In all honesty, one of the most transformative additions to any interior is a great rug. The perfect floor covering pulls a room together like nothing else – and the best part is, whether you’re renting or you own your home, a rug is an investment you’ll have forever.
Problem is, lush rugs that don’t cost an arm and a leg are few and far between. So, with winter just around the corner, and most of us stuck at home (which means a heightened need for more insulation!), we have rounded up a hefty list of some of our favourite rugs, both local and international – for under $2000. No mean feat!
The Range rug in customised blue, starting at $740. Photo – Simon Watson.
The Range rug. Photo – Courtesy of Beni.
The Trellis rug in customisable yellow, $1,322. Photo – Simon Watson.
A Beni rug drying in the mountains. Photo – Grant Legan.
All Beni rugs are handmade in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, with pieces ranging from traditional and modern pre-designed patterns to totally customisable one-offs. Each design comes in 12 sizes, and each rug takes about 10 weeks from order to delivery,
Price point:
Prices start at $465 USD (approximately $790 Australian dollars) to $5,580 USD for the largest size (approximately $8,7650 Australian dollars) depending on size and customisation.
The New Day woven rug, pictured size 4’x6′ at $565. Photo – Clément Pascal.
The New Day woven rug, pictured size 4’x6′ at $565.
The New Day woven rug, pictured size 4’x6′ at $565. Photo – Clément Pascal.
This New York-based company was started in 2010 by a Phoebe Sung and Peter Buer, a couple with fine arts and fashion backgrounds who wanted to experiment with combining modern aesthetics with traditional craft practices. All Cold Picnic pieces are designed in Brooklyn, and made by artisans in India, from woven jute mats to lush, modernist-patterned wool pile rugs. Each piece explores landscapes and the effects of time on the environment.
Price Point:
Most rugs start at $110 USD (approximately $175 Australian dollars) and go up to $540 (approximately $860 Australian dollars).
The Paloma, from $1,420. Photo – Victoria Aguirre.
Details of Pampa textures. Photo – Victoria Aguirre.
The Etnico #1377 rug, $1,540. Photo – Victoria Aguirre.
We’re big fans of Pampa, the Byron Bay-based homewares brands that’s been serving up cool, calm and collected ‘70s shag style for a while now. Designed in Byron Bay and crafted in Argentina, the brand uses typically natural pigments for its dyes, such as plants, flowers, vegetables, insects and smoke to achieve an authentically raw, natural palette.
Price point:
$890 – $7,190, scaled depending on size. All the rugs pictured here are under $2000.
The Lisbon floor rug, $1,299. Styling – Bek Sheppard. Photo – Marc Buckner.
From left: Lisbon floor rug, $1,299. Mitre Feather rug, $1,399. Styling – Bek Sheppard. Photo – Marc Buckner.
The Denali floor rug, $1,299. Styling – Bek Sheppard. Photo – Marc Buckner.
Catania floor rug, $899. Styling – Bek Sheppard. Photo – Marc Buckner.
Weave is the homewares sub-brand of Australia’s leading wholesale fabric house, Warwick Fabrics, offering distinctive seasonal ranges of rugs, cushions, throw rugs and soft furnishings.
Versatile and robust, Weave’s rugs are designed in Melbourne, combining contemporary Australian style with traditional craftmanship.
They also have flat rate shipping of $20 across Australia on all orders – yep, even for rugs!
Price point:
$799 – $1,699.
If you haven’t heard of the Belgian-founded, Marrakech-based lifestyle and interiors brand, I ask ‘have you been living under a rock?’ Spun from 100% wool by local craftspeople, LRNCE‘s modern, sparse rug designs are woven using traditional Moroccan methods. We love their contemporary aesthetic and on trend palettes.
Price point:
490€ (approximately $846 Australian dollars) to 1,850€ (approximately $3,195 Australian dollars).
The Cairo rug, from $1,190. Photo – Courtesy of Armadillo & Co.
The Serengeti rug, from $660. Photo – Courtesy of Armadillo & Co.
Armadillo & co is one of our favourite Australian textile brands, with a reputation for quality, ethically produced pieces.
What’s extra special about Armadillo co, is that their business is based on social responsibility – and they give back to the communities with whom they collaborate in tangible ways. That means paying a fair wage, investing in traditional crafts people, funding community-building ventures and educating children.
Armadillo & co rugs are designed in Australia and made in India.
Price point:
$440 – $5,700. Prices vary according to size and design – all the ones pictured here are under $2000.
The Demi Beni rug, $799. Photo – Armelle Habib.
The Nora Beni rug, $799. Photo – Courtesy of Sage + Clare.
The Carlos shag rug, $799. Photo – Armelle Habib.
Sage + Clare are our local bohemian gurus, with a sense of what ‘everyday’ prices mean. With colour and texture front and centre, their plush wool rugs are tassled and printed with eclectic patterns, taking inspiration from American folk, seventies shag and traditional Moroccan Beni weaves!
Price Point:
$799.
The New Berber rug, $1,900. Photo – Courtesy of Kulchi.
The New Berber rug, $1,900. Photo – Courtesy of Kulchi.
Sydney-born Cassandra Karinsky has been living in Marrakech for almost 15 years and operating Kulchi for nearly all of that time! Each of her rugs is unique, and comes from a different part of the country, sourced through Cassandra’s tight network of Moroccan makers.
Kulchi does not have an e-commerce site, so all pieces are sourced and commissioned via personal email with Cassandra, based on the styles she lists online. From handwoven reed mats to Berber knots with bold colours, rugs can be pre-designed or customised but prices vary according to style and design!
Price point:
Prices vary according to custom design. The New Berber style (pictured) is $1,900.
The Diamond rug. Photo – Caitlin Mills.
The Diamond rug, $999. Photo – Courtesy of Kip & Co.
The Positano rug, $999. Photo – Courtesy of Kip & Co.
The Diamond rug. Photo – Caitlin Mills.
It’s no secret we love the warm and inviting interiors of Kip + Co (we’ve profiled the homes of co-founder, Alex McCabe, twice!). Started in Melbourne in 2012, the bedlinen and soft furnishings brand has gained a cult following for its vibrant textiles and expertly styled homewares, and its floor pieces are no different! From small size woven jute mats to enormous shag pile rugs, the earthy-toned designs suit almost any home!
Price point:
$79 – $999.
The Flame rug, $1,599. Photo – Ryan Liebe.
The Flame rug, $1,599. Photo – Courtesy of West Elm.
The Zahari rug, $799. Photo – Ryan Liebe.
Starting in Brooklyn in the early 2000s, West Elm has stood the test of time as an affordable, global homewares staple. Most of its rugs are handcrafted, and combine subtle, muted colours with bold and varied textures.
Price point:
$349 – $1,599
The Odetta rug, $535. Photo – Courtesy of sisällä.
The Old Records rug, $379. Photo – Courtesy of sisällä.
The Old Records rug, $379. Photo – Courtesy of sisällä.
Interior designer Lauren Li (and wildly-popular TDF Interiors columnist!) launched an e-commerce arm to her interior design practice, sisällä, so she could share some of her favourite designer pieces direct to consumer. And aren’t we thankful for it! Her curated selection of woven rugs are mostly ex-floor stock, so are going for highly discounted prices!
Price point:
$379 – $965
