Mill guide · For the trade
Tisca Tiara rugs: a designer's guide to the Olbia hand-woven wool line and where it belongs
Tisca Tiara rugs are hand-woven, 100 percent virgin wool rugs from the rug manufactory of Tisca, the Swiss textile house, woven by hand in the Austrian Alps on restored central European looms. They are for the designer who wants a deep, felted wool rug made to a custom size and color, reversible and suited to underfloor heating, for a living room, a bedroom or an allergy-conscious client. Interiors carries the Olbia collection, 26 hand-woven structures, each available in more than 90 colors, on the Tisca Tiara brand page, with complimentary samples for approved trade accounts.
The mill
Tisca Tiara is the rug side of Tisca; we carry the rugs only, not Tisca's contract carpet. Every rug is made by hand, on a loom, from spun and partly twisted virgin wool woven densely into a jute warp. Each rug is a single piece, which is why the mill makes more than half of them to a customer's own size and color, and why they are sold through showrooms rather than online. Every Olbia rug in our catalog is made in Austria.
What we carry
All 26 styles are area rugs, all wool, all hand-woven, and the catalog classes all 26 as textures: this is a line about structure and color rather than pattern in the printed sense. The wool is felted, which gives the surface a dense, matted hand that hides soil and resists crushing. Pile height is about 3/4 in; the catalog records 22 structures as high pile, over 0.50 in, and 2 as medium pile. Because the rug is woven over a jute warp, 25 of the 26 structures are reversible: turn the rug twice a year and it wears evenly on both faces, which roughly doubles its working life. The same 25 are rated suitable for underfloor heating. Custom sizes and custom colors are available on all 26.
Standard sizes run from 2x4 to 10x13, and any structure can be woven to custom dimensions from under 2 ft to nearly 20 ft on a side, with a black warp in place of the natural one on request. There are no roll widths because there is no broadloom; every piece is a finished rug. Every rug is made to order.
Collections to know
Olbia is one collection with 26 structures, and the structures sort into four groups. Olbia Uni is the plain weave and the base for the color palette. Shag, Perla, Montana, Monte and Massif are the deep and sculpted textures. Line, Spina, Stella, Prisma and Pamir are the patterned weaves, where the structure itself makes a stripe or a lattice. Collina, Calanda, Karibu, Calvi and Campo are the hand-crafted naturals. Structures to know include Pamir, Collina, Karibu, Perla, Uni and Shag.
Where it belongs
A Tisca Tiara rug is a living room or a bedroom piece. In a living room, a Uni or one of the patterned weaves, woven to the exact size of the seating group, gives a deep wool field in a color matched to the scheme; the reversible construction means it can live under furniture for years and still be turned to a fresh face. In a bedroom, Shag, Perla and the other sculpted textures are the softest choices underfoot. The hand-crafted naturals suit a mountain house, a study or a room with a lot of natural material. The 25 structures rated for underfloor heating are the answer in a radiant-heated room, and felted virgin wool is a sound choice for allergy-conscious clients. Keep the deep structures out of dining rooms, where a chair leg wants a flatter pile, and out of wet rooms.
Custom sizes and colors
Custom is the normal way to order this line. Choose a structure, choose from more than 90 colors, and give us the finished size, anywhere from under 2 ft to nearly 20 ft on a side, with a black warp if the scheme wants it. We send a rendering and net quote in about two weeks, a strike-off in 4 to 6 weeks, and production runs 18 to 20 weeks, with the ship date provided when the design process is complete. Standard sizes from 2x4 to 10x13 are also made to order and ship from the mill with a ship date provided by the showroom with your order.
How to order through Interiors
Interiors is a to-the-trade showroom for interior design professionals; we do not sell to the public. Tisca Tiara samples are complimentary for approved trade accounts and ship from the mill, so you can see the structure and the color in the room before you commit a 20 ft weave. Net pricing is quoted by the showroom; there is no public pricing. We measure and install anywhere in the United States through our installer network, and we handle the custom process from rendering to delivery.
| Styles | 26 structures, each in more than 90 colors |
|---|---|
| Types | Area rug (26) |
| Fibers | 100 percent virgin wool, felted (26), over a jute warp |
| Constructions | Hand-loomed and hand-woven (26) |
| Widths | Rugs only; standard sizes 2x4 to 10x13, custom from under 2 ft to nearly 20 ft on a side |
| Made in | Austria (26) |
| Availability | Made to order (26); custom sizes and colors on 26, reversible (25), suitable for underfloor heating (25) |
Questions designers ask
Are Tisca Tiara rugs good quality?
Yes. Each rug is a single piece of felted virgin wool, hand-woven on a loom over a jute warp in Austria, and 25 of the 26 structures are reversible, so the rug has two wearing faces. Wool of this density recovers from crushing and hides soil. The trade-off is lead time: a custom piece is woven to order, and the process runs about 18 to 20 weeks in production.
How much do Tisca Tiara rugs cost?
Net pricing is quoted to approved trade accounts; we do not publish prices. Within the line, cost is driven by size first, since each rug is woven as one piece, then by structure, with the deep and sculpted textures above the plain Uni, and by whether the piece is a standard size or a custom weave. Ask us for the net on two or three candidate structures and we will send it with the samples.
Where are Tisca Tiara rugs made?
In Austria. Tisca Tiara weaves by hand in the Austrian Alps on restored central European looms, and the catalog records all 26 Olbia structures as made in Austria.
How is a Tisca Tiara rug made?
By hand, on a loom, from spun and partly twisted virgin wool woven densely into a jute warp. The wool is felted, which gives the dense, matted surface, and the jute warp is what makes the rug reversible. Each rug is a single piece, so the mill can weave it to a customer's own size and color.
Where can I buy Tisca Tiara rugs?
Through trade showrooms such as Interiors; the mill sells through showrooms rather than online. We carry the 26 Olbia structures for interior design professionals, with samples on the floor in the Laguna Design Center, and we ship and install nationwide. Samples ship from the mill to your office.
Can a Tisca Tiara rug be made to a custom size?
Yes, and most are. Any of the 26 structures can be woven from under 2 ft to nearly 20 ft on a side, in any of more than 90 colors, with a black warp on request. Give us the room and the color direction and we will send a rendering and net quote in about two weeks.
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