Materials
Nine fibres, and where each one fails.
Every fibre behaves differently underfoot and under light. We would rather tell you where one is the wrong choice than sell you the wrong rug.
01
New Zealand wool
Romney & crossbred sheep · New ZealandThe resilient ground
- Resilience
- Long, springy staple that recovers from compression better than any other ground wool
- Whiteness
- Naturally pale, so it dyes to a clean, true colour without a grey cast
- Traffic
- The default choice for living rooms, halls and anywhere with real footfall
- Use
- Our standard ground for hand-knotted and hand-tufted work
02
Mohair
Angora goat · South AfricaThe diamond fibre
- Lustre
- Rich, reflective finish — the reason it is called the diamond fibre
- Durability
- Highly resistant to stretching, crushing and wear
- Dust
- Smooth fibres resist dirt retention
- Colour
- Exceptional dye absorption, producing vivid definition
03
Merino wool
Merino sheep · Australia & New ZealandDense and fire resistant
- Recovery
- Excellent elasticity under heavy furniture and foot traffic
- Insulation
- Dense and comfortable underfoot
- Resistance
- Natural oil content resists water and staining
- Fire
- Naturally flame resistant due to high moisture content
04
Alpaca
Alpaca · Andes, South AmericaWeightless, lanolin free
- Lanolin
- Naturally lanolin-free
- Warmth
- Hollow fibres retain and release heat efficiently
- Weight
- Lightweight for the warmth it gives
- Hand
- Silky, fluid surface finish
05
Silk
Mulberry silkFinest drawing, low traffic
- Light
- Shifts colour with the angle you view it from
- Detail
- Holds the finest drawing of any fibre we use
- Traffic
- Best specified for low-traffic rooms
- Blend
- Often run with wool so the wool carries the structure
06
Bamboo silk
Regenerated bamboo celluloseSilk lustre, wool durability
- Sheen
- High lustre close to mulberry silk
- Hand
- Cool and fluid underfoot
- Use
- Usually blended with wool for resilience
- Colour
- Takes saturated dye especially well
07
Art silk
Viscose-based filamentSheen for accent work
- Sheen
- Bright reflective finish at lower cost than silk
- Use
- Accent and pattern work rather than whole grounds
- Traffic
- Low traffic and dry rooms only
- Blend
- Blended with wool in most of our constructions
08
Hand-spun wool
Hand-spun in IndiaIrregular, and better for it
- Character
- Slight irregularity in the yarn — the depth in an antique-washed rug
- Strength
- Long staple, spun for durability
- Colour
- Absorbs dye unevenly in a way that reads as depth, not fault
- Use
- Our default ground for traditional and folk drawing
09
Recycled PET
Recycled polyesterHard-wearing, flatweave
- Durability
- Hard-wearing and colourfast
- Use
- Handloom and flatweave constructions
- Care
- Tolerates far more cleaning than a natural fibre
- Origin
- Made from post-consumer plastic
Blends are the norm.
Most of our rugs run wool for structure with silk or bamboo silk carrying the drawing. We will tell you which blend suits the room, the traffic and the budget.