Exploring the custom rug journey

Our aim at Wendy Morrison Design is to create rugs that our customers absolutely adore. We want you to find a rug that makes your home feel special and complete, and adds a little bit of joy every time you look at it. But what happens when you find the perfect design, but isn’t available in the size you need? Or you have an awkward, unused space that you know would come to life with the addition of a beautiful floor covering? This is the time to consider a custom-sized rug.

We often get asked about custom-sized rugs, so we thought it might be helpful to chat through the process and explain what is involved in creating a rug that is perfect in every way. It is possible to create a custom-sized rug with all of our hand-tufted and hand-knotted designs, however, our designs can’t be downsized, there is simply too much intricate detail involved and making them smaller would lose that detail and compromise the balance. We start any custom-sized rug from 6m2, which means, when sizing up, we don’t risk sacrificing any detail or balance.

We will talk you through the process, either on the phone or with a virtual appointment, explaining each step, and offering design and styling advice if that is also helpful. Our previous journal post, Rugs – the natural starting point for room design, shares ideas on how to design your space around a rug, something that feels, well, quite natural to us! If you are looking for a bedroom rug, you can find ideas to consider in our journal post about Creating calm in the bedroom here and see why you might want to consider a custom size to work with your bed here.

Our sample service – essentially a refundable loan service, which enables customers to road test a smaller version of the rug they are keen on in situ – can be particularly useful here, to make sure customers are completely happy with their chosen design before committing to a custom order.

The practicalities of ordering a custom-sized rug are outlined in a proposal for each piece, which includes a shipping estimate (this can vary depending on size and weight). Customers can use an introductory 10% discount on their first purchase of a custom-sized rug. It is only once you are happy with your rug choice and want to proceed with the custom order that we request a 50% deposit, with the balance required once the rug is ready to be shipped. Wendy then draws up the design to the specified custom measurements, which is approved by the customer. Once approved, the rug goes into production either in India for hand-tufted or Nepal for hand-knotted styles.

The skill required to produce each rug, means hand-tufted pieces have a lead time of up to 16 weeks, while hand-knotted can take 4-5 months. Hand knotting is extremely labour intensive, with each knot created by hand and, to achieve the type of detail we have in our rugs, this means 150 knots per inch. A single hand-knotted rug takes four or five months to make, with up to four weavers working on a rug at a time. Our hand-knotted designs are incredibly special pieces, made to be loved by one generation after another.

While a rug is in production (you can read about the detailed stages of a hand-knotted rug’s journey here), we like to share progress pictures with the new owner of their rug on the loom. It is a fascinating process and one that people enjoy seeing take shape. As well as care instructions, each rug includes a label detailing who was responsible for tufting or knotting. We work with the same dedicated teams of artisan makers in India and Nepal, and have done so for many years. It is important to us to have that special relationship with the craftspeople who help us create our beautiful rugs. Each one is a labour of love from the early design inspiration through to the final washing, binding and finishing stages.

If you are looking for something special, the perfect finishing touch – or starting point – for your home, a custom-sized rug could be what you need. It is a service we enjoy being able to offer and will guide you through it every step of the way. Simply contact us by email, phone, Facebook or Instagram for a quote or any further details.