Small Woven Rug Eco Floor Mat

S:130cm x W:80cm approx

Please note, as this is a handmade product, dimensions & colour may vary from those shown in the photographs.

We are delighted to partner with a weaver named Bernard in bringing these mats and runners to The Basket Room. Bernard makes each one of these sisal mats himself in his workshop in rural Kenya, having learned to weave on a hand-loom through a UN-funded project over twenty years ago.

This type of weaving is physically and technically very demanding and the larger mats in this collection can each take up to four days to complete. Because of this, weavers like Bernard are a rarity. His beautiful mats and runners are works of an extremely rare and precious craft.

Bernard weaves each mat and runner from Kenyan sisal, a fibrous grass typically used for producing rope and twine. Its leaves are split, rolled and dyed by hand before Bernard meticulously works the fibres through the loom to create a fine, flat weave.

Like the majority of the weavers we partner with in Kenya and across Africa, farming lies at the heart of Bernard’s family income. During the dry seasons when crops fail and livestock suffers, Bernard’s skilled mat weaving gives him the opportunity to earn a fair wage through flexible work.

It is advised to use a non-slip underlay if positioning the mat on a slippery surface (laminated or stripped floorboards and tiles).

Made from sisal grass or banana bark depending on the design.