Rugs for Ludhiana Homes

A Ludhiana kothi suits large, deep wool rugs sized to the whole seating group, in warm tones such as copper, camel and natural, because the rooms are big, the winters are cold and the house is full of people. Choose the deepest pile for bedrooms and the toughest construction for the drawing room.

What makes a Ludhiana home different for rugs?

A Ludhiana home is different for rugs because of scale and use: kothis are large, rooms are wide, floors are stone, and they are lived in by joint families who host often. Rugs have to be bigger, warmer and tougher than in a typical city flat.

The city is known across India for its knitwear and woollen hosiery, and families here know the feel of good wool. That is a useful instinct when choosing a rug. A dense, springy New Zealand wool pile is the floor version of a well made winter sweater.

Many family homes are double or triple storey kothis, with a drawing room for guests, a family lounge, large bedrooms on each floor and marble throughout. Weddings, festivals and family gatherings fill these rooms several times a year.

So the questions are practical: how big, how warm, and how well will it stand up to thirty people and a dhol on a winter night.

How big should a rug be for a Ludhiana drawing room?

A rug for a Ludhiana drawing room should usually be 10x14 ft, 12x15 ft or made to measure, large enough that every sofa and chair in the main seating group stands at least partly on it. Drawing rooms of 18 to 24 ft make a standard 8x10 ft rug look like an island.

Measure the seating, not the room. Mark where the front legs of each sofa and chair sit, add 15 to 20 cm beyond them, and that is the rug. Then check that 45 to 60 cm of marble shows at the walls.

Ludhiana room	Typical size	Rug size	Suggested weave
Formal drawing room	20 x 24 ft	12x15 ft or made to measure	Hand knotted New Zealand wool
Family lounge	16 x 20 ft	10x14 ft	Deep handloom wool, 18 to 20 mm
Main bedroom	16 x 18 ft	9x12 ft under the bed	Cashmere Blend, 16 mm
Elders' bedroom	14 x 16 ft	6x9 ft at the bedside, on a grip pad	Handloom wool under 15 mm
Dining room	14 x 18 ft	Table plus 60 cm each side	Low handloom wool

Where two seating groups share a long room, two rugs work better than one enormous one, each sized to its group with a strip of floor between. Our guide to one oversized rug or two helps decide.

Which rug keeps a kothi warm through a Punjab winter?

A deep handloom New Zealand wool rug keeps a kothi warmest through a Punjab winter, because its dense, tall pile traps air above the cold marble. For bedrooms, a Cashmere Blend rug adds unusual softness.

The Plush Wool Rug in Copper is handloom woven in New Zealand wool at 18 to 20 mm, a deep coppery brown that glows under warm lamps on a foggy evening. Its regular price is ₹40,000 for 5x8 ft, ₹1,06,000 for 9x12 ft, ₹1,37,000 for 10x14 ft and ₹1,76,000 for 12x15 ft, ex GST at the time of writing.

A paler sister, the Plush Wool Rug in Camel, is the same deep handloom wool in a softer golden brown, at the same regular prices. Camel suits rooms with cream sofas and light wood; copper suits darker furniture and leather.

The Cashmere Blend Rug in Natural is handloom woven in wool and cashmere at 16 mm, fine and very soft, at a regular price of ₹54,000 for 5x8 ft and ₹1,46,000 for 9x12 ft, ex GST at the time of writing. It is listed for low traffic, so keep it for a main bedroom rather than a busy lounge. Our guide to the Cashmere Blend collection explains why.

Which rug stands up to a joint family and weddings at home?

A hand knotted New Zealand wool rug stands up best to a joint family and weddings at home, because every tuft is tied to the warp and the pile is dense enough to recover from heavy furniture, many feet and the occasional spill. Deep handloom wool is the next toughest.

The Stratum Knotted Rug in Cinder is hand knotted in New Zealand wool, charcoal blocks broken by rust and copper, at a regular price of ₹1,75,000 for 9x12 ft, ex GST at the time of writing, with any size made to measure. Its dark, layered surface hides the traffic of a busy drawing room.

A Ludhiana drawing room is a public room. Its rug should be built like one.

