Why Are Handmade Rugs Expensive? 6 Reasons Why
Are Handmade Rugs Worth The Money?
Are handmade rugs really worth the investment? This is something worth answering, and definitely a question that everybody should ask. No gatekeeping here. I often put myself back in the position I was in years before starting Living DNA. I remember being a newlywed, setting up my own house, and buying a machine-made shaggy rug simply because I didn't know any better. So, I am writing this to answer that 24-year old version of me, and along the way answer your questions too. Let's start with what really goes into making a rug.
Premium Materials
The foundation of a handmade rug is a material of a much higher calibre: TENCEL™, New Zealand wool, bamboo silk, and pure silk. These materials require special manipulation that a machine just can't handle. Take New Zealand wool. It's not just any ordinary sheep's wool. It comes from a specific breed that produces the softest fleece, handled with strict humane standards. What makes it special is the long fiber length; when spun together, these fibers bind securely to prevent shedding. New Zealand wool has lanolin - yes, the same waxy lanolin that goes into your skincare products - that happen to make the rug moisture-resistant.
Each material offers its own balance of softness, lustre, durability and texture, allowing every handmade rug to be tailored to the home it is designed for. While they may appear similar, they are worlds apart in tactility. A difference that can only truly be appreciated through touch. That's why we always recommend experiencing them in person before making your selection.
Crafted from New Zealand wool and bamboo silk, this bespoke rug was thoughtfully designed for a colonial house in Singapore by Woods Bagot.
For something softer and cooling, we use TENCEL™. It follows a sustainable, closed-loop production process that minimizes harmful by-products, a level of care you simply won't get from synthetics like polypropylene or nylon. You probably have TENCEL™ shirts or bedsheets at home, but before you compare prices to that, take note that while a bedsheet has 120150 gsm, the TENCEL™ rugs we make have over 3000 gsm. Thatʼs 25x more material!
Handcrafted in TENCEL™, this bespoke rug was designed with a custom organic shape, responding to the architecture and furniture layout of the home.
Even with natural fibers like jute, quality varies. You might see a big price range of jute rugs, because not all jute are the same. Jute is a plant, and like in fruit and vegetable farming, the harvest gets sorted into quality grades. We made the decision to exclusively select premium grade jute for a refined look. We also use recycled PET from plastic bottles, which takes incredible effort to process into durable fibers.
Like any natural fibre, jute varies in quality. We source only premium-grade jute for its refined appearance, consistent weave and enduring beauty.
Crafted from recycled PET fibres made from plastic bottles, this handmade rug offers a surprisingly soft, wool-like feel while giving waste materials a second life.
The Dyeing Process
Many clients don't know this, but we don't buy pre-dyed materials. We buy raw fibers and dye them to our own colours. And this happens entirely by hand. Artisans literally look at our colour samples and mix dyes to match the tone. Afterwards, the fibers dry out in the sun because—nature never ceases to amaze —the sun still achieves the best colour-fastness compared to the mechanical dryer. This is also why itʼs particularly challenging to make rugs during the winter or rainy season. All of us pray to the heavens for the sun to come out, because our client in Singapore canʼt wait to have her rug delivered before she hosts a Christmas or CNY party. What a twist of fortune that the seasons coincide.
Unlike mass-produced rugs, every colour is hand-dyed from raw fibres, allowing us to achieve the depth, nuance and precision each design deserves.
Dyeing is instrumental in creating patterns too. Itʼs not as simple as weaving a plain rug and running it through a digital printer. For something like our Rainbow Gradient, a small batch of each colour in the continuous gradient has to be dyed, then they are woven into a perfect sequence.
Every colour in our Rainbow Gradient rug is hand-dyed individually before being woven into a seamless transition, creating a depth and richness that cannot be achieved through digital printing.
Artisanal Weaving
To weave a handmade rug simply takes time and resources. Our artisans use handlooms, handtufting, and flat-weave techniques. Weaving even a small 160 x 230 cm rug takes long enough for one person working on the loom.
