How does the custom rug process work?
A bespoke rug runs in nine steps: brief, design development, specification, a sample where one is required, approval and deposit, production, progress photographs, final balance, and delivery by FedEx. You approve the design and the specification before anything goes onto a loom, and you see the rug photographed as it is woven.
Can I design my own hand-knotted rug?
Yes. That is the normal way we work rather than a special service. You can bring artwork, a color story, a photograph, a sketch on paper, or a room and a problem to solve. What comes back is a rendering of the rug at size, which is the document everything else is built from.
What are the stages from design to delivery?
| Step | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Client brief | You describe the rug: size, shape, materials, knot count, palette, artwork, and what the room needs | Send the brief |
| 2. Design development and rendering | Our designers develop the design and render the rug at size | Review it and tell us what to change |
| 3. Material, color, knot and pile specification | The fiber or blend, the palette, the knot quality and the pile height are set, and we recommend what suits the design | Confirm the specification |
| 4. Sample where required | A woven sample is made in the specified materials, quality, pile height and colors | Review the sample and ask for adjustments |
| 5. Client approval and deposit | The design and specification are locked | Approve, and pay the 50 percent deposit |
| 6. Production | The rug is woven, washed, stretched, trimmed and finished | Nothing |
| 7. Progress photographs and updates | Our team photographs your rug as it is made | Watch it happen |
| 8. Final balance | The rug passes final review and is prepared for shipping | Pay the remaining 50 percent |
| 9. FedEx delivery | The rug ships worldwide by FedEx Express with a tracking number | Unroll it |
How many revisions do I get on a rug design?
Reasonable design development is included, and in practice most projects settle in the first couple of rounds: the first review usually settles scale and palette, the second settles detail. We would rather get the drawing right than count rounds.
Two things are worth knowing. Material changes after approval may require a revised quotation, because the specification is what the price was built on. And an adjustment made after seeing a woven sample is part of the approval process, not a design revision.
What is a rug sample and should I get one?
A sample is a small piece of the actual rug, woven by the same team, in the specified materials, at the specified knot count and pile height, in the approved colors. It is not a swatch card. It goes through the same sequence the full rug will: color matching, dyeing, on the loom, washing, stretching, finishing, final review, then it is shipped to you.
We recommend one on a bespoke commission, because a color chosen on a screen and a color woven in wool are not the same experience. Wool takes dye with its own depth, silk shifts with the light, and pile height changes how a color reads from across a room. The sample is where those are settled while changing them is still cheap. It is not required on every commission, and sample pricing is quoted with the commission.
How do I choose colors for a bespoke rug?
Color is fixed in two steps. First you specify it, working from references you bring or from yarn poms, which are small bundles of dyed yarn used as physical color references. A pom shows a color in the actual fiber, which a printed chip cannot.
Second comes color matching, the first checkpoint inside sampling: yarn is dyed until it matches the specification, and the sample is woven from that yarn. If the match is not right, it is corrected before anything goes onto a full-size loom.
Can I see photos of my rug while it is being woven?
Yes, at every stage. Our team in Kathmandu photographs your rug at each checkpoint, and the checkpoints are the real steps of the work:
- Sampling: color matching, dyeing, on the loom, washing, stretching, finishing, final review, shipped to you.
- Production: dyeing, on the loom, washing, stretching, finishing, final review and quality control, ready to ship.
Each of those is a dated photograph of your rug, not a stock image of a workshop, and they reach you through our platform or directly from our team. It is also why we can answer the provenance questions on how our rugs are made ethically with evidence rather than assurance.
What happens after the rug comes off the loom?
More than most people expect, and it is where a good rug is separated from a finished one. Washing softens the pile and settles the color. Stretching brings the rug to its correct dimensions and squares it. Finishing includes hand-trimming the pile to an even height, and on carved designs, cutting the pile at varying heights to give three-dimensional texture. Then final review, which is the quality control pass that has to be signed off before the rug can be released to ship.
Bespoke vs custom rugs: is there a difference?
The words are used interchangeably in the design world, and they describe different things. We call our own work bespoke, because that is what it is.
| Custom | Bespoke | |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Chosen from existing designs, patterns, materials and colors | Designed from scratch, with input on every aspect |
| Materials | Pre-processed materials sourced in bulk | Material selected and prepared for the individual piece |
| Craftsmanship | Production weaving techniques | Weavers dedicating time to one piece |
Can I get a bespoke rug in any size or shape?
Rugs do not have to be rectangles. We weave rectangular, round and irregular shapes, with the shape set out in the rendering and cut and finished by hand at the end. Non-rectangular shapes take more setup and more finishing, which is reflected in the quotation. Tell us the size you need and we will confirm what is possible on the loom.
What artwork can I send?
Send high-resolution JPG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, AI, EPS or PSD files. Physical artwork can be photographed or scanned, and we will tell you if we need a better capture of it. Client-supplied artwork remains the intellectual property of its owner.
How long does a bespoke hand-knotted rug take?
Approximately four to six months from approved design to completion, depending on the size, the knot density, the complexity of the design and whether a sample is made. Shipping time is stated separately.
A high knot count adds time, because density is time on the loom. So does a design with a great many colors, since every color has to be matched and prepared before weaving starts.
FAQ
Can I turn a painting or artwork into a rug?
Yes. Artwork is the starting point for the rendering, which translates it into something a loom can hold at the chosen knot count.
What file should I send?
High-resolution JPG, PNG, PDF, TIFF, AI, EPS or PSD. Physical artwork can be photographed or scanned.
Do I have to approve a sample before the rug is woven?
A sample is recommended on a bespoke commission and is made where the commission requires one. Your approval is given against the sample when there is one, and against the specification when there is not.
How long does it take?
Approximately four to six months from approved design to completion, depending on size, knot density, complexity and sampling. Shipping time is stated separately.
Can I change the design after I have approved it?
Reasonable design development is included before approval. Material changes after approval may require a revised quotation, because the specification is what the price was built on.
Who sees my design?
Your design goes to our own team in Kathmandu. Client-supplied artwork remains the intellectual property of its owner. See where our rugs are made.
When do I pay?
50 percent to begin production, 50 percent before the rug ships. See what a hand-knotted rug costs.
Can I return a bespoke rug?
No. Custom and bespoke rugs are final sale, which is why the specification and sample steps exist.
Start from a piece in the collections or email info@weaverandloom.co with a brief.