No other place on earth shows off your style more than your
home. It’s in the furniture and the cabinetry, the accents
and the accessories. It’s reflected in your color palette and
choice of window coverings. Everywhere.
It goes without saying that you should follow your style
sense when choosing something as critical as area rugs.
Critical? Yes! Because any floor covering in your home
impacts interior beauty, design, décor, comfort, livability
and upkeep. It’s a fact, floor coverings can make, or break,
a home.
And to help you find the area rugs that suit your
style, we’ve created this section.
Because the number of area rug choices, patterns, colors,
textures and price points can intimidate even the most
experienced shopper.
Knowing the basic types of area rugs can provide you with a
firm foundation upon which to begin your shopping journey.
The area rug world divides into hand versus machine made.
On one side, area rugs can be antique or original rugs that
are hand-knotted or hand-tufted, are high in value and price,
and become collectables.
Or, on the other side, area rugs can be modern, manufactured
rugs that replicate some of the ancient patterns, designs and
colors.
Some of these rugs are made with different materials other
than wool and silk such as nylon, polyester and olefin.
Now we’ll explain to you the most important styles of rugs
that have existed or still do exist in various parts of the
world.
Many styles are made in their place of origin as well as in
other countries or areas. Come walk with us through this
style promenade.
Persian: the versions are many.
When you think of Persian rugs, you usually think of
intricate curvilinear designs, however, Persian styles are
the most diverse styles worldwide.
There are over fifty different Persian styles woven in Iran
and other countries such as India, Pakistan, China, and some
European countries.
However, a true Persian Rug is one that is hand knotted in
Iran, formerly called Persia, and features a border to
emphasize the main pattern.
Several other narrower borders may also be part of the design
and this border motif is the signature of all Persian rugs.
Don’t be fooled by borderless imitations.
Dating back to the fifth century BC, Persian rugs are
considered an investment and keepsake sometimes passed down
through generations.
Perhaps your generation could begin this heritage.
Oriental: oriented toward the natural and real.
Recognized for centuries for their warmth and intricate
designs, Oriental area rugs are handmade rather than mass
produced and are known to be extremely durable and long
lasting. Good to keep in mind.
They are often made from natural fibers such as wool, silk or
cotton and become works of art you will cherish for years to
come.
You will not find antique oriental rugs made of synthetic
blends.
Each one is , and playful -- the pattern changes
direction without warning.
Your Oriental rug will come from India, Western China,
Central Asia, Iran, the Caucasus or Turkey.
Chinese: no translation required.
Unlike most oriental rugs, Chinese designs are very literal
rather than decorative; most motifs have very exact meanings.
Also, unlike most Oriental rugs, the motifs on Chinese rugs
do not unite in order to create one design; they stand alone.
And will stand out in your home.
Traditional Chinese rugs and carpets are immediately
recognizable by their simple, classic motifs and unusual
colors.
These rugs often feature a center, circular medallion,
familiar objects seen in nature such as animals, flowers, and
clouds, stylized Chinese ideographs and even entire scenes.
They're usually framed with a simple, wide border and many
display contrasting colors that meet to provide interest and
texture to the simple patterns.
These rugs are usually of high quality and extremely durable.
Turkoman: all about flower power.
Turkoman rugs are produced by nomadic weavers of
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and the province of
Khorassan in northeast Iran.
Turkoman rugs are easily distinguished by their three
characteristics of a dominant red to red-brown background
color, geometric pattern, and a octagonal motif known
as gul, which has several versions.
Gul is the Persian name for flower. If you love
flowers this is your rug.
The layout is generally all-over and guls are
repeated in rows with usually smaller guls of
similar, but not exact, geometric designs (minor
guls) in between the rows of major guls.
White, beige, black and blue are used to create color
contrast in the motifs and the border of the rug.
Caucasian: for geometric tastes.
Caucasian rugs are woven by tribal weavers of the region
south of Russia, near the Caucasus Mountains, between the
Black and Caspian Seas.
Caucasian rugs, even though made by different weaving groups,
still have very common characteristics.
The patterns are very geometric. The perfect rug if you think
spatially.
The designs tend to be stripes, crosses, squares, diamonds,
hexagons, triangles, botehs, ’S’ shapes (derived from old
dragon designs), some very geometric animal figures, such as
crab and tarantula, and sometimes even geometric human
figures.
