Rug + Kilim

Two techniques, one rug - pile and flat-weave, woven together by hand.

Most handmade rugs are built one way or the other: knotted into a plush pile, or flat-woven like a kilim. This collection is different. Every piece here genuinely combines both techniques within a single rug: knotted pile sections for texture and warmth, flat-woven kilim sections for structure and lightness, worked together by the same weaver, in the same piece.

How It's Made

Combining two weaving techniques in one rug takes real skill, since the weaver has to shift construction methods mid-piece without breaking the pattern's continuity. The knotted sections build up a dense pile, the same way a fully knotted rug would. The flat-woven sections are worked without knots, threads interlocked directly into the design, the way a kilim is built. The result is a rug with real dimensional texture: parts you feel underfoot, parts that lie flat.

Signature Styles

Mashwani

Originating from Afghanistan, Mashwani rugs pair bold reds, blues, and browns with fine geometric patterning. The flat-woven kilim sections typically sit in the borders or background, while the knotted pile carries the main motifs, a construction choice that adds durability without losing detail.

Nakhunak

Nakhunak rugs lean into smaller, repeated patterns, medallions and stylized floral shapes worked in a balanced palette. The kilim sections usually form the base or border, with the pile picking out the pattern in relief. A good fit for entryways or as a smaller focal piece, rather than a full-room anchor.

Barjasta

Woven by the Taimani people across Afghanistan and Iran, Barjasta rugs are known for dense, high-quality wool and bold symbolic patterns, large medallions, stylized figures. The flat-woven sections are worked into the borders or integrated within the main field, adding structure to an otherwise heavily piled rug.

Why This Construction

• Genuine dimensional texture, not a printed or simulated pattern, but two real weaving techniques in one piece
• Lighter overall than a fully knotted rug of the same size, thanks to the flat-woven sections
• Versatile enough to use as a floor rug, a wall hanging, or a folded accent piece
• Rooted in real regional weaving traditions - Afghanistan and Iran, not a manufactured trend

Not sure what size fits your space? Our Size Guide breaks it down room by room. For the full range of individual patterns, see our Carpets from A to Z guide, or learn more about our weaving process on our Our Craft page.

If you want the depth of a knotted rug and the practicality of a kilim in the same piece, this is where that combination actually lives.