Discover Indian rugs

Indian women often dress in colourful clothing made from beautiful fabrics. Alongside the timber industry, textiles are one of India's largest industries. It's based on turning fibres into yarn, which is then dyed and woven into fabric. Making traditional Indian rugs is a centuries-old craft in India, often passed down from father to son for generations.

Traditional Indian weavers

Indian weavers traditionally use shades of green, light blue, pink and white. The designs of traditional Indian rugs are detailed and generally asymmetrical in nature. Weavers draw inspiration from their surroundings, so patterns often feature flowers and realistic figures.

How Indian rugs are made

Indian oriental rugs are made using asymmetrical knots. Without going too deeply into the weaving technique behind traditional Indian rugs, the vast majority are woven by hand. The rug-weaving technique has been passed down from father to son for generations. Indian weavers' technique is highly refined and aristocratic in nature. The base used for the rug is often cotton. The type of tools used depends on the region where the rug was made.

Floral motifs in Indian rugs

The most common pattern in Indian rugs is the floral motif. Blooming patterns are hand-woven and combined into a beautiful vintage rug. In some antique Indian rugs, flowers are arranged on the rug in clusters, with each stem connected to another. Persian rugs are known for this kind of design too. Alongside floral motifs, figures are also woven in the traditional way.

Traditional Indian rugs

Truly old, traditional Indian rugs sometimes depicted hunting scenes. Weavers drew inspiration from their surroundings, so these large rugs sometimes reflect entire scenes from Indian life. Elephants were also a recurring pattern in rugs, often paired with a border of masks. The waq-waq tree, also known as the maiden tree, is another common element in traditional hand-woven Indian rugs. Rugs featuring a waq-waq tree were often given as gifts from one tribe to another, as the waq-waq tree symbolises fertility and reproduction.

Regions of Indian rugs

When an Indian rug is made in the north of the country, soft, glossy Kashmir wool is often used. Coarse, opaque wool is generally used in the southern regions of India.

From the 1860s and 1870s, Indian rug manufacturers began using chemical dyes to produce rugs. This gave the textile industry a huge boost and the range of textile types increased enormously. Other materials could now be used to make rugs, and patterns from other parts of the world were put into production in India.

Changes in Indian rug designs

In the 19th century, Indian rug designs changed dramatically. Partly due to the shift in production, India was able to meet European market demand. European interior styles made their way into what had once been a very traditional India.

Genuine traditional hand-woven Indian rugs have become rare and valuable. Even so, you can still come across antique Indian rugs. Because a traditional Indian rug is woven from precious materials, it can last for decades. This is why they can still be seen in museums, for example as part of Indian history collections. Unfortunately, it's not always possible anymore to trace exactly where a rug came from.

Indian rugs today

The Indian textile industry continues to undergo major changes. Indian weaving is particularly known for the Jacquard weaving technique, also called the Jacquard mechanism. The Jacquard technique is mainly used to weave large, intricate patterns. Alongside cotton, Indian wool is still the most widely used material for producing Indian rugs. However, other materials such as jute rugs and synthetic materials like polypropylene are increasingly making their way into Indian rug production.