Black and White Rug: Berber Rugs with Dark Lines on Ivory

The classic pattern is the diamond lattice: slanting lines crossing over the whole field. On a Beni Ourain the net is usually wide and loose, interrupted here and there or joined by a small sign. On a Beni Mrirt it is tighter and more regular, sometimes enclosed by a dark border.

Rugs that carry only horizontal lines or bands, set at uneven intervals, are quieter. The most pronounced are the graphic pieces, with broader dark shapes or a maze of bands turning at right angles. A useful rule: the more that is already going on in the room, the finer and sparser the lines on the rug can be.

Most pieces have a pale ground. It makes the room larger and lighter, and the dark lines draw the eye away from a crumb or a small mark. The colours are seldom hard white and black. The ground is ivory or cream, the drawing charcoal or a very dark brown, which is easier on the eye than pure contrast.

The reverse exists as well: a charcoal field with cream stripes, a lattice or a pale border. A rug like that gives the floor weight and lets pale furniture stand out sharply. It needs light walls and a floor it can be seen against, and it shows dust and lint sooner than a pale rug does.

With timber, linen and leather, black and white turns warm instead of severe. Oak, walnut and rattan take the chill off, and so does a tan sofa or a wool throw. If you would sooner stress the graphic side, reach for black metal, glass and white.

Colour has free rein on a rug like this. A single strong piece of furniture, a mustard armchair or a dark green sofa, comes into its own because the floor stays out of the conversation. The only thing to avoid is another black and white pattern at a similar scale, a checked cushion beside a lattice rug, say. Together they flicker.

The selection is made up of Beni Mrirt and Beni Ourain rugs. Most show an ivory or cream field with lines, diamonds or bands in charcoal; a smaller share is dark with a pale drawing. A few pieces among them are worked tone on tone, their pattern visible only as relief in the pile.

Sizes go from a small rug of about 4 × 5 ft and a runner up to pieces of roughly 10 × 13 ft 8 in. Each rug is one of a kind, with exact measurements on its page. Delivery is free worldwide, duties and taxes included.