Meraki: Jute Lifted with Silk

The Rugberry Meraki rug is handloom woven in jute lifted with threads of silk, firm underfoot with a quiet shine. The silk changes how the jute looks, not what it is: it adds light and colour to a fibre that is otherwise matt and earthy.

What does silk do to a jute rug?

Silk gives a jute rug light. Jute is a plant fibre with a dry, matt surface, and threads of silk running through it catch daylight and lamplight so the rug shows a faint, moving shine.

In Meraki the silk sits in a fine grid across the surface, so the rug reads as a plain colour from the door and as a woven texture once you stand on it. The lustre is low, closer to raw silk than to a polished sheet.

Silk also takes dye with more depth than jute, so the colour of a Meraki looks richer than a plain dyed jute in the same shade. That is why Sage reads as green rather than as grey jute with a tint.

What does silk not change?

Silk does not turn jute into a soft rug. Rugberry describes Meraki as firm and textured, and that is the honest way to think of it: a jute rug with a finer surface, not a substitute for wool underfoot.

Silk also does not make jute easier to clean. Both fibres dislike water, so spills need to be blotted at once and the rug kept away from damp floors.

For a room where you sit on the floor or walk barefoot most of the day, choose a wool rug over Meraki, because wool has the spring that jute lacks. For a living room where the rug is mostly seen and crossed, Meraki gives more character for its price.

The silk changes how the jute looks, not what it is.

Which Meraki colour suits your living room?

Choose Sage for a cool, green room, Caramel for warmth, and Chocolate to ground a pale room with a deep tone.

• Sage: a muted green that sits well with cane, plants and white walls, the colour of a Goa verandah brought indoors.
• Caramel: a warm amber that glows under evening lamps and suits teak and brass.
• Chocolate: a deep brown that anchors a marble floor and hides the fine dust of a city flat.

Because silk reflects light, each colour looks a little paler near a window and a little deeper in the evening. Order a swatch from the swatches collection and look at it on your floor before deciding.

How does Meraki compare with a plain jute rug?

Meraki costs a little more than a plain woven jute rug and gives a finer, brighter surface. The Rugberry Kora, Masai and Pampas jute rugs start from about ₹28,000 in 5x8 ft; Meraki starts from about ₹38,000.

The extra buys the silk and a closer handloom weave. A plain jute flatweave suits a hard working dining room or entrance; Meraki suits the living room, where the shine is noticed and the traffic is lighter. Our post on natural jute rugs compares the plain jute families.

Can Meraki be made to measure?

Yes. Meraki is listed in any size and colour to order, and it is part of the Quick Custom Program, Rugberry's route for adjusting a stock design to a room.

This helps in Indian apartments, where living rooms are often 11 or 12 ft wide and a 9x12 ft rug is a little too large. A Meraki made at 8x11 ft, for example, can keep a clear walkway on both sides. Send the room measurements with the door positions marked, so the rug can be planned around how the room is actually used.

How do you care for a jute and silk rug?

Care for Meraki by keeping it dry, vacuuming it with suction only and blotting spills at once.

• Vacuum weekly without a beater bar, which can pull the silk threads.
• Blot spills with a dry white cloth and dry the spot with a fan. Avoid soaking.
• Lift the rug if the floor below ever feels damp in the monsoon, and air it on a dry day.
• Rotate it every six months so the sheen fades evenly where the sun falls.

Frequently asked questions

Is a jute and silk rug softer than wool?

No. Rugberry describes Meraki as firm and textured, lifted by threads of silk. The silk adds shine and colour, while a wool rug remains the choice for softness underfoot.

Where should a jute and silk rug not go?

A jute and silk rug should not go anywhere wet: bathrooms, near the kitchen sink or on open balconies. Both fibres dislike water and can mark when they stay damp.

Does Meraki shine as much as a silk rug?

No. The shine is low and comes from threads of silk set into jute, so it reads as a soft glow rather than the full sheen of an all silk rug such as the Rugberry Luma.

Jute for the ground, silk for the light. Material first. More in natural jute rugs.