Taupe is the colour interior designers reach for when grey feels too cold and beige too sweet. The Tapison Home Torino 063.0990.9243 shows why. Its ground sits exactly between the two, and across it run broad ivory lines that fold and turn like the stripes of a zebra or the contours of a dune.

From a distance the darker bands look like one soft brown. Close up they turn out to be a mix of sand, mocha and a surprising blue grey, woven thread by thread. That cool note is what lets the rug sit as happily on grey tiles as on a warm oak floor.

Bold in pattern, quiet in colour: that combination makes it easy to use. Try it in a living room built around linen, stone and smoked glass, under a dining table with wooden chairs, or beside the bed, where the short, dense pile is kind to bare feet.

Torino rugs are machine woven in Belgium from polyester, so the colours stay true and the pile springs back after furniture has stood on it. Underfloor heating is no problem. Care is simple: vacuum once or twice a week, lift spills with a damp cloth using a dabbing motion, and swap the rug end for end now and again.

Taupe reads differently in every home. Before you decide, have a look at it in our rug shop and showroom in Willebroek, in the Antwerp region, easily accessible from Antwerp, Brussels, Mechelen and Sint-Niklaas. Online orders travel free of charge across Europe and can be returned within 30 days.