Kilim Rug or Knotted Pile: What the Difference Means at Home

A pile rug begins with the same warps, but between rows of weft the weaver ties short lengths of wool around pairs of warps. Row after row, the cut ends build up into a surface you can sink your fingers into. A room-sized rug holds a very large number of knots, all tied by hand.

That pile is what makes the rug warm underfoot, quiet in the room and heavy enough to stay put. It also takes far longer to make. Pattern in a pile rug can be finer or freer than in a kilim, because each knot is an independent point of colour.

A kilim is the practical choice under a dining table, where chairs must slide, in a hallway with a door that barely clears the floor, and in warm climates. It is easy to shake out and to move. It needs a non-slip pad, because a thin flat weave travels on a smooth floor.

A knotted rug is the better choice wherever you sit, lie or walk barefoot: living rooms, bedrooms, a child's room, a reading corner. It insulates a cold floor and softens sound in a way a flat weave cannot. In a house with several rooms, most people end up wanting both kinds.

Both are durable when made of good wool. A kilim shows wear as thinning along the lines people walk, and its edges need watching. A pile rug wears by the pile slowly lowering over decades, and it hides soil better because dirt sits down among the tufts.

Vacuum either with suction only. A kilim can be turned over to share the wear between its two faces. A pile rug should be rotated end to end twice a year. Neither should be machine-washed or steam-cleaned, and spills on both are treated the same way: blot, cold water, mild wool detergent.

The rugs on this page are our whole collection, and all of them are knotted pile rugs: Beni Mrirt, Azilal, Beni Ourain and Beni Mguild. We do not hold flat weaves in stock, and we would rather say so here than let you search for one. If you came looking for a kilim for its patterns, the Azilal rugs, with their coloured diamonds and signs, are worth a look.

Our bespoke studio includes a Zanafi pattern, a design taken from Moroccan flat-woven rugs, which you can order in the size and colours you choose. Each rug in stock is one of a kind, with its exact measurements on its own page. Delivery is free worldwide, duties and taxes included.