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Bartley Studio

Ovis is a concept store we designed and built. Nothing here is for sale.A concept store

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Ovisof Ross, since 1937
Isla Brennan knotting at a timber loom in the sandstone workshop in Ross, with afternoon light across the floorboards

Hand-knotted rugs in Tasmanian merino, made in Ross since 1937

Four rugs, knotted and woven by hand in our Ross workshop from Midlands superfine merino, coloured with lichen, madder, weld and indigo. About sixty leave the workshop each year, each one numbered and signed.

Shop the rugsDesign a custom rug
Founded in Ross
1937
Generations at the loom
4
Rugs a year, each numbered
60
From 1,186 owner reviews
4.9
  • The kind of rug you buy once, and leave to your grandchildren.Southern House
  • Tasmania's quietest luxury: sixty rugs a year, and a waiting list for most of them.The Island Review
  • Knotted with the patience of another century.Fibre and Form

Four generations at one loom: read the Ovis story

Four rugs, knotted and woven in our Ross workshop

Each one is named for a place on the island and dyed to match it. Three are hand-knotted, one is woven flat on the floor loom.

Every rug made by hand in seven stages, from fleece to floor

About sixteen weeks, most of it in the old schoolhouse in Ross.

How every rug is made

  1. The fleece

    Superfine merino from flocks within 30 km of Ross, shorn once a year.

  2. Spun

    Spun to a firm, even yarn that holds a knot.

  3. Dyed

    Dyed in pots of lichen, madder, weld and indigo.

  4. Warped

    Cotton warp strung on a frame loom taller than a weaver.

  5. Knotted

    Every knot tied by hand, about 9,000 a day for two weavers.

  6. Sheared

    The pile sheared level, then carved by hand where the design asks.

  7. Washed and dried

    Washed in rainwater and dried on the rail outside the workshop.

Two hands tying a wool knot onto the cotton warp of a loom

744,000 knots

knots, each tied by hand, in one Bay of Fires rug at 200 × 300 cm

Knots per square inch
80
Weavers on the loom
2
Weeks of knotting
16

Twelve rug colours, every one from a plant or an undyed fleece

No dye pot comes out the same twice. Across a rug that shows as soft bands of colour, called abrash, and it is how you can tell wool was dyed by hand.

Lichen orangeLichen and onion skin. The flecks in Bay of Fires.
Choose colours for a custom rug
Twelve balls of plant-dyed wool yarn laid out on raw linen

See an Ovis rug in a room before it is knotted

Choose a rug to lay it across this living room at 200 × 300 cm. The full visualiser has a bedroom, every size, and a place for a photo of your own room.

An empty living room with a linen sofa and an oak floor
Open the room visualiser
A weaver knotting a rug on a tall frame loom beside balls of dyed wool

Custom rugs in any size, from our twelve plant dyes

Start from one of our designs or bring your own. Choose the size to the centimetre, up to three colours and the pile, and see the price and the knotting time as you go.

Hand-knotted
from $980 a square metre
Flatweave
from $540 a square metre
Sizes
60 to 400 cm, either way
Design a custom rug

Reviews from Ovis rug owners

4.9 out of 5 from 1,186 reviews, every one from a verified owner.

  • We waited fourteen weeks and would wait again. It arrived with a card signed by both weavers and the dye lot written on the back.

    Tom and Priya R.Fitzroy, Bay of Fires, 250 × 350 cm

    Verified owner, July 2026

  • The silk along the waves is something else at dusk. Worth every week of the wait.

    Ellen G.Kingston Beach, Kelp, 200 × 300 cm

    Verified owner, August 2026

  • Takes dining chairs, muddy boots and a dog, and turns over when one side needs a rest.

    Ben H.Daylesford, Buttongrass, 200 × 300 cm

    Verified owner, September 2026

Reviews, ratings and press on this concept store are written for the demonstration.

Made to order
Knotted or woven for you in 8 to 16 weeks, with one size of each rug kept ready to ship.
Free delivery
Rolled, wrapped and delivered free anywhere in Australia.
Wool samples
A 20 cm square of any rug for $15, taken off your rug.
Repairs for life
Send it home to Ross for re-binding, re-fringing or a clean.

Questions about Ovis rugs

How long does a rug take to make?

A hand-knotted rug takes 14 to 16 weeks from your order, most of it on the loom. Buttongrass, woven flat, takes about 8 weeks. One size of each rug is kept ready to ship within a week.

Why does the colour vary across the rug?

Plant dyes never come out of the pot exactly the same twice, so a rug shows soft bands of colour called abrash. It is a sign of hand-dyed wool, and no two Ovis rugs are identical.

Will a wool rug shed?

A new knotted rug sheds a little loose fibre for the first few months. Vacuum it on a low setting without the beater bar and it settles.

Can I see the colour before I order?

Yes. Order a 20 cm wool sample of any rug for $15, and the cost comes off your rug.

Do you deliver outside Tasmania?

Yes, free anywhere in Australia. Rugs travel rolled, wrapped in cotton and tied, never folded.