Perfect Plains — Hand-Knotted Plain Rugs in Wool, Silk and Viscose

Perfect Plains — plain rugs, hand-knotted

Perfect Plains is our own line of single-colour rugs, hand-knotted in Nepal. The idea behind it is simple: in a room that already has something to look at — pictures, a view, a piece of furniture worth seeing — a patterned carpet competes, and a plain one does not. What a plain hand-knotted rug still gives you is surface. The pile lies in one direction, so the colour reads lighter from one end of the room and deeper from the other, and it shifts as you cross the room or as the daylight moves.

That is the whole difference from a machine-made plain carpet, which stays flat and dead whichever way you look at it.

Choose the material before you choose the colour

Perfect Plains is not a single-material collection, and the material matters far more here than on a patterned rug, because a plain field hides nothing.

• Highland wool — the practical choice. Resilient, naturally soil-resistant thanks to its lanolin, and the only option we would put in a hallway, a dining room or a household with children and dogs. Matt rather than shiny, with a quiet depth of colour.
• Mulberry silk — the finest sheen and the most intense colour, and the most demanding. Best in a bedroom, a study, or anywhere the traffic is light.
• Wool and silk — a wool ground with silk worked in. Most of the lustre, considerably more robustness than pure silk, and the blend most of our clients end up choosing.
• Bamboo silk (viscose) — a regenerated cellulose fibre. It gives a strong, almost liquid sheen at a much lower price than real silk. Legally and technically it is viscose, and we label it that way; “bamboo silk” is the trade name, not a fibre.

Living with a plain rug — an honest note

A plain field shows everything. Footprints appear as light and dark tracks where the pile has been walked in different directions — this is not damage, it brushes out, but on a plain rug you see it and on a patterned one you do not. Any mark on a pale ground is visible from across the room.

Viscose deserves a specific warning, because it is the fibre people are most often disappointed by. Bamboo silk is weaker when wet than wool or real silk: water leaves a stiff, dull patch that does not always recover, and in a busy walking line the fibre flattens and loses its shine within a year or two. In a bedroom or a formal sitting room it is lovely and it will stay lovely. Under a dining table, in an entrance hall or in a family living room, buy wool — you will be happier, and we would rather say so before you order than afterwards.

Made to measure

Most pieces in this collection are woven to order. You choose the material, the size and the shade; colours can be matched to a fabric sample, a paint reference or a stone. Any format is possible, including oversize pieces and shaped rugs. Lead time is normally three to five months. Details on the made-to-measure rugs page.

At a glance

• Pile: 100 % wool, 100 % silk, wool with silk, or 100 % viscose (bamboo silk)
• Foundation: cotton warp and weft for dimensional stability
• Technique: Tibetan loop knot, hand-knotted in our partner workshops in the Kathmandu Valley
• Sizes: made to measure, including oversize and shaped formats
• Lead time: approximately three to five months
• Underfloor heating: suitable
• Label STEP Fair Trade: fair wages, no child labour, monitored working conditions

Care

Vacuum in the direction of the pile without a rotating brush bar; on a plain surface a brush bar leaves visible tracks. Expect loose fibre for the first months on any newly knotted rug. Turn the piece once or twice a year so daylight falls evenly — uneven fading is far more noticeable on a plain ground than on a pattern. Blot spills immediately and do not soak, particularly on viscose. Customers in Germany can use our washing and repair service, with collection and return in the Würzburg region; elsewhere we are glad to help you find a specialist nearby.

Related collections

Contemporary designer rugs · Tibetan and Nepalese rugs · Living room rugs · Rugs by colour · Made-to-measure rugs