When decorating a home, whether you are a professional interior designer or a self-sufficient home owner, you will have run across the question of what to do with the floor.  Wall to wall carpeting can be boring, stone and tile can be hard to live with (and hard on the feet), and hardwood floors can need something to break up the endless parallel lines.  An area custom rug is often the answer.

But, once you have decided you need an area rug, now what?  Well, you may have spent hours trolling through various shops, department stores, and home improvement stores.  Many people have found what they need in these places and often you can get a machine-made custom rug for an additional fee.  However those who are not interested in “disposable” rugs made with cheap materials (meant to be used for a couple years and then tossed out) are often frustrated by the selection.  And increasingly, people have discovered someone in their family has developed allergies to the synthetic nylons and glues that make up these mass produced rugs.

Hand-knotted rugs on the other hand, are desirable for their beauty, quality, warmth, natural organic materials, and investment properties.  They are often family heirlooms that have been passed down by generations.  If you are lucky enough to have one of these beautiful rugs, you may in fact, be starting with it as a base and decorating the room around it! 

However, traditional hand-knotted rugs are most often made in traditional oriental patterns and colors.  They can be hard to fit into today’s décor – whether your style is Modern, Art Deco, Arts & Crafts, Cape Cod, or your own personal mix and match style.  Traditional hand-knotted oriental rugs can also be hard to fit into a room as they are traditionally made in a rectangular or round shape with a defined border around the edge.  If you have an unusual room shape or furniture arrangement, it can often clash with the rug layout.

Luckily, there is a way to have the best or both worlds – a Custom Rug, made in the traditional hand-knotted method.  Today, there are weaving centers in Nepal and India populated by displaced Tibetans who hand make rugs for export.  This allows them to be self sufficient and not reliant on their host countries.  In the 50 odd years since they were forced from Tibet, they have managed to retain their culture and identity, and kept their centuries’ old tradition of rug making alive.  These centers are often the hubs of the community, housing children’s schools and adult education classes. 

With a hand knotted custom rug, you can select from the wide range of modern designs available, or you can utilize the graphic designer to match a wallpaper or fabric swatch.  You can select from over 1200 color samples, or can use your swatch to obtain a perfect color match.  In the Tibetan tradition, these custom rugs are only made from the highest quality hand-combed and hand-spun wool – made from Tibetan highland sheep – and Grade A Chinese silk.  The Tibetan rug knot is a unique high density knot that produces a denser rug, increasing its durability.

So, you really can have it all!  A custom rug made to your size, shape, color, and pattern specification – usually for less cost than a traditional hand-knotted rug, and you can usually have it in less than 3 months.  A short amount of time to wait while talented Tibetans hand knot a custom rug just for you!