Where to Put a Rug With a Sheen

What gives a rug its sheen

Some of our hand-knotted and hand-tufted rugs have parts of the design picked out in a fibre that reflects light. These rugs are a wool-dominant wool and silk mix: wool gives the body and spring, and silk gives the shine. The effect is a pattern that seems to change as you walk round it.

See the materials guide, and the Raheem & Son journal on silk and bamboo silk rugs for the fibre in depth.

Light decides how it looks

Silk reflects light along the direction of the pile. Look at the rug from one end and the sheen glows; from the other end it looks deeper and darker. This is normal for any pile rug with silk in it. Before you settle the rug, stand where you will usually sit and turn it round to see which way you prefer.

Side light from a window or a low lamp shows the sheen best. See how a rug changes through the day.

Which rooms suit it

Silk marks and crushes more easily than wool, so rugs with silk suit rooms with less foot traffic: a bedroom, a formal sitting room, a study. In a hallway or under a dining table they work harder than they should.

Keep them away from strong direct sun for long periods, which fades every dye.

Care

Vacuum with the beater bar off, along the pile. Blot spills at once with a clean white cloth and cool water; never rub, because rubbing silk can leave a dull patch. For anything more than a small spill, use a specialist rug cleaner. See care and cleaning.

Rooms where it works best, and why

Bedroom: soft light, bare feet, little traffic. A rug with sheen at the side or foot of a bed is seen every morning and evening in low light, which is when silk looks its best.

Formal sitting room: a room used for conversation rather than everyday comings and goings keeps wear low, and lamps at the sides of sofas show the sheen.

Study or library: a single chair and a reading lamp, with the rug in front, gives a small area of light and colour without heavy use.

Rooms to avoid: entrance halls, kitchens, dining rooms and children's play areas, where spills, grit and dragged chairs are routine.

If you love a rug with sheen but your main living room is busy, consider placing it in a quieter room and choosing an all-wool rug for the busy one.

Choosing which way round it lies

Because sheen depends on the direction of the pile, the same rug can look like two different rugs depending on which end faces the window or the sofa. When it arrives, lay it one way, look at it from your usual seat at the time of day you use the room most, then turn it end for end and look again.

Many people prefer the darker, richer side facing the seat and the lighter, shinier side facing the door, so the rug glows as you walk in and looks deep when you sit down. There is no right answer; choose the way you enjoy.

Once you have chosen, keep it that way round most of the time. When you rotate it to even out wear, you will see the other face of the colour for a while.

Lighting the rug

Low side light brings out sheen. A floor lamp at the side of a sofa, or a window to one side of the rug, makes the silk areas stand out. Light from directly above flattens the effect.

Warm white bulbs make wool and silk look richer; very cool light can make silk look grey. If the rug looks different at night from how it looks in the day, the bulbs are often the reason.

Pairing with the room

A rug with sheen already has movement, so it pairs well with plain, matte upholstery: wool, linen, cotton. Velvet repeats the shine, which can be beautiful but busy; if you choose velvet, keep the cushions matte.

Keep furniture legs on felt cups so they do not crush the silk areas, and move pieces slightly every few months.

Common mistakes

Putting it in a hallway or under a dining table, where it is walked on and chairs are dragged over it.

Rubbing a spill. Silk shows a rubbed patch as a dull area that does not recover. Blot only.

Vacuuming with a beater bar. It pulls and frays silk. Use suction only.

Judging the colour from one angle in the shop image. Images may be digitally rendered and show one angle; the rug will look lighter and darker as you move round it.