Modern Rug: Hand-Knotted Wool with Clean Lines

The easiest to place are the plain rugs. A Beni Mrirt in ivory, sand, taupe or charcoal, or in forest green, blue or rust, shows one tone, animated only by the shading of hand-spun wool. It fits in with whatever furniture is already there.

The second direction works with line: horizontal stripes, bands, dark strokes on a pale ground at irregular intervals. The third is the freest and is Azilal territory: blocks of colour, broken signs, shapes that recall abstract painting. Here the rug becomes the main piece in the room, and the furniture steps back.

In a living room a modern rug only works if it is large enough. The front legs of the sofa and the chairs belong on it: 7 × 10 ft for a three-seat sofa, 8 × 11 ft for a sectional, 10 × 13 ft for two sofas facing each other or an open-plan space. A pared-back design on a rug that is too small looks like a smart doormat.

Then the drawing. Lines should run parallel to the sofa, so they pass under the coffee table as a single stroke. Under a sofa with a strong texture, bouclé or corduroy, choose a rug that is plain or nearly so. Under a smooth, pale sofa a graphic composition can become the picture in the room. In this selection, forty-one rugs measure about 6 ft 7 in × 9 ft 10 in and forty-two exceed 86 sq ft, so for a living room the choice is wide.

A machine-made modern rug is perfect on day one: straight lines, even colour, square corners. A hand-knotted one has lines that waver slightly and tones that shift from one area to the next. In a photograph the difference looks slight. In a room it separates a flat surface from one with character.

In use, the gap widens. Synthetic pile is pressed flat along the walkways and stays that way, while wool recovers. A knotted rug has neither glue nor a backing to crumble over the years. It can be washed in water and, if need be, repaired knot by knot.

On polished concrete, large-format tile or a resin floor, a dense, pale rug brings the warmth the floor lacks and improves the acoustics noticeably. On timber, which is warm already, you can afford a strong colour or a graphic drawing. In both cases, one large, simple rug beats a small, complicated one.

Low sofas, slim legs and straight edges take deep pile especially well. The contrast between strict furniture and a soft rug is exactly what makes a modern home comfortable. If the room already has many lines, a slatted wall or densely filled shelves, a plain rug is the better choice.

The largest share is Beni Mrirt, followed by graphic Azilal and some Beni Mguild and Beni Ourain. Ivory and cream are most common, then sand and taupe. Strong colours appear in a few pieces each. Sizes range from runners to large rugs of more than 10 × 13 ft.

Every rug is one of a kind and photographed as it is, with its measured size on its page. Delivery is free worldwide, duties and taxes included.