Round Rug: Hand-Made Wool Rounds, Woven to Order
Last updated
A round rug does something no rectangle can. Houses are made of right angles: walls, windows, cupboards, tables. A circle on the floor breaks the grid, turns a corner into a place and lets furniture sit more loosely. Round wool rugs made by hand are rare, though, and it is better to say so at once: we do not hold finished round rugs in stock. Our atelier in Morocco makes them to order, at the diameter you choose. This guide covers where a round rug works, how to size one and how ordering goes.
From the Atelier
Currently in our collection
Where a round rug is at its best
Under a round table, first of all. Circle on circle looks inevitable, and every chair sits the same distance onto the rug. It is just as good in a reading corner with an armchair and a lamp, in a square entrance hall or bay window, in a child's room as an island to play on, and beside a bed.
In a living room, a round rug loosens a formal arrangement, especially under a round coffee table or with a curved sofa. It struggles in long, narrow rooms and under rectangular dining tables, where the circle runs out along the long sides. Pushed up against a wall it looks stranded. A round rug needs space around it.
Which diameter for which job
Under a dining table the rule is the same as for any rug: two feet of rug beyond the table all round, so chairs stay on the wool when pulled out. Take the diameter of the table and add four feet. A 42-inch table needs a rug of about 7 ft 6 in; a 48-inch table needs 8 ft; a 54-inch table needs 8 ft 6 in. Most round dining rugs are bought too small.
A reading corner needs 4 to 5 ft. In a living room, a round rug should be at least 6 ft 6 in so that the front legs of the sofa and chairs can rest on it; from about 8 ft it carries a small seating group. Mark the circle on the floor with tape or string before ordering. A circle looks smaller in the room than its number suggests.
Why hand-made round rugs are rare
A loom is a rectangle. Warp and weft cross at right angles, and every rug grows row by row from the bottom up. To make a circle, the weaver has to change the width of each row and then finish the curve by hand all the way round. It takes more time and more skill than a rectangle of the same area.
That is why round rugs barely exist in the Atlas tradition, and why almost every round rug in the shops is machine-made or tufted. A hand-made round is nearly always a commission. It has no fringe either: the edge is bound continuously around the whole circumference.
How ordering a round rug works
In our bespoke atelier you compose the rug online. You pick the round shape and enter the diameter to the centimetre. Then come the design, the ground and motif colours, the material and the pile height, from a flatter surface to a long, soft one. You can upload photographs of the room or a sketch and add a note for the atelier.
The price is shown as you go and includes delivery and duties, together with an estimated making time in weeks. Before work begins, the atelier confirms the design, the yarns and the schedule with you. The on-screen preview is a visualisation: hand-made texture and dyed wool always differ a little in the finished piece, which is what makes it one of a kind.
Patterns that suit a circle
A single colour is the calmest choice. A round field of dense wool in ivory, sand or camel lives on its texture and fits anywhere. A plain border line that traces the shape works beautifully too, as does a wide diamond lattice that simply fades out towards the edge.
Be careful with dense, directional patterns. Stripes and small repeating panels are cut off by the curve and lose their rhythm. If what you love is a lively Berber drawing, a rectangular rug from our stock is often the better stage for it. The pieces shown further down this page are the ones ready to ship.
What you can verify about us
- Origin
- Made in MoroccoHand-knotted Berber rugs from the Atlas regions. Every rug is one of a kind.
- Construction
- Hand-knotted woolVerified at every stage — never machine-tufted.
- Delivery
- Duties includedFree shipping; import duties and taxes are included in the price.
- Returns
- 14 daysIn condition received, full refund of the purchase price.
Frequently Asked
Questions
- Do you have round rugs ready to ship?
- No. The rugs we hold in stock are rectangular. Round rugs are made to order by the atelier at the diameter you ask for, by hand and in wool.
- What size round rug goes under a round dining table?
- The table's diameter plus four feet, so chairs remain on the rug when pulled back. A 48-inch table needs a rug of about 8 ft across.
- How long does a made-to-order round rug take?
- Several weeks, depending on size and design. An estimated making time is shown while you compose the rug, and the atelier confirms the schedule before starting.
- Does a round rug have fringe?
- No. Fringe is the end of the warp threads and only appears on two straight sides. On a round rug the edge is bound by hand all the way round.
Sources & References
What this page rests on
- 1. Atlas Cooperative Custom Order Records
- 2. Berber Weaving Techniques Handbook
The person behind the piece
“Before you buy, I’ll send you a video of the actual rug in natural light — not a stock photo. I answer the messages myself.”
I’m Youssef. I started ARINID because this market is full of middlemen and machine-made imitations sold as the real thing — and I grew up close enough to the looms to know the difference.
Every piece we list is one of a kind, hand-knotted in Morocco. If you want to talk through sizing for your room, I’m on the other end of the message. A rug at this level is a thirty-year decision. You should be able to look the person selling it to you in the eye.
Youssef
Founder, ARINID
The next step
See every rug we currently offer
Each piece is hand-knotted in Morocco and delivered to your door, with shipping, duties and taxes included.