Every Kevin Francis Design rug begins the same way: as a drawing on my desk in Atlanta. But the real story of each piece unfolds over the following weeks in India, where artisans practicing generations-old techniques turn those drawings into heirloom-quality rugs, one knot, tuft, or pass of the loom at a time. Because every rug is made to order, nothing sits in a warehouse losing its character; your rug is made for you, from the moment you place your order.

Here's a look at the four constructions we use across our collections, and why each one matters.

Hand-Knotted

Hand-knotting is the oldest and most labor-intensive rug construction in the world — the same technique used in the traditional Turkish rugs my grandfather collected, which inspired our Iconium Collection. Artisans tie each individual knot around the warp threads by hand, row after row, building the pattern knot by knot. A single 8x10 rug can take months on the loom. The result is a dense, durable pile that lasts for generations and only looks better with age. Our Iconium rugs and the Tibetan-weave Cumulus Cloud rug are both hand-knotted from 100% New Zealand wool.

Hand-Tufted

Hand-tufting is the technique behind our debut Labyrinth Collection and the chinoiserie-inspired Brighton Bamboo Collection. Working from a full-scale printed pattern stretched on a frame, artisans use a tufting tool to punch wool and bamboo silk yarns through a backing cloth, then shear and hand-carve the pile. Tufting allows for the sculpted, raised patterns our maze rugs are known for — the high-low texture that mimics the hedge walls of a real garden labyrinth. If you're weighing the two constructions, I break down the differences in my guide to hand-knotted vs. hand-tufted rugs.

Handloomed and Flatwoven

Our CHROMA solid color rugs are handloomed in Bhadohi, India — the historic center of Indian rugmaking – in a plush cut-pile construction of hand-dyed New Zealand wool. The Color Study rug is handwoven as a flatweave: no pile at all, just tightly woven wool that's reversible, low-profile, and easy to maintain. And for high-traffic, pet-friendly spaces, the Panthera leopard rug is hand-looped from stain-resistant nylon, a performance construction with an artisan touch.

From Order to Doorstep

When you place an order, your rug enters production with our workshop partners in India. Yarns are dyed to match the colorway, the rug is woven or tufted to your size, then sheared, carved, washed, and finished by hand before final quality inspection and shipping. Most rugs arrive in 6–8 weeks for tufted and handloomed constructions, and 8–10 weeks for hand-knotted pieces.

Because everything is made to order, nearly everything can be customized — size, colorway, material, even knot count. Start with our custom rug design page, use the rug size guide to find your fit, and once your rug is home, my care guide will keep it beautiful for decades.