Cream Oushak Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Sultanahmet Series

160 × 244 cm (5'3" × 8'0") is the size that goes in front of a sofa without disappearing under it. Cream Oushak Hand-Knotted Wool Rug, Sultanahmet Series — a cream ground, traditional Oushak flowers with brown and rust between them, hand-tied in India: wool over a cotton foundation, with bamboo viscose through the motifs. The drawing follows the rhythm of the older Oushak rugs, which is to say it repeats without being regular: flower forms at intervals, stems bending between them, and brown and rust filling the space the flowers leave.

01Which tone on the ground

Those two colors carry the depth. Under strong light they flatten toward the cream and the whole thing looks pale; in the evening they separate out and the pattern gains a dimension it did not have at noon.

02The Silk on the surface

Nothing about it is showy, and nothing about it is anonymous either. Cotton in the foundation is what gives a long rug its structure and stops it waving along its length. Bamboo viscose is worked into the flower forms alone, adding a silk-like sheen to the motifs while the ground stays matt.

03Knot by knot, by hand

It was knotted entirely by hand in India. At this shape it works in front of a seating group, along the foot of a bed, or down a wide hallway where a runner would be too narrow. Professional washing, and nothing improvised at home. Wool over cotton with bamboo viscose motifs, knotted by hand in India. Cream ground with traditional Oushak flowers in brown and rust. Bamboo viscose in the motifs; the ground stays matt. The pattern flattens in bright light and deepens in the evening. A cotton foundation keeps a long rug lying flat. 160 × 244 cm (5'3" × 8'0") — sofa front, bed foot, or a wide hall. Professional washing. One piece. It will still be doing this quietly long after whatever is standing on it has been replaced.