Quick answer: Interior designers specifying a hand-knotted rug for a residential project work directly with curators (not retailers), provide room dimensions, light direction, palette, and budget tier upfront, request 3–5 pre-curated options for client presentation, and negotiate trade pricing typically 15–25% off retail with established relationships. Lead times: 1–4 weeks for in-stock pieces, 8–14 months for commissioned weaving.
The interior designer specifying a hand-knotted rug for a residential project is operating differently from the retail buyer. The brief is tighter, the timeline is fixed, the client is at one remove, and the rug must work alongside furnishings that have already been specified. This guide is the working reference we share with the design firms who curate with us out of our Boston atelier. It covers sourcing, pricing, sample protocols, lead times, and the practical mechanics of trade-tier specification.
Why trade specification works differently
Retail rug buying is a one-piece, one-room transaction. Trade specification is a multi-piece, multi-room, often multi-project relationship with predictable cadence — a designer specifying for a 12,000-square-foot Wellesley colonial may need eight to fifteen rugs across living, dining, library, master, family room, multiple guest rooms, and stairs. The pricing model and the sourcing workflow have to support that volume and rhythm.
The atelier model serves trade better than the retail model for three reasons: pre-curation eliminates the showroom-browsing time tax, the relationship enables trade pricing tiers, and the documentation we provide standardizes the specification deliverable for the project.
What we need from the designer upfront
For every piece a designer specifies, we need:
- Room dimensions (length × width, plus ceiling height for visual scale)
- Light direction (north, south, east, west; natural-light volume)
- Existing palette (wall, trim, wood floor color, key furniture)
- Furniture configuration (sofa, sectional, dining table size and shape)
- Aesthetic direction (traditional, transitional, contemporary, specific designer references)
- Budget tier (entry / mid / fine / master — see our cost guide)
- Project timeline (deliverable to client, install date, opportunity to commission if needed)
With those inputs we pre-curate 3–5 options from current inventory or assess whether commission weaving is required. The pre-curation reduces showroom time to thirty minutes for an entire project.
Trade pricing structure
We offer tiered trade pricing for established design relationships:
- Tier 1 (first project): 15% off retail. Net 30 terms.
- Tier 2 (after $50K in cumulative spend): 20% off retail. Net 30 terms.
- Tier 3 (after $150K cumulative or 5+ projects): 22–25% off retail. Net 30 or COD with terms.
Trade pricing is not negotiated per-piece — it is structured by relationship tier. This keeps the conversation about whether a piece is right for the project rather than about whether the price is right.
Sample protocols
For pieces above $7,500 we will ship a 14-day approval directly to the client's project address with full insurance. The client lives with the rug in the room and the designer evaluates fit against the rest of the specification. If the piece does not work, return shipping is included and the credit applies to the next piece.
For pieces above $20,000 we will arrange in-person curator delivery within the Boston metro and white-glove delivery nationwide. The curator can be present for the install if the designer wants the additional support on a high-stakes piece.
For multi-piece projects (3+ pieces specified simultaneously), we ship a coordinated approval set so the designer can see all pieces in context at once.
Lead times
| Scenario | Lead time |
|---|---|
| In-stock piece, white-glove delivery | 5–14 business days nationwide |
| In-stock with size adjustment (overcasting / reduction) | 2–4 weeks |
| Commissioned weaving, mid-tier 9x12 | 6–9 months |
| Commissioned weaving, fine-tier 9x12 or 12x18 mid-tier | 9–14 months |
| Commissioned weaving, master-tier or palace size | 14–24 months |
If the project install date is fixed and within 4 months, commission weaving is not viable. The conversation should focus on in-stock or near-in-stock pieces. We are transparent about this constraint at the briefing stage.
Documentation for the project file
Every piece we deliver to a trade specification includes the standard documentation package:
- Provenance certificate (workshop, weaver, production timeline)
- Material certification (wool source, hand-spun status, dye certification)
- Knot density and construction specifications
- Care and maintenance protocol
- Replacement-value appraisal (for insurance)
- Photography in studio lighting (for project portfolio)
This documentation standardizes the deliverable — the designer can hand it to the client or attach it to the project specification binder without additional work.
Custom and commissioned weaving
For commissioned pieces — custom palette, custom size, custom motif — we work with master workshops in Pakistan and Afghanistan that maintain traditional hand-knotting. The commission process:
- Designer provides palette references (Pantone, fabric swatches, room photos), size, motif direction
- We translate the brief into a workshop spec (KPSI, foundation, wool spec, dye lots)
- Workshop produces a 12x12 inch sample at the specified KPSI, palette, and motif scale
- Designer approves the sample; we ship to the designer for client sign-off
- Production begins; we provide loom photography every 60 days
- Completion, fringing, washing, finishing, photographic documentation
- White-glove delivery on install date
Commission deposits: 35% at order, 35% at sample approval, 30% on completion before shipment. Custom pieces are non-cancellable after the sample approval stage.
The Boston trade program
For Boston-area design firms, we offer additional support: in-atelier project consultations, on-site visits within Route 128 (Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Brookline, Newton, Wellesley, Lexington, Cambridge), and concierge installation. For firms outside Boston, the same services are available remotely with extended timeline.
To open a trade account, request a trade conversation through our trade program page. Resale certificate and design firm credentials required. Most accounts are opened within 5 business days.
Browse the trade inventory
The full inventory is at Inventory. For trade-relevant collections specifically: Luxury hand-knotted, Designer-curated, Oushak, Persian, Antique. For background on materials and construction, see our piece on what defines high-end rug materials and our craftsmanship reference. From our Boston atelier.
Specifying for a residential project? Request a trade conversation — our Boston curator will reply within 24 hours to set up a trade account or pre-curate options for your active project.