There’s something truly special about bringing a rug into a home. It’s not just a floor covering—it’s often the focal point of a design and the anchor of a space, the layer that helps tie everything together. When that rug is a genuinely 100% hand-knotted rug, the story becomes even richer.
We really admire the collaborative partnership we share with local rug gallery, Grace Rug Gallery, run by a fourth-generation rug dealer, Hassan Rahimi and his wife, Christina. By collaborating and educating together, we help our clients discover or design custom rugs that are not only beautiful, but are also deeply personal. Every rug has a story, and every client becomes part of it.
When we step into Grace Rug Gallery to narrow down selections for a project or host a consultation virtually with a client, we are always amazed at the amount and variety of stocked rugs. Grace is consistently receiving fresh new rug inventory. It’s always fun to watch our clients eyes widen at the rows of handwoven rugs—each one with its own color palette, texture, and pattern.
Sure, there’s a lot of rugs in the showroom, but what makes purchasing a rug from a fourth-generation rug dealer unique from all of the other options out there?
When you work with a fourth-generation rug dealer, you’re not just purchasing a rug—you’re tapping into generations of knowledge, sourcing capability, and guaranteed authenticity. Our partnership ensures that our clients get the highest quality rugs with confidence in their origin and craftsmanship. You can firmly trust that the relationship and your business is genuinely and deeply valued.
As your interior design team, we help envision how the rug will ground your space, tie in your color palette, and enhance your furnishings. This collaboration brings expertise in quality, sourcing, and customization. Together, we make the process seamless, educational, inspiring, and most importantly, FUN!
When sourcing textiles for our design schemes, especially rugs, we get a lot of frequently asked questions. A few of which we’d love to address below.
Can I customize a rug based on my color preference, aesthetic, and the size we desire?
This is a question we get a lot and love exploring. The answer is absolutely!
Design-minded clients especially love this option because the rug is made exclusively and uniquely for you and your space. It’s one of a kind. With the help of Grace Rug Gallery, we can help to customize the size, color way, and pattern play of your rug down to the very last knot. Please note, due to the intricate level of customizations, the lead time for a custom rug can take several months. We will always be as communicative as possible on anticipated lead times.
I see a lot of rugs both in person and online, but I really don’t understand the difference in hand-knotted vs. hand-tufted rugs:
With so many rugs on the market today, we find it imperative to understand the unique differences between two of the more common rugs out there: a hand-knotted vs. a hand-tufted rug. While these two types of rugs can sometimes look similar, especially while shopping online, the experts at Grace do such a fantastic job about providing the right education in the various rug types out there, ensuring the confidence in the key differences especially between these two common styles.
One thing to keep in mind when considering the choice of a rug is the general material makeup of the rug and its pile.
Pile on a rug refers to the visible, tangible surface formed by its fiber loops (tufts) that are either cut or left uncut, extending from the backing. It defines the rug’s overall thickness, density, and texture—ranging from low-pile (under 1/4 inch) to high-pile/shag (1/2 inch to 1 inch+), directly impacting comfort, durability, and cleaning.
Hand-Knotted Rugs
How they’re made:
Woven entirely by hand on a loom. Each knot is individually tied by skilled artisans—a time-intensive process that results in superior quality and long-term value. The pile of a hand-knotted rug is typically lower in pile due to the higher knot density/higher quality, resulting in a softer texture to the touch and under foot. The wool and materials of a hand-knotted rug have natural coloring/dying agents, which help with any of the colors fading or “bleeding” over time.
What that means for you:
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- Durability: Extremely long-lasting (often 30–100+ years with the proper care): great for high traffic areas, children, and pets
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- Quality: Top-tier craftsmanship; knots are secure and don’t rely on glue
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- Design: Highly detailed, intricate patterns
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- Value: Often considered an investment and may appreciate over time
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- Price: $$$ (reflects labor, skill, and craftsmanship)
Flip it over:
You’ll see the design clearly on the back—no fabric or latex backing, just visible knots.
Hand-Tufted Rugs
How they’re made:
Created using a combination of handwork and machine techniques. Yarn is punched through a backing, making the process faster and easier to mass-produce. The pile of a hand-knotted rug can range from extremely flat/printed to thick.
While it might feel soft to the touch initially, it can easily get matted or can tend to lose its luster much quicker than a hand-knotted rug. When it comes to their color way and patterns, a lot of hand-tufted and machine-made rugs tend to use synthetic dyes. While it might “speed up the process”, the use of synthetic color dyes can result in fading, are not typically great for the environment, and over time, are not as durable.
