7 min read · Updated 12 June 2026
Buying a rug online raises two nagging questions: will the colour really be the one in the photo, and will the material feel the way I expect? A sample is the most reliable way to answer both. Here is how Casemira has set the scheme up, and how to use it well before committing to a significant purchase.
1. Why order a sample
Three practical reasons:
To check the colour in your own daylight. Even a good product photograph never renders a rug's exact shade. The natural light in your living room (which way it faces, the time of day, the season) changes how you read colour. A sand beige can look yellower at your place, a charcoal browner, a terracotta redder. A sample lets you do a dry run in the actual room.
To test the feel. Photos and descriptions say nothing about how a rug actually feels. The softness of viscose, the density of wool, the coolness of Tencel, the texture of a cotton and polyester blend are things you sense in your hand and underfoot, not on a screen. On a large handmade purchase, the gap between what you imagine and what arrives can be the difference between a return and real satisfaction.
To hold it against what you already own. A sample laid next to your sofa, your curtains or your current rug confirms or kills the combination in a couple of minutes. Far more effective than hours of hesitating over a photograph.
Samples are particularly useful for:
- Significant purchases (handmade, large formats)
- Strong colours (terracotta, indigo blue, burgundy red)
- Fine materials (New Zealand wool, Tencel, viscose)
- Major redecorating, where the rug is the pivot of the scheme
For less committing purchases (an entry-level polypropylene design), free returns within 30 days may be all you need.
2. The eligible designs
Not every rug in the Casemira range comes with a sample. A selection of more than 120 designs, out of more than 1,500 rugs, is offered as samples, in three families:
Some of the designs in the handmade rug collection. Fine pieces in wool, viscose, Tencel or blends. These are the biggest commitments on price and the hardest to judge without touching them.
Easy Clean designs from the washable collection. The Easy Clean range combines four treatments on every design (machine washable at 30°C, water-repellent and stain-resistant, non-slip, and scratch-resistant), all in polyester, mostly a polyester and cotton blend.
A few outdoor rugs, in polypropylene.
Why this selection? Handmade and Easy Clean pieces share two properties that make a sample worthwhile: high fibre density (so the sample really does represent the finished rug) and a significant investment (which justifies testing first).
Designs that are not eligible for samples:
- Bathroom rugs (two-piece sets at an accessible price, in fixed sizes)
- Most outdoor rugs (only a few designs have a sample)
- Made-to-measure runners and stair runners (width and length of your choice, which makes samples impractical)
- Persian rugs (a separate high-end collection)
For those designs, free returns within 30 days make the purchase safe.
"Before a big purchase, a sample settles in five days what a photograph never tells you."
3. Step by step
Ordering samples from Casemira takes five simple steps:
Step 1: pick out the designs you like. Browse the samples collection (which gathers the eligible designs), or go straight to the product page of an eligible design.
Step 2: add the sample to your basket. On the product card or the product page, click the "Add the sample" button. The matching 20 x 30 cm sample is added to your basket (up to 3 samples: €10 for one, €15 for two, €20 for three).
Step 3: complete the order. Go to the basket, then to payment, by card or PayPal. Delivery of samples is free.
Step 4: receive it and test it. Samples are dispatched within 24 to 48 working hours, then delivered in about 2 to 8 working days depending on the country. When it arrives, unwrap it in the room where the finished rug will go. Test it under different light (morning, evening, lamps on). Hold it against the furniture, the floor and the walls.
Step 5: order the rug with the sample deducted in full. Once you have decided, go back to the product page for that rug and order the size you want. The cost of the samples is deducted in full with the code you receive by email, to enter at checkout (section 5 covers exactly how).
For designs that are not eligible for samples, see section 7 on the alternatives (30-day returns, and how to buy online without going wrong).
4. 20 x 30 cm, from €10
The Casemira sample is calibrated to be as representative as possible in a compact format:
Dimensions: 20 x 30 cm. Big enough to read the texture, the pattern and the dominant shade. Compact enough to handle easily, move around the room and compare against several light sources.
Identical to the finished rug. The sample is cut from the same fibre, the same weave and the same dye lot as the rug on sale. Only the size differs.
Price: €10 for one sample, €15 for two, €20 for three (up to 3 samples). The same rate applies to every eligible design, whatever the rug itself costs, and it is shown on the product page. A sample of a high-end handmade rug costs the same as a sample of a more affordable Easy Clean.
Postage: delivery of samples is free.
Works alongside other products. A sample can go into the basket at the same time as a rug or any other Casemira product. Postage is calculated on the order total.
5. Deducted in full when you buy
This is the heart of the scheme: the cost of the samples is deducted in full from your rug, with the code you receive by email.
How it works in practice:
After your samples order, you receive by email a €10, €15 or €20 code, depending on how many samples you ordered (1, 2 or 3). You enter it at checkout when you buy your rug, and its value is taken off the price.
