I have always loved rugs but never has that passion been quite as evident as during a recent trip to Cadrys in Sydney. Imagine a business that combines modernity and tradition, design and artistry, practicality and beauty, ancient technique and cutting edge thinking – need I go on?

Cadrys has a 60 year history of selling a phenomenal range of rugs from the ancient and collectable to the affordable and hard wearing. The range of woven natural fibres such as hemp, undyed wool, nettle (yes, nettle) linen and silk combine with the traditional skills of Nepalese weavers to create amazing texture, colour and pattern.



This  jewel-like rug was developed using left over bits of sari silk fabric. It is the ultimate rag rug and would look amazing in a white room.



Jan Kath has described his rugs as 'producing the antiques of tomorrow.' He pioneered 'The Erased Classics Collection' where sections of rug are acid-etched and restitched to give the appearance of erosion.  One look at these will convince you of their collectibility. They are the ultimate in luxury.



The Hemp Soumak rugs come in a beautiful palette of colours that Cadrys have developed with the weavers themselves. The colours that appeal to me are the inky blues, moody aubergine, and beautiful muddy green, as they all work so well with natural tones. This shot (above) shows how the stripes work and how the irregular weave of the material creates an organic textured feel.

The hemp takes colour tremendously well and the rug still retains the irregular organic weave of the  natural material while in the raw uncoloured version the  tonal variations of the fabric are even more evident. These handcrafted hemp rugs are hardwearing but still soft underfoot and have the added benefit of being constructed from an environmentally friendly material.



This Ikat design in wool combines a subtle colour combination with a durable rug.



If it is a custom rug you are after there are more than 1500  colour samples to choose from. These blues are my favourite.