What that means for you:
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- Durability: Moderate; typically lasts 5–10 years
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- Quality: Good for the price, though the latex/glue backing can dry out over time
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- Design: Attractive designs, but with less intricate detail
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- Value: Decorative rather than heirloom quality
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- Price: $–$$ (much more affordable)
Flip it over:
You’ll see a fabric or latex backing instead of visible knots.
What about properly cleaning and caring for my hand-knotted rugs?
There are some simple steps that can be taken when something spills on your rug.
1. Use a super gentle cleaning agent like Dawn detergent or a similar mild detergent (preferably clear in color, but not necessary) and a little bit of warm water, working any spills by blotting (never rubbing) them. It is best to work from the outside in when blotting the spots.
2. Rinse the spot thoroughly with cold water, ensuring there’s no soap residue left behind, which can actually attract more dirt. We like using these wash bottles, which are super easy to store and utilize between deep cleans.
3. Allow the rug to air dry by elevating the rug’s surface by using dry furniture or objects of choosing to help with airflow. If not elevated, the rug should be laid flat.
4. Regardless of spills, we still highly suggest gently vacuuming your rugs on a routine basis without the beater attachment, just suction in light stroking movements to avoid damaging the rug’s fibers and fringe.
Professional Rug Cleaning
In addition to cleaning your rugs on an as-needed basis on your own, we highly recommend getting your rug professionally cleaned on average every 12-18 months depending on how often the rug experiences traffic. We suggest if you have allergies and your rug experiences a significant amount of traffic, to possibly get your rugs cleaned on a more frequent basis professionally closer to every 6-8 months.
When speaking to professional cleaning, we would love to share that Grace Rug Gallery recently opened a top of line cleaning facility like no other, especially in the immediate central area. We were able to pop over to the new facility to see a few rugs being cleaned, learning about their super thorough cleaning process and what a neat experience this was for our team! The facility is H&C Cleaning and Restoration. They were recently featured on the local news channel, LEX18, you can watch that segment HERE.
Hassan and Christina make scheduling a rug cleaning easy! All you have to do is contact the store directly to schedule your cleaning appointment. Once you’re on the schedule, you can choose to drop off your rug at the showroom, or, you can opt for a member of the team to pick up and drop off your rug directly from your residence once they are finished (for an additional service fee). The cost of your rug cleaning depends on the size as well as other contributing factors: size/square footage of the rug, its original material makeup, the way it was constructed (handmade vs. machine-made), as well as the level of soil or damage. You can anticipate on average, to spend $4.50-$6.50 per sq. ft. of your rug to have it professionally cleaned by Grace Rug Gallery.
Grace’s professional rug cleaning process starts by rolling the rug up and inserting it into an industrial rug dusting machine. This step essentially spins and shakes the rug at a very high speed. These machines help to remove deep-seated sand, dust, allergens, and grit from the foundation of the rug before it gets wet.
Once the rug has gone through this initial step, the rug is then rolled out onto the cleaning facilities floor and is prepared to be washed over with a professional-grade shampooing device and super gentle cleansing formula developed by the Grace team. Multiple passes of the device are followed with deep pressure washing and tools to ensure the removal of excess dirt and grime. Depending on the amount of soil in the rug, the above measures are repeated over and over again, multiple times, focusing on any problematic areas of concern. Prior to being hung on the drying racks in the designated drying room, the rug is placed in another industrial machine that squeezes out a significant amount of what water is left in the rug after it has been washed. Upon removal, the rug is brushed to remove any last pieces of debris or shedding away.
Out with the old, in with the new!
Don’t absolutely LOVE the rug you previously purchased at Grace Rug Gallery? Maybe you’ve changed design direction or would like to try something altogether different? You’re not stuck with it. Hassan and his team are dedicated to appraising your existing rug(s) value, OR, if you have a previously-purchased rug from the gallery you’re considering switching up, there could be an opportunity to swap out your rug for something different. If you cannot make it into the showroom, Hassan and Christina consult with clients all over the country.
Where is Grace Rug Gallery located?
Grace Rug Gallery is located in Central Kentucky in the Brannon Crossing shopping district. The physical address is: 119 Cynthiana Dr. Nicholasville, KY 40356. They can be reached directly by phone: 859-971-3013, OR, via email: graceruggallery@gmail.com.
Follow along on social media: Facebook & Instagram.
What services does Grace Rug Gallery offer?
In addition to physically selling rugs, Grace Rug Gallery helps to appraise existing rugs, repair rugs, as well as professionally clean and install rugs.
If you are not local to the Lexington area, Grace Rug Gallery can consult with and ship anywhere in the US. Additionally, they have reputable connections across the world! Make sure to check out their social media accounts for educational and inspirational posts!
Photos taken by: Seriously Sabrina Photography.
