How to recognize a Tibetan rug
Tibetan rugs use a unique looped knot cut over a rod, which gives a distinctive pile and a slightly ridged look on the back. Wool is Tibetan or New Zealand highland wool, lanolin‑rich and very durable, on a cotton foundation at 60 to 150 knots per square inch. Designs are modern: solids, subtle geometrics, botanicals and abstracts, and the pile is frequently cut to two heights or mixed with silk, hemp, linen, nettle or bamboo‑viscose for texture. They are the rug in designer‑furnished houses in Manhasset, Roslyn, Old Westbury, Lloyd Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor, Water Mill and Sagaponack, and in a great many Garden City and Huntington living rooms.
- Origin
- Nepal (Tibetan weavers), Tibet, some India
- Knot
- Tibetan rod‑loop knot; 60–150 kpsi
- Pile
- Himalayan wool; silk, hemp, linen, nettle or viscose highlights
- Foundation
- Cotton
- Dyes
- Generally stable; some vegetable‑dyed pieces less so
- Our method
- Fiber map → dye test → dusting → cold immersion, highlights sponged → clear rinse → centrifuge → flat dry, textures groomed
