I — THE CLASSICS
The Classics
Heritage Underfoot. Luxury Reimagined.
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Handmade rugs from Jaipur, India: hand-knotted wool and silk rugs, woven by one artisan since 2001
Woven in Jaipur. Lived with everywhere.
II — Foreword
Each Carpetstory piece is woven by a single artisan, signed by hand, and travels from one room in Jaipur to another, anywhere in the world.
On the World Stage
Shown at Domotex 2012, on the world’s largest stage.
In 2012 our hand-knotted rugs were showcased at Domotex in Hannover — the world’s leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings, featured on Fashion TV. We had the biggest carpet showcase there, and our key collection was Shalimar.
III — A study in scale
0
hand-tied knots in an 8 × 10 ft piece.
Up to 0 knots in our finest weaves.
Knot density
6 to 14 knots per inch
Weave time
6 to 10 months
Made by
One artisan
IV — The materials
A short and considered list of things that touch the floor.
Wool
Imported from highland sheep in New Zealand, where the wool is long-fibered, lanolin-rich, and naturally lustrous. Hand-spun, never machine-carded.
New Zealand
Silk
Mulberry silk imported from China. Used as accent threads in the field, where it catches light differently across the day. Reserved for the finer weaves.
China
Cotton
The warp. The architecture beneath the pile. Long-staple cotton imported from various parts of India, twisted to a density that holds the knots for a hundred years if cared for.
Various parts of India
The colour
Three plants. A river. A roof.
Every colour in a Carpetstory piece begins as a plant, ground or boiled or fermented, then dipped, dried, and dipped again until the wool refuses any more.
Madder
Indigo
Walnut
V — Heritage
Since 2001, keeping the dust out of the dye.
2001. Carpetstory began as a family export house in Jaipur: looms, dye vats, and a ledger of orders from houses that never asked our name. We wove for others first. It taught us everything about how a rug should be made, and nothing about how it should be signed.
2012. By then our rugs had reached more than thirty countries. At Domotex Hannover, the world's leading carpet fair, we staged the biggest carpet showcase of the fair with the Shalimar collection; Fashion TV filmed it. We came home knowing the work could stand anywhere.
Today. The atelier works under its own name now. One artisan to one rug, six to ten months on the loom, madder and indigo and walnut in the vats. The next chapter is authorship: pieces signed by the hand that tied the knots. The madder red is still exactly the same.
The atelier courtyard, Jaipur
Checking the indigo vat
The order ledger
From the founder
Carpetstory began in 2001 as a family export house. I grew up around it, and somewhere along the way I noticed the world had stopped looking at the floor.
Carpetstory is a small attempt to make people look down again. Not at the rug — at the eight months it took, and the hands that took them.
AashritMore about Aashrit GargThe house
Handmade rugs from Jaipur, India
Carpetstory is a hand-knotting atelier in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Every rug that leaves the house is woven by one artisan on one loom over six to ten months, then signed on the back by the hand that tied the knots. The firm has worked this way since 2001. The craft is centuries older.
Hand-knotted rugs: one artisan, one loom
A hand-knotted rug is built one knot at a time. The weaver ties each Persian knot around two warp threads, cuts it, beats it down and moves on to the next. At six to fourteen knots to the inch, an 8 by 10 foot piece holds hundreds of thousands of knots, every one placed by hand. That is the difference between a handmade rug and a hand-tufted or machine-made one: nothing is glued, nothing is punched, and the pile can be re-knotted a generation from now.
We keep one artisan on one rug from the first thread to the last. It is slower than a line of weavers, and it shows. The tension stays even across the whole field, the colour transitions are one person's judgement, and the finished piece carries a single signature rather than a batch number.
Wool, silk and the three plants that colour them
The wool comes from highland sheep in New Zealand, chosen because the fibre is long, lanolin-rich and naturally lustrous. It is hand-spun rather than machine-carded, which leaves the yarn slightly irregular and the surface of the rug alive under light. Mulberry silk from China is reserved for the finer weaves, used as accent threads in the field where it catches the light differently across the day. The warp underneath is long-staple Indian cotton, twisted to a density that holds the knots for decades.
Every colour begins as a plant. Madder for the reds, indigo for the blues, walnut for the browns. The wool is dipped, dried and dipped again until it refuses any more dye. Natural dyes age differently from chemical ones: they soften rather than fade, and the madder red in our first rugs from 2001 is the same red we dye today.
Custom rugs: any size, any colour, to the centimetre
Most of what we weave is made to order. A custom rug can be any size or shape, from a narrow runner to a piece that fills a whole room, and any colour matched to a RAL or Pantone reference on hand-dyed wool. We state tolerances before we begin, and you approve a technical sheet and a physical sample before the loom is warped. The sizes most living rooms and bedrooms call for, 8 by 10, 9 by 12 and 10 by 14 feet, are woven to order on the same looms as the bespoke pieces.
For interior designers, architects and importers
Carpetstory is a rug manufacturer in Jaipur as well as an atelier. Since 2001 our rugs have reached more than thirty countries, and in 2012 we staged the biggest carpet showcase at Domotex Hannover, the world's leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings, with the Shalimar collection. Today the trade side of the house works with interior designers, architects, importers and hotel projects: trade pricing, full collection access, project samples and one point of contact for specification. Programme orders start at five pieces per design; for designers we also weave single bespoke pieces. Hand-knotted, hand-tufted and machine-made constructions are all available for contract work.
The sample kit is where most projects start. Four samples, each twelve inches square, woven to your specification: two hand-knotted, two tufted. The first four are on us.
