Röllakan rugs are flatweave woven fabrics, often with simplified patterns and originally made using a tapestry technique.  Records show that the Swedish kilim is not a 20th century creation but has been in existence since the Viking Age but has had a renaissance in the early to mid 1900's.  Carpets woven with the roll sheet technique have the advantage of looking the same on both sides. Often it's only the artist's signature that reveals which side is upside down.

The word röllakan comes from the ancient Swedish word meaning 'back sheet', which refers to the fact that the richly patterned fabrics were hung on walls in farmhouses as protection against drafts. In southern Sweden, they were also used for riding cushions and tablecloths at weddings. Despite the fact that the roll sheet technique is more than a thousand years old, it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that people started weaving roll sheet rugs again. "Roll sheets" are woven by hand using yarn. The process is incredibly time-consuming but once finished, produces a rug with geometric patterns along with other designs in beautiful colours and like all Swedish rugs, the older they get, the better they become!