x Heather Chontos Kaleidoscope Rug

Hold a piece of coloured glass up to a summer window and you get something close to this rug, Kaleidoscope. Tangerine, pink, cobalt, poppy red and sunflower yellow scatter over a pale, off white base, each shape traced in chocolate brown, like a still life that refuses to sit still.

A design this exuberant sets the tone, so keep everything around it simple. In a loft in a converted warehouse, with brick, weathered timber, rattan and a jungle of plants, it feels completely at home. 180 x 270 cm brightens a bedroom or study, 200 x 300 cm sits under a sofa and two chairs, 250 x 350 cm gives the pattern space in a living room, and 300 x 400 cm lets it rule a big open plan room.

The original comes from the period when Heather Chontos, an American artist, started painting on antique linen and found fabrics. Layered reproduces it with advanced dyeing techniques in 100% New Zealand wool, hand knotted in Bhadohi, India, with a generous pile of roughly 25 mm. It is suitable for underfloor heating, and as a handmade piece it may vary a little in size and shade. Expect a few loose fibres at first, which ease off. Vacuum gently with the brush bar turned off, and blot spills before they settle.