Mink Textured Abstract Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Aren Series

At 305 × 427 cm (10'0" × 14'0") it is one of the largest rugs in this catalog, and there is a second size at 198 × 302 cm (6'6" × 9'11"). Mink Textured Abstract Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Aren Series — light and dark mink running into one another with no motif anywhere, wool and viscose, knotted by hand in India. The pile has been knotted at different heights, so the surface carries a relief that a palm can feel and that light does the rest of the work on.

What moves is the shadow between the high and low passages, and it changes according to where a person stands and what time of day it is. Black leather, gray or white walls, plain metal lighting: the rug is the softest thing in that room and the only one with any texture in it.

01From the hand of the weaver

In a room with almost no furniture, it becomes the floor and the decoration at the same time. It is knotted by hand over months by weavers in India, tight enough at the knot that the pile stands instead of leaning.

02The Wool on the surface

Wool takes the wear; viscose is blended in for the shine, which is where the pale passages get their light. The word aren points at one grain in a whole desert of sand that is brighter than the rest, an exception coming out of the ordinary, and that is what the series was named for. Aren pieces are made in small numbers, so the same design does not come back reliably.

03Knot by knot, by hand

One warning: never try to wash it at home, because water and household detergent will damage both the texture and the color balance. Hand-knotted in India over months, at a high knot count. Wool with viscose blended through it; the viscose supplies the sheen. Light and dark mink running together, with no motif at all. Pile knotted at varying heights, so the surface has a relief you can feel. Two sizes: 305 × 427 cm (10'0" × 14'0") and 198 × 302 cm (6'6" × 9'11"). Aren is the brightest single grain in a desert — the name of the series. Made in small numbers rather than in a standing range. Wipe and vacuum day to day; never wash it at home. Rugs at this size are usually chosen from a photograph and understood only when somebody kneels down and puts a hand on them.