The collections: Persian-knot classics, Art Deco, geometric and abstract rugs
The Classics and The Indian Heritage carry the courtly patterns Jaipur is known for. Art Deco and Geometric hold the graphic pieces designers reach for in modern interiors. Abstract and The Muse and Motif are where the atelier experiments with colour and scale. Each collection page shows the pieces available to commission, with materials and knot density listed for every named rug.
Buying directly from the maker
A rug that passes through an importer, a wholesaler and a showroom has been marked up three times before it reaches a floor. Buying from the atelier removes those layers. You deal with the people who dye the wool and tie the knots, you see the piece on the loom if you wish, and the price reflects the work rather than the chain.
From Jaipur to your floor
We ship handmade rugs from India worldwide. Sea and air freight leave from Delhi with full export documentation, and door-to-door delivery is available to Germany and the EU, the Gulf, North America and beyond. The journal explains what importing a rug from India involves, from Incoterms to duty and transit times, so there are no surprises at customs.
A hand-knotted wool rug, vacuumed gently and rotated twice a year, will outlast the room it was bought for. When it needs attention, the atelier that wove it can repair it knot for knot.
The atelier in Jaipur receives visitors by appointment. Write to us, message us on WhatsApp, or start with the four samples. We reply within one business day.
See the collections · How a rug is made · Partner with us · Order the four samples · Read the journal
Questions people ask
Handmade rugs, answered
What is a hand-knotted rug, and how is it different from hand-tufted or machine-made?
A hand-knotted rug is tied one knot at a time on a loom; the pile is the knots themselves. A hand-tufted rug is punched through a canvas with a tufting gun and held together with latex glue. A machine-made rug is woven by a power loom in hours. Hand-knotting takes months, lasts for decades and can be repaired knot for knot. Carpetstory weaves hand-knotted pieces in the atelier and offers tufted and machine-made constructions for trade programmes.
Are handmade rugs from Jaipur good quality?
Jaipur has been a hand-knotting centre for centuries, and quality varies by workshop, not by city. What to check: the knot density (Carpetstory weaves six to fourteen knots to the inch), the wool (ours is long-fibre New Zealand highland wool, hand-spun), the dyes (madder, indigo and walnut rather than chemical colour), and whether one weaver kept the tension even across the whole piece. Ask to see the back: on a well-made rug the pattern is as clear there as on the front.
How long does it take to weave a handmade rug?
Six to ten months on the loom for a hand-knotted piece, depending on size and knot density, with one artisan on one rug from the first thread to the last. Tufted and machine-made programmes move considerably faster; exact lead times come with your quotation.
What does knot density mean?
Knots per inch, counted along one side. Carpetstory weaves between six and fourteen knots to the inch, which puts an 8 by 10 foot rug at several hundred thousand hand-tied knots. Higher density allows finer curves and detail; lower density gives a heavier, more textured pile. Neither is better on its own; the design decides.
Which materials are used?
Hand-spun New Zealand highland wool for the pile, mulberry silk from China as accent threads in the finer weaves, and long-staple Indian cotton for the warp. Wool carries the rug; silk catches the light.
Are the colours natural dyes?
Yes. Madder for the reds, indigo for the blues, walnut for the browns, in vats at the atelier. Natural dyes soften with age rather than fading, and no two dye lots are identical.
Can I order a custom size or a custom colour?
Yes. Any size or shape to the centimetre, from runners to room-filling pieces, and any colour matched to a RAL or Pantone reference on hand-dyed wool. Tolerances are stated before we begin, and you approve a technical sheet and a physical sample before weaving starts.
What size rug do I need for a living room or bedroom?
For a living room, a rug that sits under the front legs of every seat: 8 by 10 feet or 9 by 12 feet in most rooms. For a bedroom, a rug that extends at least two feet beyond the sides and foot of the bed: 8 by 10 for a queen, 9 by 12 for a king. Because every Carpetstory rug is woven to order, the exact dimensions of your room are the only sizes that matter.
Do you work with interior designers, architects and importers?
Yes. The trade side of the house offers trade pricing, full collection access, project samples and one point of contact for specification. Programme orders start at five pieces per design; for designers we also weave single bespoke pieces. Details are on the Partner with Us page.
Do you ship handmade rugs from India worldwide, and who pays import duty?
We ship worldwide. Sea and air freight leave from Delhi with full export documentation; door-to-door delivery is available to Germany and the EU, the Gulf, North America and beyond. Import duty and VAT depend on your country and the Incoterm on your quotation; the journal has a plain guide to importing a rug from India.
Can I see samples before ordering?
Yes. The sample kit is four pieces, each twelve inches square, woven to your specification: two hand-knotted, two tufted. The first four are on us; further samples are quoted with your project.
How do I care for a hand-knotted wool rug?
Vacuum without a beater bar, rotate the rug twice a year so it wears evenly, and blot spills with cold water rather than rubbing. Have it professionally hand-washed every few years. A hand-knotted rug can be repaired knot for knot, so wear at an edge or a spill that will not lift is a repair, not a replacement.
Can I visit the atelier in Jaipur?
Gladly, by appointment. The atelier is in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Write to us or message us on WhatsApp and we will arrange a time to see the looms and the dye vats.
Is Carpetstory the same company as Jaipur Rugs or Carpet One?
No. Carpetstory is an independent hand-knotting atelier in Jaipur, founded in 2001 and a brand of House of Dotone LLP. It has no connection to Jaipur Rugs, Carpet One or any other company with a similar name.
For private homesBegin an inquiry →
A rug, considered.
Tell us about the room, the light, the way the day moves through it. We'll suggest a piece, or commission a new one.
For tradeOpen a trade account →
For architects and designers.
Trade pricing, full collection access, project samples, and a dedicated point of contact for specification.