Handmade Blue and Grey Rainbow Rug
The Denim Rain rug is a blue and grey rainbow rug, handmade in India from an 80% wool and 20% cotton blend and measuring 368 x 275 cm. That is 10.1 square metres of floor.
The design up close
The ground is a soft blue-grey with silver and pale ivory running through it, and streaks of deeper blue, olive and brown lie across it in horizontal bands. Some bands are close to white and others are dark with blue, so the whole rug reads like rain falling across a denim sky. In this rainbow design the colour moves in bands instead of sitting in one flat tone.
A fine diamond lattice covers the field, drawn in thin grey-blue lines that show most clearly in the lighter bands. Bright cobalt flecks catch the eye wherever the lattice crosses a darker band. There is no border and no central medallion, so the change of colour from band to band does the work.
The ends finish in a cream fringe. Turn a corner back and the underside repeats the blue streaks on a grey ground. The mixed colours sit easily with grey, white and timber tones, and with navy or denim blue cushions.
Indian weaving and this rug
India has a long rug weaving tradition, with centres including Agra and the Bhadohi and Mirzapur area of Uttar Pradesh. Indian workshops weave many modern and abstract designs, often to order, in a wide range of colours and sizes. Wool is the most common pile, and some rugs mix wool with other fibres, as this one does.
How this blue and grey rainbow rug is made
This rug is handmade in India from an 80% wool and 20% cotton blend. Wool is hard wearing and springy, with a matte surface that suits busy rooms. Cotton is a plant fibre that is firm and holds its shape. Up close you can see the mix in the grainy, flecked surface, where blue, grey and cream fibres sit side by side without blending into one colour.
A flecked surface like this hides the odd crumb or footprint better than a flat, solid colour does. A modern rug with this much tone variation also forgives the way light moves through a room during the day, and contemporary style rugs in blue and grey sit well against white walls.
Sizing it for your room
At 368 x 275 cm this rug is generous. Under a queen bed, which is 153 cm wide, it leaves 61 cm on each side when the rug runs across the bed, and under a king bed, 183 cm wide, it leaves 46 cm each side. At a dining table 180 x 90 cm, seating six, you get 92.5 cm of rug beyond each long side and 94 cm beyond each end, so chairs can be pulled out and stay on the rug.
In a living room, the size lets a sofa and two armchairs sit with their front legs on it.
Looking after your blue and grey rainbow rug
Vacuum it on a suction-only setting, or with the beater bar switched off, so the brush does not pull at the pile. Turn it around every six to twelve months so sun and foot traffic wear it evenly. Blot spills with a clean white cloth and cold water rather than rubbing them in. When it needs a full clean, choose a cleaner who washes handmade rugs by hand.
Put a good underlay beneath it. It stops the rug sliding on timber or tiles, adds cushioning and takes some of the wear off the pile. Moths like wool in dark, quiet spots, such as the part of a rug under a sofa, so vacuum those areas often and lift the furniture now and then.
See it before you buy
Visit our showroom at 307 Penshurst St, North Willoughby, open every day from 10 am to 4:30 pm, to see this blue and grey rainbow rug in person. If you would rather judge it in your own room, with your own light and furniture, book a home trial and we will bring a selection to you.
You can see this blue and grey rainbow rug in our showroom or at home. Browse more Contemporary rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about wool.
