Couture: A Hand Knotted Silk Rug

Couture is the Rugberry hand knotted silk rug, dense and fine, with an abstract field that shifts from stone grey to brown as the light changes. It is stocked in 5x8 ft from about ₹72,000, a size made for a bedroom, a study or a quiet sitting room.

What is the Couture Silk Rug?

Couture is a rug hand knotted in silk, with an abstract, painterly field in greys, blues and browns, as shown. Rugberry describes it as dense and fine, the most durable way a rug can be made.

It is stocked in 5x8 ft from about ₹72,000 before GST, and listed in any size and colour to order. At 40 sq ft, the stock size suits the space beside a bed, in front of a reading chair or under a low table in a formal room.

How is knotted silk different from handloom silk?

Knotted silk is built from individual knots tied around the warp threads, while handloom silk is woven flat on a loom. The knotted rug is denser and holds its surface longer; the handloom rug is lower, lighter and priced lower.

Both carry the sheen that makes silk worth having, but they show it differently. In a knotted rug the light catches the ends of the pile and gives depth; in a handloom rug it runs along the surface and reads as a smooth glow.

For a rug that will be walked on every day in a bedroom for many years, choose Couture over a handloom silk, because the knotted structure is the more durable of the two. For a lower budget or a larger area, handloom silk gives the look at about half the price per square foot.

How does Couture compare with Luma and Nuva?

Couture is the knotted, patterned piece; the Luma Silk Rug in Gold and the Nuva Silk Rug in Beige are plainer handloom silks.

• Couture: hand knotted silk, abstract field, 5x8 ft from about ₹72,000.
• Luma in Gold: handloom silk, a solid gold that holds the light and lets it go, from about ₹40,000 in 5x8 ft, stocked up to 12x15 ft.
• Nuva in Beige: handloom silk, a pale cream with cloudy shifts in tone, from about ₹40,000 in 5x8 ft, stocked up to 12x15 ft.

Luma and Nuva are the better choice when a room needs a large silk rug, since both are stocked up to 12x15 ft. Couture is the one to choose when the rug itself is the piece of art.

Silk belongs where it is walked on gently and looked at often.

Where does a silk rug belong in an Indian home?

A silk rug belongs in the rooms where feet are bare and traffic is light: the principal bedroom, a study, a formal sitting room or a puja room kept for quiet use. These are also the rooms lit softly, where silk shows its sheen best.

It does not belong at the entrance, under a dining table or in the main family room. Outdoor footwear, food and children's games are hard on silk, and wool handles them far better.

In a Mumbai or Bengaluru apartment, Couture beside the bed of the principal bedroom, or in front of a reading chair in a study, is a natural home. Our guide to silk rug durability explains why traffic matters so much.

How do you care for a hand knotted silk rug?

Care for a hand knotted silk rug gently and often, and leave deep cleaning to a specialist.

• Vacuum weekly with suction only, or sweep with a soft brush in the direction of the pile.
• Blot spills straight away with a dry white cloth, from the edge inward. Never rub silk.
• Shield it from direct afternoon sun with sheer curtains, and rotate it every six months.
• Keep it dry in the monsoon, and lift it if the floor beneath ever feels damp.

Is a hand knotted silk rug worth the price?

A hand knotted silk rug is worth its price when it goes into a room where it will be seen and cared for. At about ₹72,000 for 40 sq ft, Couture costs roughly ₹1,800 per sq ft, against roughly ₹1,000 for a handloom silk in the same size.

What the difference buys is hand time and density. Our earlier post on the world of fine rugs places it among the top of the range.

Frequently asked questions

Is a silk rug suitable for a living room?

A silk rug suits a formal living room with light use. For a family living room in daily use, a wool or wool and silk rug is the more practical choice, as silk marks more easily under heavy traffic.

Can Couture be made larger than 5x8 ft?

Yes. The Rugberry Couture Silk Rug is listed in any size and any colour to order, so it can be made for a larger room.

Why does a silk rug look different from each side?

Silk reflects light along the direction of the pile, so it looks paler from one side and deeper from the other. This shading is natural to silk and is part of its character.

Silk, knotted by hand, for the room you keep quiet. Material first. More in silk rugs.