Buying a good handmade rug can totally change your living room. They are elegant items rather than ordinary carpets as well as beautiful art creations that will add comfort, charm, and elegance to your home. This tutorial takes a closer look at artisan made carpets in order to enlighten you on the variety that exists, and the different elements involved such as yarn and patterns. At the end of this article, you will have all the information needed to make a choice of the perfect handmade rug for your style, way of life, and interior design.
How Handmade Rugs Are Made?
The weft can be identified as a long strand of yarns that are interlocked at intervals into a woven structure. The warps are thereafter intertwined with the wefts. A weaver then weaves horizontal rows known as wefts into the warp. In effect, most carpets are made up of a warp and a weft base.
It may take as long as eight or nine months for a weaver to make one carpet alone. A regular 8×10 would take from six months to two years, depending on the knot count and weave. A large number of knots indicates good quality of your rug and also helps in creating a variety of patterns for your rug design.
At the top end of any room, one can note that the carpet is visibly brighter than when seen at its bottom side. This is referred as a shade in a rug that is made through the nap referred as a light and dark side. In the final stage, the strands made from the loosened warps are used to create the fringe.
Why handmade rugs are expensive?
These days handmade rugs have become luxury products thanks to their workmanship, top-notch raw material and complicated design. There are several reasons why handmade rugs tend to be expensive:
1. Time-consuming process: A good number of handmade rugs are made out of the patience and effort of many talented craftsmen, spent on a single knot. The task is intensive and may take weeks or years to finish based on the complexity and size of the work. Thus, the cost of making these carpets is also quite high, hence they are so expensive.
2. Skill and expertise: Rug weaving requires intensive training and experience; it is an extremely skilled task. A knowledge of traditional weaving skills, color harmony, and design is possessed by artisans who make hand-knotted carpets. The craftsmanship in every rug reflects the expertise and care they give. Additionally, it is expensive due to the rare nature of such skilled artisans.
3. Quality materials: High quality materials like wool, silk or a blend can be used for handmade rugs. The natural fibers are famous because they tend to be tough, but at the same time remain soft and carry rich colours. Using premium materials greatly adds on to the production cost which is rather expensive when compared to synthetics.
4. Unique designs: The rugs, being handmade, have complex patterns that are peculiar to either the weaver/ region of origin. The communities pass these designs on generations and they express the culture heritage, as well as, artistic traditions. These designs are special, in that they have historical and cultural value which contributes to their high cost.
5. Limited production: Handmade rugs are not like those generated by machines that have no limits on numbers. Every rug is uniquely crafted and thus a standalone piece. Handmade rugs are more appealing to collectors as well as people seeking uniqueness in their homes because of their limited nature.
A combination of slow processing procedures, specific skills and abilities, use of quality materials, and unique design with limited production is what drives up the price of handmade rugs. Although they come at a premium price, these carpets are often considered investments due to the length of service expected from them over time, their timelessness, and their ability to brighten up any space.
How do you Pick the Best Rug Store?
When buying a handmade rug, you need to make sure that you only choose the best one possible. Therefore, it is important to be very careful and cautious so you can avoid buying a very expensive rug that is not worthy of your money or from an unknown place.
Make sure you read reviews on every oriental rug vendor. Check out customer reviews of those firms posted on google and yelp. If you found out too many negative reviews from customers; find another place with positive reviews. You will likely have a great experience and find authentic rugs with those stores rather than the ones with negative reviews.
In case you are just looking for an area rug store, then you could also ask your friends or families about local rug stores around them.
How Do You Find Out Where a Handmade Rug was Made?
Often, a handmade rug will be without any name for its origin. However, several methods can help trace the source of a rug. These include, among others by, having look at the types of designs or patterns found on some rugs. The specific method of weave, together with the patterns found on different areas, assist in the process of identification. For example, Oriental rugs typically have intricate flowers, while Turkistan rugs focus on geometric patterns.
In Iran, Carpet Weaving has close relation with cities such as Tabriz, Heriz and Kashan. There are even times when rugs called “Namdar” are made in other countries, such as Pakistan. However, Persian patterns are still used.
Although only few remain, Persian rugs, designed in the 16th and 17th centuries in Iran, heavily influenced the design of carpets.
Carpets of tribal origin emanated from the rich history of nomadic tribes. As an example, one can consider such Kazak carpet as “khoshgel”.
The tag, which should be attached by a good rug store to the rug, should allow you to choose easily, indicating the place where the rug was made.
Should You Pick a Modern or a Traditional Rug?
Likewise, this is also a matter of preference as color differs across individuals. They come in different sizes and designs, so make any room beautiful at a low cost. They have an everlasting look that gives them the edge over all the other modern options.
These days there are a number of different modern style hand made rugs in color and designs. Most of modern handwoven rugs have weaves ranging around 80 – 100 knots while traditionally such rugs vary greatly with respect to knots.
In case, you are not sure which of them is the best and cannot make a decision by yourself, contacting an interior designer or the consultant in the rug store is highly advisable as he/she will pick either one depending on your rooms’ design and furnishing.
Handmade rugs are an important piece of your decor and design. When buying the rug, ask yourself this is it balanced, well-spaced and harmonious? If no, then you would feel that the carpet doesn’t match the decor in the space and could be confusing. The overall look plays a big role in defining the style of the space.
Natural OR Synthetized Dyed Rug?
Handmade rugs look even better when they use yarns spun by hand and dyed with natural colors, which are more delicate and lovely than synthetic ones. People used natural dyes way before synthetic ones came along.
If you want an area rug made from natural stuff, check out carpets with abrash patterns. These happen when different colored layers are woven in and are often found in wool carpets. It’s because each batch of dyed yarn has a slightly different amount of color.
Experience the joy of rugs as they bring comfort and beauty to your home. Take the time to understand them well and choose one that you truly love for the long term. Focus on the artistic appeal and make sure it complements your style.
Go for a high-quality handmade oriental rug over a cheap or machine-made one. Avoid the common mistake of buying rugs online, as they may not match your desired colors, look, or feel. Instead, shop locally to support your community and enjoy seeing the rug in your own space before making a purchase.
Make sure you really like a handmade rug before you buy it. This helps you see how it fits in your home, looks under your lights, and matches your furniture.
Try out the Rug
The rug store will let you try the rug at your home to see if it blends well with the home decor style. Keep the rug for a whole day, then decide if it makes the room more beautiful. Avoid letting the kids or pets do any damage to the rug because you are still trying it out and haven’t bought it yet.
Finding a good rug is not easy, but it will be an exciting experience. The world of carpets is diverse in style, design, and quality. The presence of a handmade rug, whether it’s a traditional Persian carpet or a modern piece, will make the space more beautiful and elegant.