Lamina: Carved Wool Rugs in Many Depths

Lamina is Rugberry's collection of five carved wool rugs: Cavea, Cadence, Facet, Lucid and Talus. Each is hand tufted in New Zealand wool, one colour stepped down tone by tone, with every change of tone carved apart by hand, so a change of colour is also a change of surface underfoot.

What is the idea behind Lamina?

Lamina takes one colour and carries it through its depths, so a single tone becomes a sequence of planes that you see and feel. The name is Latin for a thin layer, and each rug is built from layers of the same colour, a shade apart.

The making does the drawing. Each tone is tufted as its own band, then the bands are carved apart by hand where they meet. That carved line catches the light and casts a fine shadow, so the rug reads as relief rather than print.

Rugberry photographed the collection in Gradus, a house of sandstone and lime plaster that steps down its site one level at a time, with sun on the upper floors and cool shade below. It is the same idea as the rugs, in stone. You can see the full story on the Lamina collection page.

What does carving do to a wool rug?

Carving cuts a narrow channel into the pile along the line where two areas meet, so the edge of a shape is drawn in shadow as well as colour. It is one of Rugberry's five cut pile textures, alongside ombré, high-low, two colour mottling and Gabbeh dyeing.

In a carved rug, the pile on either side of the line stays at full height, so the surface still feels dense and even underfoot. Only the channel drops. The effect is strongest in raking light, at morning and evening, and softer at noon.

Carving works best in hand tufted rugs, because tufting lets each band be set precisely before it is cut. The glossary entry on carving explains the technique, and our article on high-low pile rugs covers a related texture.

What are the five Lamina rugs?

The five Lamina rugs share a fibre, a construction and a method, and differ in drawing and colour. Each is named for a stepped form, from a theatre's tiered seats to the slope of stone at the foot of a cliff.

Cavea, in sage

Cavea is Latin for the tiered seats of a theatre. In the Cavea Wool Rug, sage steps toward olive and mirrors at the centre, so the floor seems to fall away. It starts at ₹32,000 for 5x8 ft.

Cadence, in chalk

The Cadence Wool Rug is drawn as an outline that follows the bands inside it, chalk to sand in six steps, each carved apart. It starts at ₹32,000 for 5x8 ft and suits pale floors and white walls.

Facet, in lichen

The Facet Wool Rug is a cut stone laid flat: lichen at the edge, deeper toward the centre, every plane outlined by a carved line. It comes in 6, 8 or 10 ft across, from ₹22,700 for the 6 ft size.

Lucid, in sand

The Lucid Wool Rug has pale folds and one darker plane, where the light would catch an edge, its planes folding toward a single point. It starts at ₹32,000 for 5x8 ft.

Talus, in moss

Talus is the slope of stone that gathers at the foot of a cliff. In the Talus Wool Rug, the outline steps in and out like terraces, and straw deepens to moss toward the centre. It starts at ₹32,000 for 5x8 ft.

One colour, carried through its depths and carved apart by hand.

How do the Lamina rugs compare?

The five rugs differ mainly in shape, colour and the way their planes are drawn. This table sets out the facts listed on rugberry.in.

Rug	Colour story	Drawing	Shape and sizes	From (ex GST, at the time of writing)	Suits
Cavea	Sage to olive	Tiers mirrored at the centre	Rectangle, 5x8 to 12x15 ft	₹32,000	Living rooms with green views
Cadence	Chalk to sand	Outline following inner bands	Rectangle, 5x8 to 12x15 ft	₹32,000	Pale, minimal rooms
Facet	Lichen, deeper at centre	Planes outlined by carved lines	Round, 6, 8 or 10 ft	₹22,700	Entrances, round tables, reading corners
Lucid	Sand with one darker plane	Planes folding to one point	Rectangle, 5x8 to 12x15 ft	₹32,000	Bedrooms, studies
Talus	Straw to moss	Terraced outline	Rectangle, 5x8 to 12x15 ft	₹32,000	Living rooms with wood and stone

The verdict: for a calm, pale room, choose Cadence. For a room that opens to a garden or courtyard, choose Cavea or Talus, and for a round table or a reading corner, choose Facet.

How do Lamina rugs look in Indian light?

Lamina rugs look their best in raking light, so rooms with low morning or evening sun show the carving most clearly. In Indian homes with deep verandas or jaali screens, the play of light across the carved lines is especially strong.

