Savannah: Hand Knotted Jute in Three Colours

The Rugberry Savannah Jute Rug is hand knotted, which gives it more weight and a deeper surface than a woven jute mat. That weight is what makes it settle well at a front door, where a light rug would ride up and curl.

Why is Savannah knotted rather than woven?

Savannah is knotted so that the jute stands up as a short, dense pile instead of lying flat in a weave. Each knot is tied around the warp threads by hand, and the ends of the jute form the surface you walk on.

A handwoven jute rug, by contrast, is a flat interlacing of warp and weft. It is lighter, thinner and shows its pattern in the weave itself, which is why the Rugberry Kora, Masai and Pampas rugs carry banded and geometric designs while Savannah is a plain, textured field.

The knotted structure costs more in hand time, which is why Savannah starts from about ₹41,000 in 5x8 ft against about ₹28,000 for the woven jute rugs. What it buys is body: a rug that stays where it is put.

How does a hand knotted jute rug age in an Indian entrance?

A hand knotted jute rug ages by mellowing: the colour settles and the surface takes on a slight polish where feet pass most often. Rugberry describes Savannah as better looking as it ages, and this is the change that phrase refers to.

Jute is a plant fibre with a natural sheen when it is new, a little like raw silk at a distance. Over the first year that brightness quietens, the stray fibres settle down, and the rug starts to look as if it has always been there.

What it does not do is shrug off water. Jute swells and can mark when it stays wet, so the first rule at an Indian front door is that the rug sits inside, not on the threshold where monsoon rain and wet chappals arrive.

A knotted jute rug ages by mellowing. The colour settles and the surface takes on a quiet polish where feet pass.

Which Savannah colour suits your entrance?

Choose Natural for a pale entrance, Cashew for a calm, light one, and Olive where the entrance is dark or busy and needs a colour that hides dust.

• Natural: the honey and straw tones of undyed jute, warm against white marble.
• Cashew: a pale, creamy jute that sits quietly beside limestone and light oak.
• Olive: a deep green that suits teak doors and brass, and keeps its looks under the fine dust of a city entrance.

For a house near a road or a construction site, where dust comes in daily, choose Olive over Cashew because a darker ground shows less between cleans.

What size Savannah rug fits an Indian foyer?

A 5x8 ft Savannah suits a foyer of about 8x10 ft or more, leaving room for the door to swing and a walkway around the rug. Measure the door swing first, because a knotted jute rug is thick enough to catch a low door.

For a narrow apartment entrance, a stock size may be too wide. Savannah is listed in any size to order, so a long, slim piece can be made for a corridor, and our entryway size guide gives the clearances.

How do you care for a jute rug at the front door?

Care for a jute rug by keeping it dry, vacuuming it often and dealing with spills at once.

• Vacuum twice a week in an entrance, with suction only, to lift grit before it works into the knots.
• Blot any spill at once with a dry cloth and use as little water as possible. Dry the spot quickly with a fan.
• In the monsoon, keep a separate washable mat outside the door for wet footwear, and lift the Savannah if the floor ever feels damp.
• Turn the rug end to end every few months, since the side nearest the door takes the most traffic.

Our guide to cleaning a jute rug covers stains in more detail, and the glossary explains jute as a fibre.

Frequently asked questions

Is a hand knotted jute rug better than a woven one?

It is heavier and has more depth, so it lies flatter and stays in place on smooth floors. A woven jute rug is lighter, cheaper and carries a pattern in the weave, so the choice depends on the room.

Can a Savannah jute rug go in a bathroom or on a balcony?

No. Jute does not like water and can mark or weaken when it stays damp. A Savannah rug belongs indoors, in dry rooms and inside the front door.

Does a jute rug shed?

A new jute rug sheds some loose fibre in the first weeks, which regular vacuuming clears. The shedding settles as the surface beds in.

Knotted by hand, better with every year at the door. Material first. The full range is in natural jute rugs.