All hand-knotted rugs have a dark side and a light side. Sometimes it's so subtle it's hard to see. Other times it's hard not to see.
An element that really separates light from dark is banana silk.
The fibers from the banana plant have been used in yarn for centuries, especially in Japan and Nepal, have become known as banana silk.
The Light Side
Banana silk is sturdy, dyes easily and uniformly, and is evermore abundant because of new production techniques.
Silk on the other hand is coming close to pricing itself out of the rug market.
The Dark Side
Both silk and banana silk can cause dramatic changes in the way a rug looks as the viewer moves around and causes different configurations of light to reflect off the rug.
And of course, every rug, no matter what it's made from, has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes the difference is subtle. Sometimes it's dramatic.
Here is some real light-side, dark-side drama. Click on the image below to see a short video of the change in action.
