Orange Floral Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Mihman Series

Around twenty knots to the square centimeter, tied by hand, which is the number that decides everything else about this rug. A hand-knotted wool Mihman rug in orange, made in Afghanistan, with flower and bird motifs across the field; wool pile on a cotton foundation.

01The origin of the pattern

Every piece has its own exact dimensions, running from 171 × 242 cm (5'7" × 7'11") up to 274 × 357 cm (9'0" × 11'9"). At that knot density the drawing can be fine, and it is: birds and flowers rendered with edges instead of approximations, in a repeating field rather than around a medallion.

02Color that shifts through the day

The orange is a live, saturated tone that stands for welcome in the tradition the series is named for — mihman is an old word for a guest, and hospitality is the idea the whole collection is built on.

03Where it sits in the house

In an entrance hall or a room where people are received, it does what an orange rug is supposed to do and warms the space before anyone speaks. The surface is entirely wool. The foundation underneath is almost entirely cotton, with a trace of recycled synthetic yarn worked in to strengthen it — the house states this rather than hiding it behind a claim of purity.

04From the hand of the weaver

Weaving time is measured in months, not days, and the density is why. It should be washed by a specialist. There are two pieces of this rug at present, and, being hand-knotted, no two of them are identical. Hand-knotted in Afghanistan, entirely by hand. Around twenty knots per square centimeter — the reason the motifs hold their edges. Wool pile on a foundation that is almost entirely cotton, with a trace of recycled synthetic for strength. Flower and bird motifs on a saturated orange ground. Months of weaving per piece. Sizes vary by piece, 171 × 242 cm to 274 × 357 cm, plus an 80 × 300 cm runner. Professional washing, by someone who handles hand-knotted rugs. Rugs at this density are usually bought for a hallway and end up being moved into whichever room the owner uses most.