For a wedding or a large gathering, move delicate rugs out, roll the cashmere away, and leave the toughest wool rug down. Put mats at every door and a runner on the path to the kitchen. Our guide to hosting a wedding at home has a full plan.

Avoid Botanical Silk in the main family rooms. It is beautiful, but water and heavy foot traffic both mark its sheen, and a Punjabi household is rarely short of either.

After the event, vacuum slowly in two directions, brush out any flattened pile and blot spots with a dry cloth and a little lukewarm water. A professional clean a week or two later removes what a vacuum cannot.

What colours suit a Ludhiana kothi?

Warm, deep colours such as copper, camel, rust, natural and charcoal suit a Ludhiana kothi, as they warm white marble in winter and hide wear in busy rooms. Pale ivory is best kept for upper floor bedrooms.

Many kothis pair white or beige marble with polished wood, leather and large chandeliers. Against that, a pale rug can disappear, while a warm mid or deep tone gives the room a centre.

Dust from roads and construction is part of life in an industrial city. Copper, camel and charcoal hide it for days; ivory shows it in hours. Our guide to rust rugs looks at warm tones in more depth.

If the drawing room is formal and rarely used, you can afford a lighter colour there. If it is where the family actually sits, choose the colour of the dust and the tea.

Upper floor bedrooms are the exception. They see fewer shoes and less dust, so a pale natural or ivory Cashmere Blend rug can live there happily for years.

How do you look after rugs in a large Punjab home?

Look after rugs in a large Punjab home by vacuuming the busy rooms twice a week, turning each rug every three months, using felt and rubber pads on marble and booking a professional clean every October. With that routine, a good wool rug lasts for decades.

Big rooms mean big rugs, and big rugs need help to stay flat and still. A full size pad under a 12x15 ft rug stops it creeping on marble and cushions it from heavy furniture.

Move heavy sofas a few centimetres every few months so the pile under the feet recovers, and use furniture cups under narrow legs. Deep piles show footprints and pressure marks, which brush out with a soft brush or a pass of the vacuum.

In summer, when the rooms are hot and many families move to the cooler floor of the house, roll the deep winter rugs, wrap them in cotton and store them with neem leaves. Our guide to rugs in a parents' home covers safe choices for elders' rooms.

Where can Ludhiana families see Rugberry rugs?

No Rugberry partner store operates in Punjab at the time of writing. A Ludhiana family can order swatches by post, or see the full rugs at the Experiential Centre in Noida on a trip to Delhi.

The centre sits at E-131, Sector 63, Noida, and opens Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Its 37 rugs are there to walk on, so bring a photograph of the drawing room and its measurements.

A 30 x 30 cm swatch of any rug costs ₹800, is posted anywhere in India and is credited in full against the rug. Order a Plush and a Cashmere Blend swatch and feel them both barefoot on your own marble on a winter morning.

Delivery to Ludhiana is free, and GST at 5 percent is added at checkout. For large or oddly shaped rooms, send a floor plan and the team will size every rug with you. For a farmhouse on the city's edge, see our guide to farmhouse rugs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best rug size for a large kothi drawing room?

A large kothi drawing room usually calls for a 12x15 ft rug, and a very long room for a made to measure size. Size it so the front legs of every sofa and chair sit on the rug, leaving 45 to 60 cm of bare floor along the walls.

Is a cashmere blend rug practical for a joint family?

A cashmere blend rug is best in a quieter room, such as a main bedroom, because it is listed for low traffic. For a busy lounge, a deep handloom or hand knotted wool rug is more practical.

Which Rugberry rug is warmest underfoot?

The Plush handloom wool rugs at 18 to 20 mm are the deepest regular Rugberry rugs and the warmest underfoot. The Cashmere Blend rugs at 16 mm are softer and very warm too.

Can a rug be made for a very large room?

Yes. Rugberry makes most of its designs to measure, so a rug can be sized for a drawing room of almost any size. Send the room plan with the furniture marked.

Is delivery to Ludhiana free?

Yes. Delivery costs nothing to Ludhiana and every other Punjab address, as it does across India. GST at 5 percent is not included in the listed price and is added at checkout.

Size the rug to the gathering, warm the marble and build the drawing room for a crowd. See the fine wool rugs and the Cashmere Blend collection. Material first.