Merino Stria is a Rugberry hand knotted rug in merino wool, fine and springy, in seven colourways from Beige to Charcoal. It is made entirely to your measure at AED 200 per sq ft, so a 9x12 ft rug is AED 21,600, a size made for the large majlis or living room.

In short

The Rugberry Merino Stria is hand knotted in merino wool, 15 to 16 mm deep, fine and springy, and made entirely to your measure in any size.
Merino Stria comes in seven colourways: Beige, Sand, Latte, Mochaccino, Chocolate, Slate and Charcoal.
It is priced at AED 200 per sq ft. A 9x12 ft rug (270x360 cm) covers 108 sq ft, costs AED 21,600 and suits a room of about 15x18 ft, leaving around 3 ft of floor on each side.
Hand knotting ties every tuft around the warp, so the pile is held by structure rather than a backing, which suits a room that is used every day.

What is Merino Stria?

Merino Stria is a hand knotted rug in merino wool, with fine lines running along its length. Rugberry describes its feel as fine and springy, dense without feeling heavy.

A hand knotted wool pile in charcoal, folded to show its dense construction.

A hand knotted wool pile in blue black blocks broken by grey and white.

Each rug is made entirely to your measure, so there is no stock size to settle for: you give the size and the colourway. The pictures here show the hand knotted construction, a dense pile tied tuft by tuft, and the same logic applies to every size.

If the term is new, our post on hand knotted and hand tufted rugs explains the construction.

Which Merino Stria colourway suits your room?

Choose the warm browns for warmth in a dark room, Slate or Charcoal for contrast in a pale one, and Sand or Beige for a calm room where the rug should hold the floor without dominating it.

A hand knotted wool pile in sand and ivory blocks with fine striped bands.

Layered blocks in hand knotted wool, running to the edge.

Sand and Beige: the quietest of the seven, close in tone to limestone, pale marble and light oak.
Latte, Mochaccino and Chocolate: warm browns that sit well with walnut, teak and leather, and with the lamp light of an evening majlis.
Slate and Charcoal: cool and deep, giving a white marble floor and pale walls a strong anchor.

For a home with children and daily visitors, choose a deeper colour over Sand, because darker grounds hide the small marks of daily life. The lightest colours reward a room that is used more gently.

Is a 9x12 ft rug right for your majlis or living room?

A 9x12 ft rug is right for a room of roughly 13x16 ft or larger, where it can hold a full seating group. At 108 sq ft, it is about 2.7 times the floor of a 5x8 ft rug.

Arctic Wool Rug in a real living room project, a large rug holding the whole seating group.

In a 15x18 ft villa majlis or living room, a 9x12 ft rug leaves about 3 ft of floor on every side. That is enough for a clear walkway and lets the stone or wood frame the rug.

Place it so the front legs of the sofa and armchairs sit on the rug and the back legs on the floor. If the room is narrower, Merino Stria is made to your measure anyway, and our 9x12 rug guide covers layouts in more detail.

Hand knotting is slow to make and slow to wear, which is why it belongs in the room used every day.

How does a hand knotted rug wear in a Gulf home?

A hand knotted rug wears slowly and evenly, because each tuft of pile is tied around the warp threads rather than held in place by a glued backing. There is no backing cloth to separate and no latex to dry out in summer heat.

Wool also springs back after being pressed, so the dents from a sofa leg recover when it is moved and the pile brushed up. In a majlis that hosts guests through Ramadan and long weekend lunches, that resilience is what you are paying for.

Merino is a finer fibre than standard rug wool, so give it a room that is lived in rather than crossed by shoes all day; our post on merino in rugs explains why. The other thing to watch is light. Strong sun through large windows will soften the colour of any rug over the years, so rotate the rug end to end twice a year.

How do you care for Merino Stria?

Care for it by vacuuming regularly with suction only, rotating it twice a year, and having it professionally cleaned, which is the care advice for hand knotted merino.

Blot spills with a dry white cloth and a little cool water, never hot water, which can set a stain in wool.
Keep it on a thin pad on marble or porcelain, both to stop it moving and to ease wear on the back.
In a villa with a garden or pool door, lift the rug if water ever seeps in from outside.

What does a Merino Stria rug cost to own?

Merino Stria costs AED 200 per sq ft, so a 9x12 ft rug is AED 21,600. For comparison, the handloom Grain Wool Rug in 9x12 ft is AED 8,800, about AED 81 per sq ft, so Merino Stria runs at roughly two and a half times the rate, the difference being the hand time in every knot.

A 9x12 ft hand knotted wool rug in deep blue and grey.

A hand knotted wool rug in sand and ivory, the quietest of the colours.

Spread over the long life of a hand knotted rug, it is one of the more considered purchases in a home. Our comparison of hand knotted and hand tufted rugs sets out the trade-off.

Frequently asked questions

Can Merino Stria be made in a size other than 9x12 ft?

Yes. Merino Stria is made entirely to your measure, in any size and any colour, so a smaller or longer rug can be made for a particular room.

Which Merino Stria colourway is easiest to live with?

Mochaccino, Chocolate, Slate and Charcoal are the most forgiving, because their deeper grounds disguise small marks. Sand and Beige are the lightest and suit a calmer room.

Why is a hand knotted rug priced so much higher than a tufted one?

A hand knotted rug is tied one knot at a time on a vertical loom, while a tufted rug is punched through a backing cloth with a hand held tool. The extra hand time is the main reason for the price, and it also makes the knotted rug the more durable of the two.

Seven colours of one fine fibre. Material first. The range continues in hand knotted rugs.

Merino Stria: Hand Knotted Merino in Seven Colourways