Anthracite Plain Loom-Woven Wool Rug, Focus Series

Wool, cotton and viscose, and no pattern of any kind: a plain anthracite rug from the Focus series, loom-woven in India. Eight sizes exist; the hallway runner measures 100 × 300 cm (3'3" × 9'10"), the smallest mat is 80 × 150 cm and the largest floor is 240 × 340 cm. Anthracite is a shade deeper than charcoal and a shade short of black, and on a floor it does the job people usually hire black for without swallowing the light in the room.

01After the color

The colors in the Focus series were taken from earth, plants and hills, and this is the mineral end of that list. It belongs in a plain room: minimal furniture, one or two textures, nothing else asking for attention.

02From the hand of the weaver

The wool underneath is what you feel; the viscose is what you see, in the low shine that moves as you cross the rug. Loom-woven in India, which means a loom lays the structure down and the finishing is hand work — a technique that is getting rarer rather than more common, and one the Focus series exists to keep going.

03Color, by the light

There is no pattern to hide anything, so an anthracite rug will show pale lint and light pet hair in a way a mid-tone rug does not; a weekly vacuum keeps it looking as it should. Professional washing when it needs a proper clean. Loom-woven in India, machine structure and hand finishing. Wool, cotton and viscose yarns. Plain anthracite, with a low shine from the viscose content. Eight sizes, 80 × 150 cm to 240 × 340 cm, with runners at 80 × 300, 80 × 400 and 100 × 300 cm. A dark plain surface: pale lint and light pet hair will show. Professional washing. Dark plain rugs are what people buy when they have finally decided the floor is not the interesting part of the room.