Salmon Kazak Rug
This salmon Kazak rug was hand knotted in Afghanistan in lamb’s wool and measures 151 x 100 cm. Its salmon ground is framed by a wide red border, and the medallions in the field are picked out in blue, orange and light blue. At this size it suits a bedside or an entrance.
The design up close
Two blue medallions with gold centres sit at the top and bottom of the salmon field. The middle medallion is a cream diamond with a red centre and a dark outline, and small blue star motifs sit around it. Small red and cream motifs fill the ground between the medallions, and a few light blue flowers sit close to the outer medallions.
The border is red, with cream rosettes and small blue and gold motifs. A narrow cream band and a thin blue-grey line run between the border and the field. Because the salmon ground is pale, the red border gives this salmon Kazak rug its edge, and the cream band keeps the two colours apart. A short fringe finishes both ends. The cream band is the lightest line in the border, so the red outer edge reads as a strong frame.
Where Kazak designs come from
Kazak rugs take their name from the Kazak (Gazakh) district of the southern Caucasus, on the borders of today’s Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. Weavers there made thick, boldly coloured rugs with large geometric medallions, stars and hooked motifs in deep reds, blues and ivory. In recent decades, weavers in Afghanistan have revived these designs, so pieces like this one carry an old pattern into new rooms.
How a salmon Kazak rug is made
Weavers tie each knot in this salmon Kazak rug by hand, and the design shows on the back with the slight irregularities of handwork. Lamb’s wool gives the pile a soft surface. Afghan rugs are hand knotted on a loom, one knot at a time, so the pattern is built up row by row from the bottom edge.
Sizing it for your room
At 151 x 100 cm this salmon Kazak rug covers about 1.5 square metres, which suits a bedside, an entrance or the space in front of a chair. Warm timber or grey floors let the salmon ground stand out, and cream and navy furnishings pick up the blue in the medallions. It is too small to sit under a sofa, so let it be the feature of its own corner. The salmon ground is the most open part of the rug, so the blue and gold of the medallions carry from across the room.
Looking after your rug
Vacuum it on a suction-only setting, or with the beater bar switched off, so the brush does not pull at the knots. 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 11 am to 4:30 pm, to see this salmon Kazak rug in person. If you would rather judge it in your own room, with your own light and furniture, book an in-home viewing and we will bring a selection to you.
Browse more Kazak Rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about Caucasian and Kazak rugs.
