This week’s feature takes us to Oslo, Norway, where Kim Andre Sandtorv and his girlfriend run Oslo Rugs—a creative duo who’ve turned tufting into both a passion and a business. Kim is the tufter, his girlfriend handles the shaving, and together they’ve built a workflow that lets them produce impressive rugs with precision and teamwork.
From Office Job to Rug Business
Kim’s tufting journey began in March 2024, when he ordered a starter kit from Tufting Europe. At the time, he was working two jobs — one in an office and one at McDonald’s — but a late night YouTube scroll changed everything.
“I was watching satisfying videos when rug making popped up,” Kim recalls. “I realized it wasn’t that popular in Norway, but it was something I could be good at. I quit my job at McDonald’s and decided to take a chance on rugs.”
It was a bold move, but one that’s quickly paid off.
The Iconic Design
The featured rug was commissioned by a client who wanted a football rug but left the creative direction to Kim. With the freedom to choose, he landed on an image that perfectly captured the sport’s greatest rivalry: the Louis Vuitton ad featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing chess.
“The picture is iconic—it shows the two football ‘GOATs’ in a game that’s tight, a metaphor for their rivalry,” Kim explains. “I hadn’t seen anyone else try it as a rug, so I knew I had to make it.”
Challenges and Process
The rug took about 20 hours to complete, but it wasn’t without hurdles. Norway’s yarn selection is limited, so Kim had to source colors from multiple shops and even take days off work to stay focused on the project. The small details of the design also made mapping colors tricky.
To help, he used Adobe Illustrator to mark out where each color would go. The rug was tufted with his Tufting Europe gun, using yarn from various local stores.
A Breakthrough Moment
What started as a custom commission quickly became a turning point for Oslo Rugs.
“This project really put me on the spot in Norway,” Kim says. “It gave me recognition, and after that celebrities started ordering rugs from me. Now I even have a deal with a Norwegian festival where I can make rugs for well-known celebrities.”
Looking back, Kim says the only thing he’d do differently is make the rug in full color instead of grayscale. Yarn prices in Norway are steep—sometimes $6–7 for just 50g—so he kept it practical for this version. But the idea of re-creating it in color is still on his list.
Three celebrities Oslo Rugs recently made rugs for: Astrid S which is a famous Norwegian singer, The Script and Calum Scott.
What’s Next for Oslo Rugs
With a growing reputation, a unique approach, and even celebrities taking notice, Oslo Rugs is just getting started. For Kim, the most rewarding part of tufting is the moment when everything comes together:
“Sometimes I think a rug won’t turn out so good, but once all the colors are tufted, the result always surprises me. That’s what makes it worth it.”
Follow Kim and his girlfriend’s tufting journey on Instagram at @oslorugs or tiktok at @oslorugs—this is one rug team you’ll want to keep an eye on.
