Practical answers for buyers working through a listing, measuring a room, or living with a wool rug in South Africa. Start with how to read measurements and knot density, then move on to swatch cards, floor plans, and everyday care.
If something in a listing is unclear, or you want to check a tone against your own floor before ordering, leave your email below. We reply from the Johannesburg studio, usually within two working days, and we answer the specific question you asked rather than sending a generic brochure.
Useful things to include: the room you have in mind, the size you are working with in centimetres, and whether you are after a knotted rug, a flatweave kilim, or a felted runner. If you already have a floor plan, mention it and we will tell you what we need from it.
One short message is enough. We will come back with the details that matter for your room.
A few points come up often enough that they are worth stating plainly. These are the working definitions we use in listings, quotes, and care notes, so nothing gets read two ways later.
Every size is given in centimetres, measured on the finished rug after washing and blocking, not on the loom. Knot density is stated per construction: 60-knot and 100-knot refer to knots per square inch, so the same motif can look tighter or softer depending on the weave you choose.
Pile height is listed in millimetres and taken at the highest point of the field. Wool and silk percentages are shown separately, because a small silk share changes how a rug catches light without changing how it wears underfoot.
Oat, walnut, and deep indigo shift with daylight, floor tone, and wall colour. A swatch card can be requested before ordering so the tone is checked against your own floors and light rather than against a monitor.
Made-to-measure sizes are quoted only after a floor plan is received. The approximate weeks on the loom are confirmed at that point, since they depend on the construction, the wool batch, and the queue at the cooperative.
In dry Highveld air, wool can feel static; a breathable underlay and occasional rotation help. In coastal humidity, air the rug and avoid sealing it under heavy furniture for long stretches. Dry cleaning of wool is recommended over home washing.
Undyed fleece from different sheep breeds reads unevenly across a field, and hand-dyed batches vary slightly between runs. This is normal in handknotted and flatwoven work and is not treated as a fault. If you need a close match to an existing rug, say so before the order is placed.
If something in a listing is unclear, write to info@himalayarug.com or call +27(57)1641261 and we will answer in plain terms.
Most of what people ask us comes down to reading a listing correctly, checking a colour against their own floor, and knowing what wool needs once it is home. Here are the answers we give most often.
Every size is given in centimetres, length by width, and it is the finished rug you receive, not the loom size. Knot density is stated per construction, so a 60-knot and a 100-knot rug are not directly comparable. Pile height is listed in millimetres, and wool and silk percentages are shown separately rather than as a single blend figure.
Yes. We send a swatch card so you can hold the oat, walnut, or deep indigo tone against your actual floor and the light in the room. Natural dyes shift a little between batches, and a swatch is the honest way to check that before a rug is woven or shipped.
Start with the largest furniture footprint, then decide how much bare floor you want left around it. In a living room the front legs of a sofa usually sit on the rug; in a dining room the rug should clear the chairs when they are pulled out. Send us a floor plan and we will work from your numbers.
Custom sizes are quoted only after we have your floor plan, because the weeks on the loom depend on the width, the knot count, and what the cooperative has scheduled. Once we confirm the size and construction, we give you an approximate timeline in weeks at that point.
Wool can feel static when the air is very dry. A breathable underlay helps, and rotating the rug occasionally keeps wear even across the field. Vacuum with suction only, without a beater bar, and avoid leaving heavy furniture in one spot for years at a time.
In humid coastal rooms, air the rug when you can and avoid sealing it under heavy furniture for long periods. For anything beyond a spot clean, dry cleaning of wool is the safer route than washing it at home. Cool water and a wool-safe detergent handle small spills.
Still working out where to go next? Send your floor plan or a question through the contact page, and read how we handle your details in our privacy policy.