Pull back the rust orange border and an entire field of pastel diamonds opens up underneath, calmer than you would expect from a kilim this size.

The Tapison Home Kilim Mirage 149415 lays row upon row of diamonds across an ivory ground, each one filled with its own quiet combination of dusty rose, sage green, lavender and slate blue, with the occasional flash of burnt orange to keep things from drifting too soft. That softness stops abruptly at the border, where a deep rust orange frame, patterned with small white and teal motifs, holds the whole composition firmly in place. The contrast between the calm centre and the warm edge is what gives the Tapison Home Kilim Mirage 149415 its particular character, gentle from a distance, full of small detail up close.

Made entirely by hand in Afghanistan from pure wool, this kilim carries no pile and no backing. Every diamond is woven straight into the structure rather than printed or stitched on afterwards, so turning the rug over shows almost the same pattern in reverse, just with the threads run the other way. That flatweave construction keeps it pleasingly light for its near three by two metre size, easy to roll, carry or reposition, and the wool will only soften and deepen in tone the longer it lives in a room with daylight.

A palette this gentle works particularly well in rooms that already lean toward pale wood, linen and worn brass, where the rug adds pattern without raising the temperature of the space. It sits comfortably under a low coffee table in a seating area, or stretched beneath a dining table where the diamonds line up neatly with the legs of simple wooden chairs. Because the colours are so muted, it pairs just as easily with a bolder armchair or a single saturated cushion as it does with an entirely neutral room.

This being a one of a kind piece, the Tapison Home Kilim Mirage 149415 will never be rewoven in quite the same way twice. A diamond may sit a thread's width off from its neighbour, a dye lot may run a shade paler in one corner than another, and these are simply the marks of a single weaver working from memory rather than a printed plan. The rug in these photographs is the exact one that will reach your home.

Caring for it is straightforward. Vacuum gently and avoid a beater bar, turn the rug from time to time so wear and light exposure spread evenly, and flip it occasionally since both faces are finished and usable. Lift spills with a clean cloth rather than scrubbing, and send it for professional washing every few years. With that simple rhythm, a flatwoven piece like this one tends to look better with age, not worse.