Flatweave rugs: kilim, soumak and dhurrie
Woven on a loom like a knotted rug, but with no pile at all.
Not sure about yours?Upload two photos and get a free report in about 15 seconds.Check my rugWhat a flatweave is
Every woven rug has warps, the threads that run the length of the loom, and wefts, the threads that cross them. In a knotted rug, rows of knots are tied onto the warps to make a soft pile. In a flatweave, nothing is tied on. The pattern is made by the wefts alone, so the rug is flat, thin and light.
That makes flatweaves easy to move, roll and store. It also means they show wear differently. There is no pile to hide a worn spot, and a broken weft can open into a hole sooner than on a thick knotted rug.
Kilim
A kilim is a tapestry weave. Colored wefts are packed tightly together so they cover the warps completely. Each color is woven back and forth only within its own part of the design, instead of crossing the full width of the rug.
Where two colors meet along a warp, the weaver can leave a small vertical gap between them. This is called slit weave, and it is why kilims favor stepped, diagonal and geometric shapes. The slits are normal and not damage. Some weavers interlock or dovetail the colors to close them.
Because the pattern is the weave itself, many kilims look much the same on both sides, apart from yarn ends and joins.
Soumak
A soumak is made by wrapping. The pattern yarn passes over a group of warps and back around some of them, again and again, often with a plain weft between rows to hold everything together. The result has a slight raised texture, a little like braiding, and more body than most kilims.
The back of a soumak usually shows loose yarn ends where the colors change, so it is not reversible. Soumaks are closely linked with the Caucasus and northwest Iran.
Dhurrie
Dhurrie is the South Asian name for a flatwoven rug, especially from India. It is a family of rugs, not a single structure. Many dhurries are woven in cotton, others in wool, and the designs range from simple stripes to geometric and pictorial patterns.
Caring for a flatweave
Vacuum with suction only and no beater bar, and never vacuum the fringe. Rotate the rug every few months so it wears evenly. A thin rug moves easily, so a rug pad matters even more than under a thick pile rug.
Flat does not mean washable. Wool kilims can bleed or shrink if they are soaked at home. For a deep clean, use a cleaner who washes handmade rugs and tell them it is a flatweave.
Quick answers
Is a kilim handmade?
A true kilim is woven by hand on a loom. Machine-made rugs that copy kilim patterns are common, so look at the back and the edges. A handwoven kilim shows small irregularities in the weave and the colors.
Why does my kilim have small holes between the colors?
Those are slits from the slit weave technique, where two colors meet along a warp. They are part of how the rug was made. A hole with broken threads around it is damage, and a repair specialist can close it.
Are flatweave rugs durable?
A well-made wool flatweave can last for many years. It wears faster than a dense knotted rug in very heavy traffic, so it suits halls and living rooms better with a good pad under it.
What is the difference between a kilim and a soumak?
A kilim is a tapestry weave, often with slits and often reversible. A soumak is made by wrapping yarn around the warps, which gives it a raised texture and a back with loose yarn ends.
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