A Guide To Handmade Rugs

This is our guide to getting you going on your journey to purchasing a Lilla Rugs. Our hope is that it will help you understand the differences between various handmade rugs and you'll get a better understanding as to what the right category is for you.

Traditional Rugs

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Traditional rugs form our largest rug collection. They are recognisable by their ornamental, often floral patterns, and decorative border designs. Rich colours are a typical feature of traditional rugs which offer a timeless addition to any interior style. We have an incredibly varied selection of Persian traditional rugs as well as Indian, Afghan and Caucasian pieces.

Large traditional rugs are ideal for your living room and other extended spaces. With a large variety available, from simple patterns to complex, ornate designs- we have the perfect rug to suit your style preferences.

Many of our traditional rugs are Persian city or village rugs. Types of Persian rugs generally come in three categories: city, village and tribal. They are all named after the city or village they were made in, or by the tribes that made them. 

The city rugs are known to be the highest in quality. The city rug weavers in Iran are known as 'master weavers' and some of them even sign their work, like a piece of art. Simply put, the city weavers are mostly men, and this is their full-time career and income. 

Those that are made in villages, or by tribes, on the other hand, are made by families. They weave the rugs, often from memory or inspiration on their travels, and sell them as an extra source of income. 

Shop our range of traditional rugs online or visit our showroom for one of the largest collections of traditional rugs in London. Not sure if a traditional rug is right for you? Check out our informative blogs for guidance! We also offer a House Visit service, to give you the luxury of viewing a variety of rugs i

Our contemporary rug collection includes designer modern rugs with simple and trendy designs. Modern contemporary rugs provide that personal touch to any interior style. Contemporary rugs are recognisable by their solid bold colours, abstract prints or geometric designs. A large contemporary rug provides the ideal addition to your living room, giving it a real personal touch.

Our collection of contemporary rugs includes modern Persian Overdyed rugsMoroccan Berber Beni Ourains and so much more!  Our modern style rugs are versatile and available in a wide range of colours.

Shop our range of traditional rugs online or visit our showroom for one of the largest collections of traditional rugs in London. Not sure if a traditional rug is right for you? Check out our informative blogs for guidance! We also offer a House Visit service, to give you the luxury of viewing a variety of rugs in situ.

Made from 100% genuine silk. The majority of this range is Persian in origin. The are among the most luxury of handmade Persian rugs.

Qum is a city around 150km south of Tehran. It is very well known for its weaving of fine pure silk rugs. They are the highest in knot count, and you will never see details more exquisite than you do in these Persian rugs. The designs are so intricate and life-like they look like an HD screen. The patterns are borrowed from different areas across Iran; but commonly feature gardens, medallions, plants, and animal motifs.

In an effort to continue upcycling outdated handmade rugs, the Distressed Vintage collection has arrived at Lilla Rugs. This growing collection is a careful curation of hand-knotted Persian rugs that have been deliberately distressed to achieve a softer and more muted colour palette.

The rugs in this collection are between 30-99 years old, which is classified as Vintage. In their original form, they are no longer desirable to the western market, due to their brash colours. To keep supporting local weavers, and ensuring the industry keeps moving, we have given these rugs a new lease of life. They go through a careful process to neutralise the original colours and wear down the pile, producing a beautiful and subtle rug design, that can work in almost any design scheme.

Overdyed Rugs

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Our Persian Overdyed and distressed rugs are very unique to Lilla Rugs. They are made from carefully selected rugs (mostly Persian Kerman rugs) that undergo a unique process of colour neutralisation before being overdyed in exciting new colours. Only naturally dyed carpets with natural wool fibres can be used to get the most out of this effect. You can read more about the upcycling process to create this collection here.

The process is as follows. The original rugs to undergo the upcycle process are carefully hand selected. They need to be in a good condition (no tears/ damages), and of course need to be made from natural materials (you cannot overdye rugs with synthetic materials). The Kerman rugs are handmade with a wool pile and a cotton foundation.

They are then colour neutralised & soaked, to strip the harsh tones of the original dyes. This process sometimes needs to be done numerous times, dependent on how strong the original colours were. 

They are then dyed over with a new colourway - giving them fresh life. Every piece will take to the colour differently. It depends on the original rug, the mix of dye, the weather conditions, and much more. This process is laborious, taking 3 or 4 months to get to the desired colour. The answer to the above question is that the wool has to be of a good quality, as it simply takes to this process better and gives a softer and more desirable finish. 

The pile will be shaved now in places, to give the rug a more distressed and vintage feel. This varies per rug - some are more worn than others. 

It is such a cool and great way to recycle and reuse a rug that would otherwise be dead inventory. It also gives good support to weavers in these areas. As all Persian rugs are recognisable by where they have been made in the country, those that are out of style would simply not be purchased. We are still able to buy these rugs, supporting the weavers, and upcycling to produce something that is now widely used in the UK (& beyond) and particularly loved by Interior Designers. They are softer in colour and design, and so are easy to work into most rooms.