One common characteristic is the positioning of similar
shapes in different sizes next to one another.
Another is their colorful and bright palette.
Colors of blue, red, purple, yellow, green, navy, black and
beige can all be combined in one rug.
Tibetan: color, motif and background taken to new heights.
The distinguishing characteristics of Tibetan rugs are their
vivid colors, huge and few motifs, and relatively plain and
dominant backgrounds.
The motifs are woven in red, orange, pink, yellow, beige,
blue, green and white.
The background colors are usually blue, black, red, orange,
and less frequently, yellow or ivory.
Their designs are strongly influenced by Chinese and East
Turkestan styles and can either be geometric or curvilinear.
Take your choice.
The different types of Tibetan rugs include the medallions,
the flower and rosettes, the mythological animal and birds,
the geometrical designs, and the rugs used in monasteries for
ceremonial purposes.
Tibetan rugs are known for their wonderful depth and richness
achieved through subtle variation of color and texture.
These rugs are woven exclusively with Nepalese wool, which is
characteristically flexible, strong, lustrous and springy.
The bold eclectic patterns and coloration heightened by a
rich texture reveal a primitive sophistication to
these rugs.
Can you picture one of these rare beauties in your home?
Indian: small on motif, big on beauty.
Indian designs were strongly influenced by those of Iran,
mainly by the curvilinear styles.
Popular designs of the 18th and 19th century, which Indo-mir
is still a remaining example of, were mainly in the all-over
layout with very small floral motifs such as plants,
palmettes, rosettes and leaves.
Often the same motif was repeated through the entire rug, and
borders were very similar to the motifs in the field.
There was not much color contrast in these rugs; the colors
were mostly well coordinated to suit the Western taste.
Brownish red was the dominant color. In addition to this
color, light and dark green and burnt orange were also
popular.
Native American: Navajo is the chief example.
Native American weaving is mainly associated with Navajo wool
blankets.
These blankets are mostly flat weaves and date back to the
late 18th century.
Today Navajo fabrics are woven on reservations in northern
Arizona.
Original styles consisted of stripes and simple geometric
shapes.
Navajo weaving could be divided into the four types: the
Chief blankets, Serape blankets, Eye Dazzler weavings, and
fabrics after 1890.
They all had horizontal stripes with wide stripes housing
minor stripes at each end of the blanket and a similar wide
strip in the center.
These wide end and center stripes were colored in red and
brown; sometimes blue was added.
White and brown stripes were woven between the wide center
and end major stripes.
East Turkestan: rare and environmentally friendly.
Prior to the Chinese occupation in 1878, the area in western
China above Tibet was called East Turkestan.
Even though the area itself is no longer called that, the
rugs of this area are still labeled as East Turkestan rugs.
They may also be marketed under “Samarkand” because East
Turkestan rugs used to be traded in Samarkand.
The main East Turkestan sub-styles include Kashgar, Yarkand
and Khotan.
East Turkestan rugs have always been rare, and they are still
being woven on a small scale.
The layout of East Turkestan rugs can be either medallion or
all-over.
Their pattern is mainly geometric and tends to be long and
narrow.
A very common design is the pomegranate and vase, which is a
symbol of fertility.
The vase symbolizes Mother Earth and the pomegranate is the
fruit growing from Mother Earth. Truly a rug for the
environmentalist in you.
Kilims: no two are alike.
Kilim rugs are flatwoven textiles made by nomadic peoples in
Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Russia, China, Pakistan, India and
Morocco.
Turkish Kilims feature Mediterranean colors of gold orange
and turquoise.
Iranian Kilims are grounded in burgundy, rust, heavy blues,
and heavy greens.
Kurdish Kilims are brighter and sometimes mixed with
embroidery.
These textiles are used as rugs to cover doors and windows,
for their dwellings, and as prayer rugs.
The Kilim is a major part of a bride's dowry. The females
weave each rug; each piece will contain symbols of the family
traditions and tribal identity.
No two hand-woven Kilim rugs are exactly the same in color
and size, which give the rugs a appeal.
If you seek one-of-a-kind items for your home, a Kilims rug
is made for you.
Finally, 3 more categories of rugs that roll out beauty and
character.