather than a solvent cleaner, and test it on a corner first. For a deep clean, send the rug to a washer who handles handwoven wool rugs, and say that it is a looped construction so it is not run through a brush. Rotate the rug end for end twice a year, and keep it off a spot that takes full sun all afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a braided rug?
A braided rug is one whose surface is made from yarn looped or plaited into raised ridges rather than knotted and cut into a level pile. The pattern is a matter of texture and shadow rather than color, and the construction gives a thick, heavy fabric.
What are these braided rugs made of?
Almost all of them are wool, much of it undyed, which is why the palette runs to cream, beige, gray and anthracite. Cotton, jute, acrylic and polyester are used for braided rugs elsewhere in the market, and each changes the weight and the feel of the surface.
Can I put a desk chair on a braided rug?
No. A castor run over a loop will eventually pull it, and because the yarn is continuous, one pulled loop can open a run. Use a flatweave or a dense low pile under anything on wheels, and pair a braided rug with static furniture.
How do you vacuum a braided rug?
Suction only, with a soft head and the rotating brush switched off, moving along the ridges rather than across them. A beater bar can catch a loop and unpick a run of the yarn in one pass, which is the most common way these rugs are damaged.
Are braided rugs durable?
Density decides it. A tightly worked braid keeps its shape under daily traffic for years, while a loose, open braid feels softer at first and opens up sooner. Read the weave rather than the fiber when judging one for a busy room.
Where are these rugs woven?
The handwoven wool pieces in the Örge and Nika series are made in India to Anatolian drawing, and the loom-woven Bohem kilim is woven in Türkiye. Handwork is the norm for this construction, since a continuous looped yarn is difficult to reproduce at speed.
What size braided rug should I buy?
This collection runs from 80 × 150 cm (2'7" × 4'11") up to 200 × 300 cm (6'7" × 9'10"), with 80 × 300 cm (2'7" × 9'10") runners. For a sitting room, choose a size that carries the front legs of every seat; for a bedroom, either one large piece under the bed or two mats along the long sides.
Related collections: Nika Series · Jade Series · wool rugs · calm, low-pattern rugs