A worked example: you order 3 samples (€20, free delivery). You then decide to buy the handmade rug matching one of the three samples, in 200 x 300. Thanks to the code, the rug costs you €20 less than its listed price. Postage is free because the total is over €100.
Where the scheme stops:
- The deduction is not automatic: remember to enter the code at checkout when you buy your rug.
- There is no refund if you do not order a rug at all. The samples stay at your expense (€10, €15 or €20).
- The code has no expiry date: a sample ordered in March can be deducted from a purchase in December.
For any question about the deduction code, the Casemira customer service team replies by email within 24 working hours at contact@casemira.com. See also the returns and refunds policy.
6. How to decide once it arrives
When your sample arrives, there are five quick tests to run:
Test 1: natural daylight. Lay the sample where the rug will finally go, in the morning. Look at the shade, and above all at the undertones (does the beige read yellow? pink? greyed linen? Our beige rug guide decodes undertones).
Test 2: evening light with the lamps on. Lay the sample down again at the end of the day, with artificial light on. Warm halogen and LED bulbs push colours towards yellow-orange; cool LEDs push them towards blue-white. The colour you buy has to work in both registers.
Test 3: against the furniture. Put the sample next to the sofa, the armchair, the curtains, and the current rug if you are replacing one. Does the pairing hold up visually? Are the undertones talking to each other or fighting?
Test 4: bare feet. Stand on the sample without shoes. Does it feel the way you expected? Pure wool feels warm and springy, viscose cool and silky, polypropylene dry and smooth. See our guide to choosing a rug material.
Test 5: living with it. Leave the sample in the room for 24 to 48 hours. How does it feel after a day of passive observation? This "getting used to it" test is often the decisive one.
Verdict positive? Go ahead and buy the rug, with the sample deducted in full (see section 5).
Verdict negative? The sample stays at your expense (€10), but you have avoided a costly mistake on a large rug. The cost-benefit balance is heavily in your favour.
Still hesitating? Order one or two samples of other designs to compare. The selection of more than 120 references covers some of the handmade rugs, the Easy Clean range and a few outdoor rugs.
7. Designs without samples: 30-day returns
For designs not available as a sample, there are two equivalent solutions:
Free returns within 30 days. This guarantee applies to 100% of Casemira products, with no exceptions. If the rug is not right (the real colour differs from what you expected, the material does not suit, the size is wrong), sending it back costs nothing. Full details in the returns policy.
The simple rule: order the rug, unroll it in the room, live with it for a few days, then decide. If the answer is no, contact customer service to arrange the return before the end of the 30th day.
Cover by category:
| Category | Sample | 30-day returns |
|---|---|---|
| Handmade (collection) | Yes (in part) | Yes |
| Easy Clean | Yes | Yes |
| Washable, non Easy Clean | No | Yes |
| Bathroom (sets) | No | Yes |
| Runners and stair runners (made to measure) | No | Yes |
| Outdoor | Yes (in part) | Yes |
| High-density Persian | No | Yes |
So no Casemira rug is a leap of faith: either a sample, or 30-day returns, or both on the eligible designs. For general advice on buying at a distance, see buying a rug online.
Three Casemira rugs for the living room
Beige 100% Wool Rug - Valais
Grey Geometric Washable Rug - Gabin
Ivory & Black Viscose Rug - Lunaris
8. FAQ: ordering a sample
Your questions about Casemira samples
How much does a sample cost?
€10 for one sample, €15 for two, €20 for three (up to 3), in a 20 x 30 cm format, with free delivery, across a selection of more than 120 designs (some of the handmade rugs, the Easy Clean range and a few outdoor rugs). The rate is the same whatever the rug itself costs.
Is the sample really deducted when I buy the rug?
Yes, in full. You receive by email a code worth the amount of your samples (€10, €15 or €20), to enter at checkout when you buy your rug, with no expiry date. There is no refund, however, if you do not order a rug at all.
Which designs are eligible?
More than 120 designs: some of the handmade rug collection, the Easy Clean designs and a few outdoor rugs. The other designs have no samples but do come with 30-day returns.
How long does a sample take to arrive?
Standard Casemira timings: dispatch within 24 to 48 working hours, then about 2 to 8 working days in transit depending on the country. Allow two weeks at most between ordering and delivery.
What if I do not like the rug when it arrives?
Avoiding exactly that is the point of the sample. If the rug still turns out not to suit, free returns within 30 days apply to 100% of Casemira products.
How do I order a sample on the site?
Three steps: (1) browse the samples collection or go straight to the product page, (2) click "Add the sample", (3) complete the order. For any question, customer service replies by email within 24 working hours at contact@casemira.com.
Written by the Casemira team, based in Brittany. More about Casemira.
