A rug is the largest piece of art most people put in a room, and it is the one I always start with. Get it right and it sets the color, the mood, and the whole sense of a space. I started designing rugs because I could not find the ones I wanted anywhere, so every collection here exists because I wanted it to and could not buy it. Here are my favorites, what makes each one special, and how to choose the right one for your room.
The Labyrinth Collection: hand-tufted maze rugs
My first collection, and still close to my heart. The Labyrinth rugs take the pattern of a traditional garden maze and render it in plush, hand-tufted New Zealand wool with a soft bamboo-silk touch. They come in a range of sizes and nature-inspired colors, and the graphic Greek key pattern reads beautifully in everything from a modern room to a classical one. A few favorites:
The Lucca, the Knossos, and the Amiens.
The Iconium Collection: hand-knotted Turkish wool rugs
This is the heirloom end of the line. The Iconium rugs draw on Turkish and Egyptian motifs and are hand-knotted in 100% New Zealand wool, finished with a tassel trim that protects the edges and gives them a collected, vintage feeling. These are the rugs you hand down. Look at the Cairene, the Mamluk, and the Dede.
CHROMA: solid color wool rugs
Sometimes a room needs one perfect, saturated hue underfoot rather than a pattern. The CHROMA solids are hand-dyed wool with the kind of depth only hand-dyeing gives you, made to anchor a whole palette with a single color. This is where my love of color does the talking.
The Color Study: handwoven wool flatweave
For something graphic and a little playful, the Color Study flatweave brings Bauhaus-inspired geometry and bold color in a flat, low-profile weave. It is the easiest of my rugs to layer and the most modern in spirit.
The Cumulus Cloud: Tibetan hand-knotted rug
The softest thing I make. The plush Cumulus Cloud rug is hand-knotted in the Tibetan tradition, with a dreamy, cloud-like surface that is about as luxurious as a floor can feel underfoot. A natural for a bedroom or a low-traffic sitting room.
Panthera: the leopard performance rug
Animal print reads as a neutral once you commit to it, and the Panthera leopard rug proves it. Built in a performance fiber, it shrugs off spills and heavy traffic, so it brings glamour to the rooms that actually get used.
Brighton Bamboo: tufted pattern rugs
The Brighton Bamboo rugs lean into a classic faux-bamboo trellis, tufted for softness with that low bamboo-silk sheen. Fresh, a little preppy, and endlessly easy to live with.
How to choose the right one
Start with how the room is used and the size it needs, then let the rug carry the color and pattern you want the space to have. An investment piece is never overrated if you truly love it. If you want a fuller framework, I wrote a whole guide on how to choose designer area rugs that earn their place, and the types of area rugs guide breaks down construction and fiber.
Luxury area rugs: quick answers
What makes an area rug a luxury rug?
Handmade construction, high-quality natural fiber like New Zealand wool, hand-dyed color with real depth, and a design with a genuine point of view. Not the word "luxury" in the listing.
What are Kevin Francis Design rugs made of?
Mostly New Zealand wool, often with a bamboo-silk touch, plus performance fibers where a room needs durability. Each collection is made by hand by skilled artisans.
Can I get a Kevin Francis Design rug in a custom size or color?
Yes. Custom is one of the best parts of working with a maker. You can set the size, palette, and pattern to your exact room.
Where to start
Browse the full range of luxury area rugs, or if you already know the size and palette your room needs, start a custom rug made just for it.
