Makalu Design

Makalu Design has made Nepalese rugs and bespoke commissions since 1985 and has run its own manufactory in Kathmandu under Tibetan management since 1988. We carry Makalu because we can judge the quality as specialists and consider it among the finest in contemporary designer rugs — and because its design language differs entirely from our own, which is precisely why the two collections complement one another. Both are Label Step Fair Trade certified.

The Domus Collection

Makalu works in several collections, each with its own design vocabulary and its own knot density. Domus stands for planar, geometric contemporary designs, knotted at 80 knots per square inch, with an overall height of approximately 13 mm as standard or 9 mm on request. Every design within the collection is identified by its own reference and can be ordered in any size and in any of 300 colours.

This Piece · MD 393 M254 VEG LS

The design carries an irregular web of fine copper lines spreading like a constellation across a deep teal, petrol-green ground.

Two things give the surface its depth. The pile is 85 % wool with 15 % silk — the LS quality in Makalu's system — and the silk-bright linework catches the light differently from the matte wool ground, so the drawing shifts with the angle of view. And the piece is dyed in the VEG technique, a method that produces the softly broken, plant-dyed look rather than a flat, even colour.

Wool and Construction

Domus is knotted from Tibetan highland wool, with New Zealand wool used for very pale shades. The wool is hand-carded and hand-spun before knotting — the step that gives the surface its liveliness, because hand-spun yarn is never perfectly even and therefore takes dye and light in a way machine-spun yarn cannot.

The knot density and pile height describe how finely the design can be drawn and how the rug feels underfoot. Neither says anything about the quality of the wool, which is where the actual difference between rugs lies.

Made to Your Size and Colour

Every Makalu design is available to order in any size and any colourway, chosen from a palette of 300 colours. Design modifications, irregular formats and original designs are possible where they can be realised. Lead time for the Domus collection is approximately 14 to 18 weeks depending on size. Please contact us to discuss a commission.

Presence in the Room

At 180 × 120 cm (4 × 6 ft, 2.2 m²) this is an accent format — beside a bed, in an entrance hall, under a desk in a study, or layered in a modern living room. The deep teal and copper palette works as a colour statement against both pale and dark flooring.

Specifications

Responsible Sourcing · Label Step Fair Trade Certified

Both Makalu Design and Djoharian are Label Step Fair Trade certified. Label Step audits production facilities, ensures fair working conditions, works against abusive child labour and promotes ecologically compatible rug manufacturing. Djoharian has been a certified partner since 2008. Visit the Label Step Fair Trade entry for Djoharian Teppiche →

Djoharian — Since 1967

Our family business was founded in 1967, with roots in the Grand Carpet Bazaar of Tehran. Five decades in the trade inform what we select — our own Djoharian Design lines alongside curated collections such as Makalu.