Think about the direction of light when you place the rug. Light that runs across the carved lines throws shadow into each channel, while light that runs along them softens the effect. Rotate the rug a quarter turn to see which you prefer before you settle the furniture.

Warm LED at 2,700 K deepens the tones toward amber, which suits Talus and Cavea at night. Cooler daylight bulbs make Cadence read almost white. Our guide to rug colour in natural light explains why.

Which room suits a Lamina rug?

Lamina rugs suit living rooms, bedrooms and studies where the rug is meant to be looked at as well as walked on. Their 14 to 16 mm pile is dense enough for a family living room, and the carved surface rewards rooms with simple furniture.

In a living room, choose a size that lets the drawing breathe. An 8x10 ft or 9x12 ft rug keeps the outline of Cadence or Talus visible around a coffee table, while a 5x8 ft rug works under a low table in a smaller sitting room.

Lamina also suits stone floors. Kota stone, lime plaster and sandstone echo the colours and the stepped idea of the collection. For styling ideas that sit well with it, read about the modern Indian interior rug.

How do you care for a carved rug?

Care for a carved rug as you would any hand tufted wool rug: vacuum regularly, rotate it every few months and blot spills at once. The carved channels need a little extra attention, because dust can settle in them.

Vacuum along the carved lines as well as across them, using a suction head without a beater bar. Once a month, a soft brush drawn along the channels lifts fine dust. Never steam clean or soak the rug, because the backing of a hand tufted rug is held with latex.

For deeper cleaning, use a professional rug cleaner. The product pages list care as vacuum regularly and professional cleaning only. Our rug cleaning guide covers spot cleaning between visits.

Can a Lamina rug be made to measure?

Yes. Every Lamina rug can be made to measure in any size and in custom colours on request, which suits rooms that fall between the six stock sizes. You can also ask for the tones of a Lamina design to be shifted toward your own palette.

The Rugberry Design Lab on rugberry.in lets you recolour a Rugberry rug online before you order. Designers and architects can specify Lamina through the Rugberry trade programme. For more on hand tufted rugs in general, see handloom vs hand tufted rugs, and for related tonal work, the Ombré collection.

How does Lamina compare with ombré and high-low rugs?

Lamina, ombré and high-low rugs all play with depth, but in different ways. Ombré blends one tone into the next with no edge, high-low changes the height of the pile, and Lamina steps tone by tone with a carved line at each change.

That carved line is the key difference. In an ombré rug, such as the Ombré Haze Rug, the eye slides across a soft gradation. In a Lamina rug, the eye stops at each step, so the rug reads as a series of planes, like terraces on a hillside. The surface stays at one height either side of the line.

Choose ombré for a soft, atmospheric room, and Lamina for a room with architecture you want the rug to echo: stairs, levels, deep window reveals or stone. If you want even more relief, ask about high-low pile when ordering a design to measure.

Why Lamina is hand tufted

Lamina is hand tufted because tufting lets each band be placed exactly and then carved cleanly. A tufting gun follows the drawing on the backing cloth, and every tone is laid as its own band before the carving begins. That precision is hard to achieve on a loom.

Hand tufting also keeps Lamina at a practical price, from ₹32,000 for 5x8 ft, while still giving a dense 14 to 16 mm New Zealand wool pile. For the differences between constructions, read the four rug constructions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Rugberry Lamina collection?

Lamina is Rugberry's carved wool line: five hand tufted New Zealand wool rugs named Cavea, Cadence, Facet, Lucid and Talus. Each works within one colour family, carved by hand into tonal steps, and Facet is the round one of the five.

How much does a Lamina rug cost?

At the time of writing, Cavea, Cadence, Lucid and Talus cost ₹64,000 for 8x10 ft and ₹1,44,000 for 12x15 ft, ex GST, with 5x8 ft the entry size. Facet is round, from 6 to 10 ft across, and costs ₹62,900 at 10 ft. GST is added at checkout.

What does hand carved mean on a rug?

Hand carved means a narrow channel is cut by hand into the pile where two areas meet, so the line is drawn in shadow as well as colour. The pile on either side stays at full height.

Is a carved rug practical for a family living room?

Yes. Lamina rugs have a dense 14 to 16 mm New Zealand wool pile that holds its shape. Vacuum along the carved lines and rotate the rug every few months to keep it even.

Can I order a Lamina rug in a custom size?

Yes. Any Lamina rug can be made to measure in any size, with custom colours on request. The Rugberry Design Lab lets you recolour a design online.

One colour, many depths. Material first.