Blue Stripes Kilim Dhurrie, Hand-Woven Wool, 3 × 5 ft

A hand-woven dhurrie in blue with striped pattern, the horizontal bands running flat across the wool in the kilim tradition of Uttar Pradesh. Stripes are the simplest graphic device in flatweave — colour bands arranged in parallel lines, no medallions or borders or corner work to complicate the composition. Blue anchors this one, the stripes reading across varying tones or solid depending on the weave structure. Dhurries are flatweave floor coverings woven without pile, which makes them lighter and easier to handle than knotted carpets. Woven in Bhadohi by artisans who learned the technique from their parents and grandparents. The flatweave construction suits rooms with traffic — hallways, entryways, dining rooms where chairs scrape across the floor. Striped dhurries work because they hold their pattern without asking much from the room around them.