Rug designer Alicia Keshishian comes from a legacy of Armenian rug-makers but plied her talents in other artistic fields before returning to Petaluma and picking up the family thread.

This former art director, designer, and illustrator has a keen sense of the emotional impact of color, and as a rug designer her hallmark is the painterly feel she brings to wool.

Alicia thinks of rug design as a "living, functional art." She does custom work and has also produced a series of stock designs, which are organized on her website by pattern and color (warm, cool, and neutral).

All of Alicia's designs are contemporary and have a sensual feel that's grounded in rich color and texture. They're crafted in Nepal by RugMark-protected artisans using Tibetan wool that is hand-dyed, carded, and woven -- heirloom quality materials and techniques that really do her designs justice.

(Here's more on the Keshishian rug family's history of social responsibility.)

Custom orders take about 17 weeks.