The Karakul Collection

Karakul is our name for a small, closely selected group of new rugs hand-knotted in Afghanistan, where weaving is still very much a household craft rather than an industry.

What holds the collection together is not one pattern but one standard. Every piece is chosen by us individually, for its drawing, its colour and the evenness of its knotting, and every piece is one of a kind: the rug you see is the rug you receive. Browse the full Karakul collection.

Design

The drawing follows the classical rugs of Oushak (also written Ushak or Usak) in western Anatolia. Strong, angular stems in ivory and cream run through the field in a large-scale lattice, opening at their crossings into broad palmettes and lancet leaves. Between them sit small rosettes and stylised blossoms in periwinkle blue, cruciform sprigs and slender tree forms, with two stronger blue flowers marking the axis of the rug.

The wide border on a light ivory ground carries a running pattern of palmettes and blossoms in soft blue, sand and blush, framed by narrow guard stripes of small rosettes.

Colour

The field is a soft, slightly cool silver grey with a gentle, washed movement in the wool. The lattice is drawn in ivory and cream, the accents in periwinkle and powder blue, with light touches of sand and blush, mainly in the border.

The overall effect is pale and quiet, with a cooler tone than the usual ivory pieces. It works beautifully with grey, white or soft blue walls, light oak, linen, stone and brushed metal — calm, contemporary rooms that still want a classical pattern underfoot.

Material and Quality

The pile is 100 % wool, hand-knotted onto a cotton foundation. The knotting is fine enough to carry the small blossoms and the clean lines of the lattice, even at such low contrast. At around 22 kg the rug lies flat and settled on the floor.

In the Room

At 245 x 301 cm (8 ft 0 in x 9 ft 11 in, 7.4 m² / 79 sq ft) this is a classic room-size format in the 8 x 10 ft range:

• Sitting room: holds a sofa, two armchairs and a coffee table, with the front legs of the seating on the rug.
• Dining room: takes a table for six with the chairs still on the rug when pulled out, in rooms from about 3.5 x 4.5 m (11 x 15 ft) upwards.
• Bedroom: placed under the lower two-thirds of a king or super-king bed, it frames the bed generously on both sides.

In London, this is a rug for a grey-panelled sitting room in Chelsea or a calm, light-filled flat in Battersea, where its silver tones pick up the soft London daylight — and it reaches London within 2–7 working days.

Specifications

Responsible Origin · Label STEP

Djoharian is a Label STEP Fair Trade Partner. Label STEP is the international fair-trade organisation for hand-knotted rugs, standing for fair pay for the weavers and no child labour.

Djoharian — Since 1967

Our family business was founded in 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran — five decades of trade and connoisseurship behind every piece we offer.

Delivery, Service and Care

Every piece is inspected in our atelier in Lohr am Main, Germany, before dispatch. Secure and fast worldwide shipping, fully insured. We are happy to send further photographs or a short video of the rug in daylight, and offer personal consultation in our showroom or by video call. For expert washing and repair we run our own professional rug cleaning service.