When we do bigger sizes, it requires true teamwork. Imagine our simplest design, the solid colour Alchemy handloom, at a four-meter width. If one weaver tried to do it alone, he would have to walk four meters across and back just to pass the spool of yarn to make one line. Instead, three or four weavers sit on the loom together, passing the spool to each other, weaving it in and out.
Finishing Touches
Designing a rug doesn't end at the loom. You might notice some of our designs have a mix of high and low pile, or little indentations that vary the texture. Those finishing touches are all done by hand. An artisan takes scissors and cuts them by hand. For geometric designs, we add a handcarving method to make sure the lines are as straight as possible, creating something much finer than a rug with a single, flat thickness.
A rug isn't just meant to be seen; it has to be felt, too. The feeling of the rug should be as interesting as it looks. You can see this in our Flux designs, which feature three different pile heights and intricate carving details.
Along the way, our style team bridges the gap, taking the time to understand your lifestyle and preferences to ensure what the artisans produce is relevant to your contemporary home and unique family.
A Hand-Carved Handmade Flux Rug with Multiple Pile Heights
The Value of Custom Rugs
Think about everything I just shared, all the steps that go into making a batch of rugs. Now think about a custom rug, designed for your specific living room size and colours inspired by your space. All of those intensive steps will be done for just one single rug. Imagine the effort and the amount of attention that takes. That is the true value of a handmade rug.
Custom Flux Rounded Corners in Earthbound Greens & Soft Neutrals
Custom Pebble-Shaped Beam Gradient Rug
Custom Mayfair Grey Rug
Quality, The Ultimate Result
The result? You get a rug of amazing quality that lasts. You'll notice dense, plush foot-feel for years. You get less shedding, minimal colour fading, and a timeless piece that you can maintain for years rather than throwing away. A rug made responsibly without a heavy cost to the environment.
Are Handmade Rugs Worth the Wait?
We often hear a related question: are custom handmade rugs worth the wait? For all the reasons above—the effort, the attention to detail, and the commitment to a timeless piece—yes. Of course, budget is very real, and this is a personal decision. But when comparing options, as with many buying decisions, there's nothing like quality. When you purchase a handmade rug, you're buying something intangible. You're getting a piece of heritage. What you bring home is a story that stands for more than itself. In a culture where everything is instantly accessible, there is something beautiful about surrounding yourself with things that truly mean something. As we head into an increasingly virtual age, our minds and hearts crave real experiences. That starts in the very place where you live. When you get out of bed and step down to start your day, the rug is the first thing you feel. When you come together with your family in the living room after a long day, sharing stories and bonding, it's there grounding you. It is our hope that through the work we do, we can provide that meaning into your daily life without you having to think so much about it. We are doing the work, so you can focus your energy into creating the life that actually matters at home.
Real Home Goals Worth Striving For
Iʼd also tell my 24-year old self whoʼs poring over moodboards and magazines: a home is not a showroom. It is the ground where a life is built. When your surroundings are steady and considered, your energy is freed for the things that truly count.
Care for your own well-being. Sleep well, move gently, eat with intention, and give yourself rooms that restore rather than drain you.
Build a partnership that deepens over time. Share quiet mornings, slow dinners, and conversations in a space designed for presence.
Raise children who feel safe, seen, and loved. The floor they crawl on, the room they read in, the corner they retreat to. These become the emotional backdrop of their childhood.
Host the people who matter. Open your home. Let friends and family gather, linger, and feel welcome enough to return.
Cultivate craft and curiosity. Read, cook, garden, paint, play music. Pursue the small daily rituals that make a life feel yours.
Consume less, choose better. Buy fewer things, but choose pieces made honestly and built to last. Let your home reflect your values, not the trends.
Leave something meaningful behind. Furniture, rugs, recipes, stories, traditions. The things worth inheriting are the things made with intention.
That is the life a handmade rug is designed to support. Not the rug itself, but everything that happens on top of it. Choose your pieces with care, and the rest of your life has a place to stand.
