Riverstone Grey Outdoor Rug
A grounded, design-led foundation
Riverstone Grey Outdoor Rug – Charcoal Fleck is a large-format foundation piece that settles a space without competing for attention. The flecked weave—charcoal, stone and warm pebble—breaks up broad planes of decking or tiling, softens acoustics and delivers hand-made texture to modern, coastal or lodge-inspired schemes. Use it to frame a patio lounge, to zone an open-plan living area, or to steady a generous dining setting. The scale creates a calm, cohesive “island” that makes bigger rooms feel intentionally composed.
Material, craft and performance
Rather than commodity yarns, we work with up-cycled polypropylene. Tiny extruded fibres are hand-spun into a thicker, rope-like thread that catches the light and reads artisan. Woven tightly, the surface feels substantial underfoot yet shrugs off South African life: summer dust, coastal air, braai weekends, kids, pets and poolside foot traffic. It’s moisture-tolerant, colour-stable and easy to refresh, making it ideal for covered verandas, stoops and entertainment areas where spills and rinses are part of the rhythm of living.
Why polypropylene (done our way) works
Durable & colour-fast for high-use interiors and covered outdoor zones.
Easy-clean routine (hose, mild detergent, soft broom, rinse, air-dry).
Design-forward: the hand-spun texture looks crafted, not plasticky.
Practical thickness (~1 cm supplier spec) that clears most door sweeps.
Dyeing: vivid colour with considered impact
Have a colour in mind? We can dye to match—from timeless neutrals to on-trend hues. We use acid dyes for their vivid colour and reliable colour-fastness. They are not organic or natural; however, our exhaust dyeing process 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 the dye bath is generated primarily by a donkey boiler fuelled with alien-invasive sawmill offcuts, with minimal gas as backup—another way we reduce impact while achieving consistent, beautiful colour.
Weaving: a team craft on floor looms
Hand-weaving is collaborative—especially 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 (the longitudinal yarns tensioned on the loom) to build the cloth, balancing tension and yarn relationships to achieve stable structure and distinctive texture. Our floor looms range from 90 cm up to 8.5 m wide, enabling statement pieces in one continuous panel. Many of our larger looms were built in-house; smaller looms have been purpose-built, gifted or sourced from other weavers—an intergenerational ecosystem of tools, skills and care.
Quick glossary: Warp = the straight yarns stretched on the loom; Weft = the yarn passed through to interlace and create the fabric.
Stewardship as standard
The Shuttleworth Weaving 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, maintain quality and longevity. When you choose this rug, you support production that is practical, beautiful and purposefully lighter on the planet.
Scale, placement and styling
Standard size: 400 × 500 cm (supplier dims approx. 390 × 485 × 1 cm).
Patios & verandas: place fully beneath seating to create a true outdoor room.
Open-plan lounges: grounds a sofa, armchairs and tables without visual clutter.
Dining terraces: keeps chair legs on-rug even when pulled back.
Hospitality: a calm, durable base with predictable maintenance.
Styling guidance: Charcoal Fleck’s neutral mix pairs effortlessly.
For contemporary clarity: blackened steel, concrete, travertine.
For coastal-organic warmth: linen, rattan, brass.
For lodge-lux: leather, mohair, timber.
The flecked surface is forgiving between washes, disguising dust and day-to-day scuffs.
Care & cleaning (step-by-step)
Hose down to wash.
For heavy soil, sprinkle washing powder.
Scrub lightly with a soft broom.
Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
Air-dry over garden furniture.
Routine care restores the original hand and colour with minimal downtime.
Bespoke projects
If your brief requires a custom footprint or a precise palette match, our looms and dye lab accommodate narrow runners through to exceptionally wide projects. Explore dye-to-match and special widths here: Made to Order.
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