Rugs for Luxury Villas in Goa

The rug should hold the whole seating group, with every front leg on it and ideally all legs. Leave a band of floor showing around the edge so the stone or timber frames it; a rug that runs nearly wall to wall loses that effect and starts to look like a carpet.

In very large spaces, two or three rugs that each define a zone — the main seating, a reading corner, the dining table — make the room feel organised rather than empty.

Hand-knotted rugs are tied knot by knot onto the warp, so the pile is locked in. They can be washed, re-fringed and repaired for decades. Tufted rugs are glued to a backing and shed and wear faster; flatweaves have no pile and suit relaxed rooms and covered terraces.

For the main rooms of a luxury villa, hand-knotted wool is the best long-term value, even when the initial spend is higher.

Silk and wool-and-silk rugs have a lovely sheen that changes with the light. They stain with water and show traffic, so keep them for a bedroom suite or a formal sitting room that is air-conditioned and lightly used.

Viscose, sold as 'art silk' or 'bamboo silk', marks permanently with water and flattens quickly. In a Goan villa with a pool and a monsoon it is best avoided.

A plain jute or wool base rug with a smaller antique piece laid over it adds depth to a large living room and lets you show a special rug without needing it in a huge size. Pick the rug's colours from the curtains and upholstery so the room reads as one design.