Questions to Ask Before You Order a Custom Rug

Before you order a custom rug, settle five things in writing: the exact size, the colour references, the fibre and construction, the drawing you are approving, and how the rug will get into the room. Most problems with made to measure rugs start with one of these left vague.

What should you settle before ordering a custom rug?

Settle the size, colour, fibre, construction and approval drawing, and get each one confirmed in writing. A custom rug is made to that brief, so the brief is the product.

At Rugberry most designs can be made in any size and colour, and the product pages say so in plain words: any size, any colour, made to your measure. The customisable rugs collection lists them, and the Quick Custom Program groups handloom ranges such as Grain and Plush.

How do you measure a room with columns, steps or a floor bed?

Measure the floor the rug will actually sit on, not the room. Indian homes often have features that change that answer:

• Columns: a structural column in the middle of a hall can sit inside the rug area. Decide whether the rug stops short of it, or whether a notch or cut out is needed, and mark its exact position from two walls.
• Sunken living rooms: measure inside the step, and keep the rug 5 to 8 cm back from the edge so it never hangs over the drop.
• Floor beds and mattresses: if a mattress sits directly on the rug, plan for it to show 45 to 60 cm on three sides, and check the rug lies flat under a low platform.
• Door swings: open every door that opens into the room and measure the gap under it. A thick rug can stop a door from clearing.

Write the final size in feet and centimetres, and say which side runs parallel to which wall. The glossary entry on made to measure sets out the terms.

Which colour questions matter most?

Ask how the colour will be matched and how you will approve it. A screen shows colour differently on every phone, so a physical reference is the only safe one.

Order a swatch where one is offered and look at it in the room, in morning light and under your evening bulbs. If you are changing a colour, ask whether it will be matched from a colour pom, a small wound sample of dyed yarn, and keep the approved reference.

Ask too about natural variation. Each dye batch can differ slightly, so if you are ordering two rugs to sit in the same room, ask for them to be made from the same dye lot.

Which fibre and construction will the rug be made in?

Confirm both, because they decide the feel, the price and what shapes are possible. A design shown as hand tufted New Zealand wool should be made that way at your size.

The Grain Wool Rug in russet is handloom woven with a low, closely textured surface, suited to dining rooms. The Plush Wool Rug in copper is handloom woven in New Zealand wool with a deep, quiet pile. The Cadence Wool Rug is hand tufted, with stepped bands that shift tone from edge to edge.

For a custom dining room rug that chairs slide over, choose a low handloom surface like Grain over a deep pile like Plush, because the chair legs will not catch.

A custom rug is made to its brief, so the brief is the product. Write it down.

What should you approve before making starts?

Approve a drawing that shows the finished size, the outline and the colour placement, with each colour named or numbered against your approved reference. Check it as carefully as an architect checks a shop drawing.

1. Finished size in feet and centimetres, and the orientation in the room.
2. Any cut outs, notches or curves, dimensioned from the edges.
3. Colour references for every area, matched to the swatch or pom you approved.
4. Fibre and construction stated in words.
5. The price for that size, with GST shown.

If something on the drawing differs from what you asked for, raise it then. Changes are simplest before the first row is made.

How will the rug get into the room?

A large rug arrives rolled, and a 12x15 ft roll is long and heavy. Measure the lift car, the turn of the staircase and the main door before you order, particularly in older buildings in Mumbai or Kolkata with narrow lifts.

Clear the floor before delivery, and plan where the furniture will go while the rug is laid. A rug pad, cut a little smaller than the rug, should be ready on the floor first.

Frequently asked questions

Can any Rugberry rug be made to a custom size?

Most Rugberry rugs are listed with any size and any colour, made to your measure. A few constructions and shapes have limits, so confirm the design and size before ordering.

How do I make sure a custom colour matches?

Approve a physical reference such as a swatch or colour pom, and check it in the room's own light. Keep that reference and make sure the approval drawing names it for each area of the rug.

What size should a custom rug be around a column?

Mark the column's position from two walls and decide whether the rug stops short of it or wraps around it with a cut out. Give the cut out dimensions on the approval drawing.

Is a custom rug priced differently from a stock size?

A custom rug is quoted for its size, fibre and construction. The listed price per square foot of a similar stock size is a useful guide before you ask Rugberry for a quote.

Measure twice, approve once. Material first.