6x12 Rug and 7x12 Rug: Long Hand-Knotted Wool for Long Rooms

The extra foot of width decides whether furniture can stand on the rug or only beside it. At 7 ft, a sofa's front legs and a coffee table fit comfortably with space to walk. At 6 ft, the coffee table sits on the rug and the sofa touches its edge. Both arrangements are correct; they simply look different.

Our widest pieces in this length are 6 ft 7 in, a few inches short of 7 ft, and the narrowest are 5 ft 5 in. If your room needs a full 7 ft or more across, look at 8x10 and larger, or have the size made: the format can be knotted to order, to the centimetre. Mark the outline on the floor with painter's tape before deciding. In a narrow room, four inches matter.

Run the rug with the room, never across it. Leave 8 to 12 inches of floor along the side walls so the rug reads as a rug, and keep both ends clear of door swings. A thick pile can stop a low door, so check the clearance before the rug arrives.

In a living room, anchor one end with the sofa and the other with a chair, a bench or a console. A long rug with furniture at only one end looks like a runner that has grown. At the foot of a bed, lay it crosswise so that it shows on both sides. In a hall, centre it and let the floor frame it evenly.

A long rug is seen along its length, from the door. A repeating diamond lattice carries the eye down the room and makes it feel ordered. Bands and lines laid across the width do the opposite: they slow the eye and make a narrow room seem wider.

A single deep colour, wine red or cobalt, turns the rug into a path of colour and suits a plain room with pale walls. An ivory ground with a loose drawing keeps a narrow room light. Avoid a very dark rug in a long room with a window at one end only; the far half will read as shadow.

Ten rugs. Five are Beni Ourain with a long pile, mostly on a cream ground with an ornamental drawing; one of them has a faded palette. Three are Beni Mguild in full colour: a crimson with lines, a burgundy with a diamond lattice and a cobalt blue scattered with small signs in coral, yellow and cream. Two are Azilal on a cream ground: one crossed by diagonal bands in indigo and slate blue, one with scattered diamond medallions and angular forms in fuchsia, emerald, navy and coral.

The shortest are 11 ft to 11 ft 6 in long and the longest 12 ft 8 in. Widths run from 5 ft 5 in to 6 ft 7 in, with most between 5 ft 10 in and 6 ft 5 in. The measured dimensions are given on every listing. Delivery is free worldwide, duties and taxes included.