Red Stripe Gabbeh Rug
This red stripe Gabbeh rug was hand knotted in Afghanistan from wool, and its size is best confirmed at our showroom. Its cream and ivory field is banded with thin stripes of rust, navy, pale blue and mustard, framed by a sage green border with a rust outer band.
The design up close
Thin horizontal stripes run across the whole field in cream, ivory and sand, with pinstripes of rust, navy, pale blue and mustard between them. The stripes vary in width, and a few wander slightly as they cross the field. Some stripes carry a single colour, while others mix two or three threads side by side. A narrow tan line frames the field, and a wide sage green border carries cream and rust flower heads, oval motifs with pale blue centres and dark navy hooked marks.
A thin rust band forms the outer edge, and short fringe finishes both short ends. The field holds no medallion or central motif, so the eye moves along the bands from one end of the rug to the other. From across the room, this red stripe Gabbeh rug reads as one soft field, and up close each thin line shows its own colour.
A nomadic tradition
Gabbeh comes from a nomadic weaving tradition: a thick, soft pile, open fields of colour and simple motifs, sometimes small figures or animals. The Gabbeh is a rug of the tribes of the Zagros mountains in Iran, including the Lori and Qashqai, who wove thick, simple rugs mainly for their own households. Weavers in Afghanistan now make rugs in the same spirit.
How a red stripe Gabbeh rug is made
Each knot in this red stripe Gabbeh rug is tied by hand on a loom, row after row, which is how the fine stripes are built up. Turn it over and the design shows on the back, with the small irregularities that only hand knotting leaves. Wool forms the pile of the whole rug.
Sizing it for your room
The size of this red stripe Gabbeh rug is not recorded here, so ask for the exact dimensions in the showroom and compare them with the floor space you have in mind. A stripe design like this suits a study, a bedroom or a spot beside a sofa, where the stripes can be seen up close. Check the dimensions before you buy, since a pale field looks different against dark timber than against a light floor.
The cream field of this red stripe Gabbeh rug suits pale walls and timber floors, and the sage border sits well with soft greens and linen.
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 red stripe Gabbeh 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 Gabbeh Rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about Gabbeh rugs.
