Handmade Grey and Blue Transitional Rug
The Weathered Slate rug is a grey and blue transitional rug, handmade in India and measuring 300 x 244 cm. It covers 7.3 square metres, enough to anchor a large living room or a main bedroom.
The design up close
The field is a deep slate grey with a green cast, and the pattern is drawn in sky blue and cornflower blue. Scrolling vines carry round rosettes, leaf shapes and small blossoms across the centre, with touches of tan and gold and a scatter of dark charcoal flecks among them. The colour sits in patches rather than solid fills, so the blue brightens in some spots and fades into the grey in others.
This is a classical floral layout given a worn-away look. Parts of the pattern seem to dissolve into the ground, most clearly along the top edge and in the corners, as though the design had been partly rubbed back. That faded, partly erased treatment is what makes it a transitional rug: the pattern is traditional and the finish is modern.
A wide border runs around the central field, repeating the florals in blue and grey, with narrow bands of small repeating motifs beside it. A short white fringe finishes each end. The overall tone is cool, and the gold touches add a little warmth.
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.
How this grey and blue transitional rug is made
This rug is handmade in India. Rugs made by hand can differ slightly from one side to the other in how the colours fall and how the pattern sits, and that is how you tell them from a machine product.
The worn pattern, the shifts between blue and grey and the gold accents give the surface plenty to look at up close. From across a room the effect is a calm slate ground with blue movement running through it. It sits well with white walls, timber floors and soft furnishings in blue, grey or cream.
Sizing it for your room
At 300 x 244 cm, this grey and blue transitional rug suits a generous room. Under a queen bed, which is 153 cm wide, the 244 cm width leaves 45.5 cm showing on each side of the bed. Under a king bed, which is 183 cm wide, it leaves 30.5 cm each side. In a living room, a three-seat sofa about 2.2 m long laid along the 300 cm length leaves 40 cm at each end. Beneath a 180 x 90 cm dining table that seats six, it leaves 60 cm beyond each end of the table and 77 cm along each side.
Mark the rug’s outline on the floor with masking tape before you decide. Seeing the edges against your furniture is the quickest way to judge whether this grey and blue transitional rug fits.
Looking after your grey and blue transitional rug
Vacuum it on a suction-only setting, or with the beater bar switched off, so the brush does not pull at the surface. 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 rug. Lift the furniture now and then and vacuum the areas beneath it.
See it before you buy
Visit our showroom at 307 Penshurst St, North Willoughby, open every day from 11 am to 4:30 pm, to see this grey and blue transitional 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 grey and blue transitional 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 rug weaving around Bhadohi in India.
