Cloud Veil Outdoor Rug

Description

Cloud Veil Outdoor Rug

A minimalist base that makes spaces feel finished

When a room needs clarity, the Cloud Veil Outdoor Rug provides it. The unpatterned, even weave creates a tranquil field of colour that pulls furniture together, softens acoustics and reduces visual noise. Use it to frame a compact patio set, steady an open-plan seating area or sit under a dining table where chairs glide cleanly across the surface. The restrained look feels contemporary yet timeless—equally at home in city apartments, coastal verandas and lodge retreats.

Material honesty, craft and performance

The cloud veil outdoor rug is woven from up-cycled polypropylene. Instead of generic yarns, tiny extruded fibres are hand-spun into a thicker, rope-like thread that catches the light and looks unmistakably crafted. Woven tightly on floor looms, the surface feels substantial underfoot while remaining practical: it shrugs off summer dust, coastal air, braai weekends, children, pets and poolside foot traffic. The construction is moisture-tolerant, colour-stable and fast-drying, which is why it excels in covered outdoor areas and high-use interiors.

Why polypropylene (done our way) works

• Durable & colour-fast under South African conditions.

• Easy-clean routine (hose, mild detergent, soft broom, rinse, air-dry).

• Design-forward: the hand-spun texture reads natural—not plasticky.

• Practical thickness (~1 cm supplier spec) adds comfort while clearing most door sweeps.

Dyeing: vivid colour with considered impact

Have a colour in mind? We can dye to match—from cool charcoals to warm greys or bespoke accent tones. We use acid dyes for their vivid colour and excellent colour-fastness. They are not organic or natural; however, our exhaust dyeing method is engineered so the dye is absorbed into the yarn, leaving virtually nothing to enter the water system. We avoid mordants and salt, reducing chemical load, and the small volume of warm process water is directed into a healthy grove of trees on the property. Heat for dye baths is generated primarily by a donkey boiler fuelled with alien-invasive sawmill offcuts, with minimal gas as backup—another tangible step in lowering impact while achieving consistent, beautiful colour.

Weaving: a collaborative craft on floor looms

Hand-weaving is a team craft at width. A single weaver can typically manage up to ±1.5 m; larger projects bring more hands to the loom. Working together, we pass the shuttle (the weft) through the warp (longitudinal yarns tensioned on the loom) to build the cloth, balancing tension and yarn relationships to achieve a stable structure and a refined hand. Our floor looms range from 90 cm to 8.5 m wide, enabling statement pieces in one continuous panel. Many of the larger looms were engineered in-house; smaller looms have been purpose-built, gifted or sourced from fellow weavers—an intergenerational ecosystem of tools, skills and care.

Glossary: Warp = the straight yarns stretched on the loom; Weft = the yarn passed through to interlace and form the fabric.

Stewardship as standard

The Shuttleworth team chooses to live and work consciously: operating off-grid, prioritising energy efficiency, and supplementing food from organically grown vegetables in on-site tunnels. Children grow up around making, community and respect for the natural environment. That same mindset shapes the textiles—re-use materials, minimise waste, and build products that last. When you choose Cloud Veil, you support production that is practical, beautiful and purposefully lighter on the planet.

Scale, placement and styling

• Standard size: 200 × 300 cm (supplier dims approx. 197 × 298 × 1 cm).

• Patios & verandas: a clean plane under a two- or three-seater lounge set.

• Open-plan lounges: grounds a sofa with side tables without visual bulk.

• Dining: chairs remain stable; the plain surface simplifies cleaning.

• Hospitality: predictable maintenance with a calm, design-led finish.

Styling guidance: Pair the neutral grey with blackened steel and concrete for contemporary clarity; with oak, rattan and brass for coastal-organic warmth; or with leather and mohair for a lodge-lux direction. Because the surface is plain, it is the perfect foil for patterned upholstery, art and collected objects.

Care & cleaning (step-by-step)

1. Hose down to wash.

2. For heavy soil, sprinkle washing powder.

3. Scrub lightly with a soft broom.

4. Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

5. Air-dry over garden furniture.
   Routine care restores the original hand and colour with minimal downtime.

Bespoke projects

If your brief requires a specific footprint or a precise grey, our looms and dye lab accommodate narrow runners through to exceptionally wide projects. Explore dye-to-match and special widths here: Made to Order