Oriental Birgi Afghan Rug 274 x 366 cm, 9 x 12 ft

This is a hand-knotted Birgi-pattern rug, made the slow way — one knot at a time, on a floor loom, by a weaver in Afghanistan. It's a Birgi/Birjin pattern piece, an intricate all-over design that takes a skilled weaver considerably longer per square metre than a simpler field rug. It's knotted from 100% wool with natural dyes, which is why the tones sit slightly muted rather than looking printed or synthetic.

At 274 x 366 cm (9.0 x 12.0 ft), it's a good middle-of-the-room size — large enough to matter, not so large it fights the furniture. One rug, one weaver, months of work — which is also why no two pieces in this range are identical.