No more than 20 mm: that is the pile height of every design on this page. It is enough to feel soft underfoot, yet short enough for a sofa and a coffee table to stand steady on it. You can choose from low pile rugs in wool and viscose, most of them made by hand.
Kilims without pile aren't included here, and neither are shaggy designs. If you like it completely flat, look at our flat weave rugs. Rugs woven from fabric offcuts sit with the rag rugs. The range itself comes in four families:
- two handwoven wool ranges with 11–20 mm of pile, rectangular, round or as a runner, one of them also square
- hand-tufted mottled wool with 6–10 mm, rectangular, round or as a runner
- handwoven viscose with 6–10 mm, in the same three shapes
A low pile rug in the living room
This is where short pile shows what it can do. Sofa feet leave no deep dents. The coffee table doesn't wobble. In front of a two-seater a 160 x 230 cm size works well, and all four families offer it.
For a big seating group many people search for 200 x 300 cm, which in our range is 200 x 290 cm. That makes a large short pile rug able to hold the whole sofa area together. The living room rugs collection shows how sofa, table and rug relate.
Under a dining table, chairs glide more easily on short pile than on long. Suitable sizes are with the dining room rug designs. In a hallway a low pile runner lies flat enough for doors to swing freely.
Vacuuming gets easier as well. The nozzle moves without resistance and dust doesn't settle deep down, so dinner crumbs are gone in two passes.
Colours from beige to black
A beige short pile rug is easy to find, since almost every family has that shade, the tufted wool even in a mottled version. Grey is just as well covered. Brown comes as dark brown in viscose and as a mottled light brown in tufted wool. Black? Three families carry it, so a black short pile rug is no problem. Want some colour? Red and orange are there, plus turquoise.
Plain low pile rugs without any pattern come mainly from handwoven wool. Round designs exist in all four families, up to Ø 200 cm. Square ones are fewer, but a 200 x 200 cm piece sits well under a square dining table or in a compact seating corner.
Wool or viscose underfoot
Wool is hard-wearing and feels warm. It dampens footfall, and in a home with children or pets it is the more relaxed choice. You will find more pure wool designs among our wool rugs.
Viscose is made from cellulose and has a silky shimmer. It reacts badly to moisture, so it belongs in a calm bedroom rather than a dining area.
Handwoven or hand-tufted? Weaving binds the fibres into the base fabric on a loom. Tufting pushes them into a backing with a hand tool, which gives an even, dense surface. Easy-care options in synthetic fibre are among our polyester rugs, and much longer fibres belong in the shaggy rug collection.
Frequently asked questions
How short is low pile, exactly?
20 mm at most. The handwoven wool sits at 11–20 mm, while tufted wool and viscose are a little flatter at 6–10 mm.
Does wool shed?
A bit at first. Vacuum once or twice a week for the first few weeks and it quickly eases off.
What do I do with a stain on viscose?
Blot it at once with a dry, absorbent cloth, working from the outside in. Don't rub, and use as little water as you can.
Will the sofa leave marks?
Hardly, on short pile. If you move furniture, lift the fibres again with your hand or the vacuum.
