WHITE WASH AND SILVER WASH

Silver and white wash are chemical processes applied to new or vintage rugs to tone down bright colors and create a soft palette that is known as “washed out”. The process retains the original pattern – often a traditional “Oriental” pattern – but the “wash” process creates what is called a “transitional” rug which means a rug that effortlessly fits into contemporary and traditional interior design styles.

The beauty of washes is almost indescribable, but white wash creates a luminous glow like moonlight, while silver wash creates something similar to the sheen of moonlight reflected on water. Both washes are similar in concept and look to whitewash walls where calcite crystals in the lime-based wash creates a subtle quality of light refraction. Because these are transitional rugs, both white wash and silver wash rugs are chameleon-like in their ability to blend in with many different design styles. If you've fallen under the spell of vintage-style all-white homes - everything from Farmhouse style to Modern Rustic to Coastal Style to Scandi Modern - silver and white wash rugs are the perfect choice for these styles. Silver and white wash rugs are also perfect anchor points of calm in interior design schemes from traditional to contemporary.

The inspiration for our proprietary white and silver washes is the 19th century English design visionary William Morris (see Arts and Crafts). His textile design “Wandle” was named after the river that ran through his Merton Abbey Works in England where he hand washed and rinsed his textiles after dyeing. “Wandle” is an indigo discharge printed textile. Morris created the pattern by applying a design to dyed fabric using a color-destroying agent. Instead of printing a pattern the bleach-like color-destroying solution “subtracted” the pattern leaving behind a ghostly image with an immediate antique or vintage look that is not unlike the effect created by silver and white washes.