| When decorating a home, whether you are a | | | | be hard to fit into a room as they are traditionally |
| professional interior designer or a self-sufficient home | | | | made in a rectangular or round shape with a defined |
| owner, you will have run across the question of what | | | | border around the edge. If you have an unusual room |
| to do with the floor. Wall to wall carpeting can be | | | | shape or furniture arrangement, it can often clash |
| boring, stone and tile can be hard to live with (and | | | | with the rug layout. |
| hard on the feet), and hardwood floors can need | | | | Luckily, there is a way to have the best or both |
| something to break up the endless parallel lines. An | | | | worlds - a Custom Rug, made in the traditional |
| area custom rug is often the answer. | | | | hand-knotted method. Today, there are weaving |
| But, once you have decided you need an area rug, | | | | centers in Nepal and India populated by displaced |
| now what? Well, you may have spent hours trolling | | | | Tibetans who hand make rugs for export. This allows |
| through various shops, department stores, and home | | | | them to be self sufficient and not reliant on their |
| improvement stores. Many people have found what | | | | host countries. In the 50 odd years since they were |
| they need in these places and often you can get a | | | | forced from Tibet, they have managed to retain |
| machine-made custom rug for an additional fee. | | | | their culture and identity, and kept their centuries' old |
| However those who are not interested in | | | | tradition of rug making alive. These centers are often |
| "disposable" rugs made with cheap materials (meant | | | | the hubs of the community, housing children's schools |
| to be used for a couple years and then tossed out) | | | | and adult education classes. |
| are often frustrated by the selection. And | | | | With a hand knotted custom rug, you can select |
| increasingly, people have discovered someone in their | | | | from the wide range of modern designs available, or |
| family has developed allergies to the synthetic nylons | | | | you can utilize the graphic designer to match a |
| and glues that make up these mass produced rugs. | | | | wallpaper or fabric swatch. You can select from over |
| Hand-knotted rugs on the other hand, are desirable | | | | 1200 color samples, or can use your swatch to obtain |
| for their beauty, quality, warmth, natural organic | | | | a perfect color match. In the Tibetan tradition, these |
| materials, and investment properties. They are often | | | | custom rugs are only made from the highest quality |
| family heirlooms that have been passed down by | | | | hand-combed and hand-spun wool - made from |
| generations. If you are lucky enough to have one of | | | | Tibetan highland sheep - and Grade A Chinese silk. |
| these beautiful rugs, you may in fact, be starting | | | | The Tibetan rug knot is a unique high density knot |
| with it as a base and decorating the room around it! | | | | that produces a denser rug, increasing its durability. |
| However, traditional hand-knotted rugs are most | | | | So, you really can have it all! A custom rug made to |
| often made in traditional oriental patterns and colors. | | | | your size, shape, color, and pattern specification - |
| They can be hard to fit into today's decor - whether | | | | usually for less cost than a traditional hand-knotted |
| your style is Modern, Art Deco, Arts & Crafts, | | | | rug, and you can usually have it in less than 3 months. |
| Cape Cod, or your own personal mix and match | | | | A short amount of time to wait while talented |
| style. Traditional hand-knotted oriental rugs can also | | | | Tibetans hand knot a custom rug just for you! |