Floor Show: The pull of a customised rug or three at home cannot be overestimated

By Renuka Kennedy
Aug 09, 2023

Rugs are a neat way to lay down extra colour, texture and glamour in your home, effortlessly elevating the interior decoration while protecting the floor. If you welcome their uplifting warmth – both to your feet and your spirits – why not get one or more bespoke creations that will perfectly complement the size and palette of your empty spaces? Customised rugs offer endless design options, and as you step across them every day, they serve as continuous reminders that you have been part of making something beautiful and unique.


Also Read: Creative ways to transform your walls with bespoke wallpapers


Rug Your Life

Taking pride in converting any artwork into an alluring floor covering, Rug Your Life works from your own drawing or a painting you saw at a museum or gallery and absolutely loved. In fact, the company is best known for its rugs based on the works of 20th-century modern artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and more.


Customised rugs
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Rug Your Life 

Once the starting image has been chosen and sent to Rug Your Life, measurements, shape and cost are discussed. At this point, you will finalise the material from a range of options including wool, linen, silk and mohair. The company will also advise on the appropriate weaving technique based on your design choice and budget.


If your artwork has intricate details, Rug Your Life founder Nayla Ventura recommends going for a Tibetan knot rug as this technique allows the weaver to replicate any design down to every minute detail. This hand-knotting technique results in the softest, densest and most durable rugs. On the other hand, hand-tufted rugs are great for simple designs, take less time to be made, and are easy to maintain. The latter is also more budget-friendly:10 square feet of hand-tufted rug costs about HK$95,000 compared to HK$142,000 for hand-knotting.


Customised rugs
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Rug Your Life 

No matter the design or type of weaving, Rug Your Life creations are sustainably handmade using the finest materials. Each rug takes between six and 14 weeks to be finished, depending on the size and technique, but to add to the anticipation of its delivery to your home, you will be sent pictures twice a week of it being made.


To order, email inquire@rugyourlife.com


J&P Carpets

If you aspire to highlight your room with a luxury rug that would be right at home in a five-star hotel, then why not get customised rugs from a company that actually makes them for top hospitality groups like the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood and Shangri-La. Established in 1993 by John Yu, J&P Carpets crafts high-quality rugs using hand-tufting and the Axminster technique. The latter, a mechanical method based on traditional Oriental carpet weaving, suits large-scale projects, while hand-tufted rugs are a better fit for residences.


persian vs turkish rugs
J&P Carpets at Shangri-La Paris

J&P can custom-make rugs in any size, shape, design or colour using this technique whereby a weaver handcrafts the rug with the help of an electrical tufting gun for a faster and more affordable process. A 25-square-metre rug fashioned from 100% New Zealand wool – the most commonly chosen material – will cost about HK$23,500 and takes less than five weeks to complete.


Customised rugs made from the wool of New Zealand sheep have a smooth, warm texture, and are less prone to tearing, indenting by heavy furniture and other damage. You can also ask for your wool rug to be combined with other materials such as bamboo, bamboo silk, viscose and nylon for extra strength and durability. With good care, such rugs can last for up to 15 years; they are also easy to clean. Pure silk is another highly sought-after raw material since it delivers a supremely soft and exquisite rug that can go up to HK$300,000 for a 25-square-metre piece.


handwoven rugs

Once you have pinned down the perfect physical attributes for your rug, the design team at J&P Carpets will send you pictures of how it would look, followed by a sample so that you can get a feel of it. After you are completely satisfied with its visual and tactile features, the rug will be made and delivered to your home in just over a month.


To order, email glen_wai@jpcarpets.com.hk or call or WhatsApp (852) 9139 8010


Custom Rugs

One of the go-to rug makers for interior designers and architects, Custom Rugs is also ideal for individuals who need extra assistance in getting customised rugs for their homes. Choosing the right design from the myriad of options available can be overwhelming and exhausting, so the company goes the extra mile to make decisions less burdensome. They will advise on the style, size and colour scheme that is right for your tastes and décor, and help you choose the perfect material from options including, but not limited to, silk, bamboo silk, merino wool and viscose. Browsing through their wide selection of rug designs which can be personalised serves to focus undecided minds.


handknotted rugs

Once the appearance and feel of the rug are set, Custom Rugs gives customers the option of three weaving techniques – hand-knotted, hand-tufted or hand-loomed. One advantage of hand-loomed rugs is their sleekness – there is less of a risk of tripping over a slim edge than a thick one. They are also reversible and absorb sound. For the premium weaving technique of hand-knotting, the company usually opts for the Persian method. Compared to Turkish double-loop knots, Persian single-loop knots gives a more refined weave and a higher knot count; a weaver can pack anywhere between 85 and 500-plus knots per square inch, allowing for the simplest of designs as well as the most intricate. Depending on the design and the size of the rug, it takes from six to 12 weeks to be made. A 12’ X 10’ fine Merino wool rug with an intricate design that will require 400 Persian knots per square inch can even cost HK$108,000.


To order, email customrugshk9@gmail.com or WhatsApp (852) 9822 0006


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