Guides · Row 04 · 6 min read
The fibers, from fleece to floor
A rug's design decides what you see across the room. Its fiber decides everything you feel — underfoot, in raking evening light, and in year thirty. We work in four natural fibers; here is how each behaves and where it belongs.
Tibetan highland wool — the foundation
Sheep raised above 3,000 meters grow wool unlike anything from the lowlands: long-staple, springy, and saturated with lanolin — the natural wax that repels dirt and gives Tibetan rugs their soft, dry luster. We card and spin it by hand, which preserves the fiber's irregularity; that irregularity is why a wool rug reads alive where machine-spun yarn reads flat. Wool takes dye deeply, wears for generations, resists moisture and fire naturally, and actually improves with foot traffic as the pile blooms.
Where it belongs: everywhere. Living rooms, halls, stairs, dining rooms — wool is the fiber for every rug that must live a real life.
Mulberry silk — the light
Silk in a rug is not about softness; it is about optics. A silk knot reflects light directionally, so a silk motif shifts tone as you walk past it — luminous from one angle, deep from another. We use pure mulberry silk two ways: as accents inside a wool field, where petals and linework catch the light, and in high-silk pieces where the whole surface shimmers. Silk renders detail beautifully at 100-knot and above, which is why density and silk are usually decided together.
Where it belongs: formal rooms, bedrooms, low-traffic showpieces — or as accents anywhere, protected inside resilient wool.
Bamboo silk — the modern middle
A plant-based fiber with much of silk's sheen at a gentler price, and a favorite of contemporary designers. Bamboo silk drapes light softly rather than flashing it, giving large minimalist fields a quiet glow. It is less abrasion-resistant than wool, so we blend it or place it where traffic is moderate.
Where it belongs: bedrooms, studies, formal sitting rooms; blended accents in busier spaces.
Hemp — the texture
Wild Himalayan hemp spins into a dry, ropey yarn with visible character — matte, rustic, structurally tough. In flat or low pile it gives a rug bone and texture that reads wonderfully in natural, wabi-sabi, and coastal interiors.
Where it belongs: entries, casual rooms, texture-forward neutral designs.
| Fiber | Light | Hand | Traffic | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland wool | Soft, dry luster | Springy, warm | Excellent — improves with use | The default for a reason |
| Mulberry silk | Directional shimmer | Cool, fine | Gentle use | Best at 100-knot and finer |
| Bamboo silk | Quiet glow | Silky, cool | Moderate | Contemporary favorite |
| Hemp | Matte | Dry, textured | Very good | Texture and structure |
The dye pot and the gift of abrash
We color yarn in small pot-dyed batches, the slow way. Because no two pots are perfectly identical, the finished field carries abrash — subtle horizontal drifts of tone that make hand-dyed rugs look like weather instead of paint. Machine-dyed rugs are perfectly even, and perfectly dead. After weaving, every piece is washed in glacial water and dried in mountain sun, which sets the color and opens the fiber's luster.
Caring for natural fiber
Vacuum without a beater bar, rotate twice a year, blot spills immediately with water only, and give wool sunlight in moderation. A well-kept wool or wool-silk rug needs professional washing once every few years — and nothing else for decades.
Deciding between fibers for a specific room? Ask the curator — light, traffic, and climate all matter, and the consultation is free.
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