Our handmade Moroccan rugs are crafted completely by hand, making them all one of a kind. Whether you’re looking for large Berber Beni Ourain rug to fill a room, or a small Moroccan Berber rug to complement your furnishings, we have a wide range of options to choose from.

These traditional Moroccan rugs were originally woven by the Beni Ourain tribes. European designers first fell in love with these rugs in the mid-20th century and so they were transported from the Atlas Mountains of North Africa and introduced into the West. 

At Lilla Rugs we have our own team of talented weavers in the Atlas Mountains – with some designed by the Lilla Rugs team, and others designed by the artisans that weave them. All of our Moroccan Berber rugs are eco-conscious and made from 100% wool, or a wool & cotton combination. Their quality is superior, and they are all finished to the highest standards before being shipped to the UK.

Traditional Beni Ourain tribal patterns can be traced back hundreds of years, some as far back as the Palaeolithic era. They are the most renowned Moroccan Berber rugs, often featuring the typical monochrome, diamond pattern. Because of the diversity of the seventeen different tribes that make up the Beni Ourain, there is a fascinating and subtle difference in the patterns and design elements present in the rugs and carpets that they produce. Their geometric, abstract designs can lend themselves to contemporary households, lying upon a stone or rustic wooden flooring as originally intended.

We love Moroccan Beni Ourain rugs! These gorgeous handwoven pieces add a surprising personality and touch of graphic glamour to a space. It’s no wonder these rugs have become so popular today - their style and uniqueness has spread far and wide across the globe, gaining attention from top designers and home decor stores. There is no interior magazine you can read without seeing a Moroccan carpet in it. Moroccan rugs are a decor necessity for design enthusiasts because they are one-of-a-kind, statement-making pieces that give any room a special feel. Due to their understated elegance and endless variety, they work just as well with contemporary maximalist interiors as they do with relaxed, eclectic settings. 

Don’t forget you can visit our showroom, to view one of the largest collections of Moroccan Rugs in London. We also offer a House Visit service, to give you the luxury of viewing a variety of rugs in situ.

Browse our collection of vintage rugs and antique rugs, all of which are incredibly unique and rare. The majority of our vintage rugs are vintage Persian rugs, with an age of 30-99 years. We also have antique Persian rugs for sale, which are defined by their age of over 99 years old. If you’re looking for a vintage rug company then look no further than Lilla Rugs. All our rugs are one of a kind and 100% handmade. Shop our collection of vintage and antique rugs online, or visit our showroom for one of the largest collections of vintage rugs in London, and the UK. We also offer a House Visit service, to give you the luxury of viewing a variety of rugs in situ.

Kilim Rugs

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The word ‘Kilim‘ is of Turkish origin and basically refers to a pileless textile. The pile is simply the rug term to describe the surface of the rug, and how dense it is. For example, a Moroccan Berber Beni Ourain rug has a thick pile - it is a thick/ fluffy/ heavy rug. Whereas a Kilim rug is flat & thin.

The main difference between a Kilim rug and other types of handmade rugs is that a Kilim is a flatweave (as touched on above). What is a flatweave? Flatweave describes a rug that is woven on a loom rather than knotted (by hand one knot at a time). It is created by interlocking warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads. So still very much made by hand - but with a weaving technique, rather than a knotting. 

Handmade rugs that have a pile, and are therefore not flatweaves, are created by knotting individual strands, of different colours, onto the warps. They are then held together by tightly pressing the wefts against each other. 

Kilim rugs are recognised by their simple and bold geometric designs. The vast majority of Kilims are made from 100% wool. In some cases, the warp will also contain cotton. 

Wool is a great choice for rugs. It is widely available, hardwearing, easy to handle and the vegetable dyes take to it perfectly. 

Tribal Rugs

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Our Tribal collection of rug include Kilims (flat weaves), Lori, Loribaft, Gabbeh, Baluch and Qashqai rugs.

Tribal rugs are woven by nomadic or semi-nomadic tribal weavers. They are considered to be skillfully hand-knotted carpets made by the nomadic tribes people of Iran, Afghanistan, the Caucasus, Turkey and Morocco. Tribal rugs convey a symbolic meaning as they represent global cultures and a multidimensional art form that defines the rug-making artistry. The artistry of the tribal rug becomes even more fascinating when you consider the stories that were traditionally woven into them. You can find tips to buying a tribal rug here.

Textured Modern Rugs

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This collection is for you if you are looking for something modern and simple, but with some texture. Combining high and low piles, or a textured pattern, these rugs aren't too busy but give some depth with their design.

They are made in India, handloom. The materials are a combination of wool and artificial silk to give a shine. Some pieces are pure art silk.

Plain Modern Rugs

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The Plain Handloom, block colour collection is made in India from wool and cotton - some with the addition of art silk to give a subtle sheen. The designs are singular solid colours, some with a few different shades of the one colour to provide a touch of movement. 

Our Persian Gabbeh rugs also appear in this section. They are the only Persian rug that is plain in design, with only some little figures and motifs. They are made from wool & cotton, and are tribal rugs. They are incredibly hardwearing and have a fantastic thick pile.

If you're after a subtle or modern design rug, this is the perfect collection for you!