Run a hand over the cream Holly Zen and you feel two levels. Softer, lower fields sit between raised lines of polyester microfibre, and that high-low effect gives this low pile rug its quiet texture.

Each piece is woven by hand in India. Warp and weft shape the pattern and the structure at the same time, while a cotton backing holds the 100% polyester pile. That fine yarn places it with our synthetic fibre rugs, and it can lie over underfloor heating without any trouble.

A short pile suits a kitchen floor, which is why the Holly Zen also appears among our kitchen rugs. Cream keeps a busy room looking light. Used as a nursery rug, it gives children a soft, low place to sit and build towers, and in a living room it sits calmly in front of the sofa.

Dining rooms need a little planning. Mark the table area out with masking tape and use our advice on rug sizes to find one that keeps pushed-back chairs on the cream surface.

Should a patch flatten under a chair leg, lift it with a brush as shown in our rug care tips, then let it settle. On smooth floors, an underlay cut a touch smaller than the rug stops slipping and curled corners. Vacuuming with an ordinary brush head is fine on this short pile.