As soon as I opened Anji Mountain‘s website and was treated to a vast expanse of thickly-forested mountain hills and vales all bathed in an effervescent mist, all semblance of objectivity went out the window. The image is so stunningly beautiful, in fact, I immediately reasoned that only good things can emerge from this company. And then, as if to confirm my fanciful strain of gullibility, I watched as a network of glowing green tendrils sprouted from the foreground. Of Course! I mentally rejoiced. Bamboo!

Bamboo Rug. Designed by Anji Mountain.

Yes, Anji Mountain specializes in cultivation of products from this, the world’s fastest-growing plant. But the real surprise here is that they don’t specialize in floors but rather (are you ready?) rugs. Thus, the Anji Mountain Bamboo Rug—”the last thing you’d expect from bamboo: it’s soft!” Sure to be trod on by the adoring, barefoot throngs at #NEOCONEAST come Wednesday and Thursday, Anji’s Bamboo Rugs are made of a proprietary blend of woven bamboo and cotton (the ratio is 80 to 20, if you can believe it). Nor is this high-bamboo content the only surprise here. As Anji helpfully informs us in a six point summary of the material’s advantages, bamboo is renewable (harvest-able every one to five years as opposed to 20+ years for hardwoods); versatile (used in multiple applications, including furniture, flooring, landscaping, paper, and more); and ecological, absorbing 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of hardwood.

All of that comes with the territory, but who would have thought you could turn this hard, durable substance into a collection of five vibrantly-colored floor coverings that easily pass for shag? I guess Anji was inspired to the innovation by the allure of the material, since bamboo not only possesses the merits outlined above, but also the perks of minimal shedding and non-irritating fibers, which makes the product hypo-allergenic. But even if you’re not prone to fits of sneezing or itchy, watery eyes, you owe it to yourself to see and feel (and purchase) one of these terrific rugs—never before has helping save the world felt so soothing to tired feet.