Hand-tufted rugs are also referred to as handmade rugs although they are made using a drill gun that inserts the pile into a cloth backing creating a loop pile. When this pile is sheared (trimmed) the loop piles turn into a cut pile. These rugs may be referred to and look like handmade rugs but cost less since the gun makes for faster production. However, these rugs are not as valuable to a rug collector or someone who wants to buy an area rug as an investment. Handmade rugs are almost always made out of wool and/or silk and sometimes out of cotton and new materials such as Aloe, Hemp, Linen and Mohair are now being introduced to create interesting textures. Wool is also used in machine-made rugs as well as man-made fibers such as nylon, or polypropylene.

Kilim, Dhurrie or Flat-weave rugs are essentially similar in that they are rugs with no pile. The yarns are woven through the vertical cotton yarns of a loom. They are usually reversible.

There are three main ways to tell the difference between a handmade and a machine-made rug.

1. Fringe

2. Edge Finishing

3. Back

FRINGE

This is one of the most distinguishing factors betweeen a handmade and machine-made rug. If the rug has a fringe check to see if the fringe is sewn over the rug or was added to the rug as a finishing touch or if it is an extension of the rug. If it is sewn over it is a machine-made rug. If it is an extension of the rug it is handmade.

Machine-made vs handmade fringe

EDGE FINISHING

If binding or serging is used the rug is machine-made. Hand knotted rugs are always finished on the edges by hand which looks like serging but you do not see the machine stitch tracks on the back.

Machine-made edge finishing

BACK

When looking at weaves or knots check the back of the rug. In handmade rugs they are slightly uneven or have imperfections whereas they are perfectly even in machine-made rugs. Hand-tufted rugs have a cloth backing and the edges normally do not have a finishing such as serging or binding.

hand knotted front and back

Machine-made front and back

Hand tufted front and back

Regardless of how a rug is made, the more detailed and pronounced the design when looking at it from the back, the better the quality. This means there are more knots  per square inch and therefore it is more durable – and if it is handmade it means it took a lot longer to be made.

Well, it’s official…Pantone’s new selection for the 2012 Color of the Year is Tangerine Tango, a “richly enticing reddish-orange hue with a spirited glow emanating from a hint of yellow in the blend.”

“Sophisticated, but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenalin rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Funnily enough I must admit I’d already (intuitively perhaps) used this color for a rug design I did last year, but haven’t yet used, inspired after an interior of a room designed by Tobi Fairley that you see here below……

and the rug I designed….

Ialso used a softer version of this color when repainting my fireplace just before Christmas! I love the synchronicity of it!

Here above you can see our living room fireplace and dining room that is basically neutral with a ‘daring’ attempt at some color on the fireplace that does not do justice to the stonework….

So! I took the plunge and the opportunity with my husband away on work over the holidays (naughty me!) and decided to do what I’d been itching to do and add a mighty punch of color and vibrant life into both my living/dining room and my life….

I already knew what colors I was going to use because I’d played this in my mind so often. For the dining room I used a warm turquoise on the north wall that would contrast beautifully with the oil painting of pomegranites and I painted two of the bookshelf recesses in the same warm coral that I used on the fireplace….

I can’t tell you how much I love the finished result! Pics don’t do it justice really. Suffice it to say that as soon as my daughter saw it she said “Ok! so when are we going to paint the whole house?!” LOL! and I’m so pleased that whoever’s seen it absolutely loves the result…now, I don’t know how my husband will react….he might even divorce me, I don’t know! But I know what I’m going to say…. it’s either me and the colors of my life or nothing!

(I think he might choose the former…)

There are invariably moments when my drive takes a dive, especially in this challenging economic crisis we are having to work through and I wonder if I am going about this in the right way…after all, I am creating a luxury item, using the best quality materials and skills I can find… and the competition is wicked out there, I know… and yet I must stick to what I am passionate about, to what I believe and to what my intuition tells me to do…

Even by opening myself up here, in this way today, I am making myself vulnerable by not putting up a super professional, all-is-working-perfectly-and-efficiently-and-business-is-booming image and appearance …. but I have decided, consciously, to be human, to be me, to be authentic…

It has been a long and challenging journey to get here and I know that there is no ‘end’ on this particular path but a continuous process of learning, experiencing, growing and evolving…lol it took me a long time to realize this and I am just beginning to relax into it….now I think I can begin to enjoy it one day at a time, one rug at a time…. 

I posted this a while back when I took the plunge and put in my first order. In other words making my 2d designs manifest into a 3d reality. Since redesigning my site this post got cast aside, but it is such a significant event in the course of my adventure into rug design that I can’t not repost it here. The joy and high a designer gets when seeing their vision, their dream materialize is enormous……

“There is nothing (well, almost nothing) more satisfying than seeing your idea, your dream, your own design and concept become a 3d reality! and this for me has finally come to pass in the production of two of my rug designs, “Four Seasons” and “Peacemaker”.

A couple of days ago I went out with my brother, who is a professional photographer (MUST get a plug in for him too, I’m soooo proud of him!) and he took a few photos of my new arrivals. Seeing as my brother is just visiting Athens we didn’t have an indoor studio to shoot them in classical style…but I didn’t want that…I wanted something different…more me….and I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful countryside and coastline we have and the gorgeous mediterranean light….and of course “Four Seasons” , in particular, has the ‘Thalassia’ (translates to ‘Sea’) theme….so there we go….

We drove along the coastline looking for the ideal spot and arrived in Anavissos, which is on the way to Cape Sounion from Athens. There is a peninsula that extends from the main coastline with a small, picturesque chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas, and that’s where we chose to shoot. The only difficulty we had was the strong wind that wouldn’t let up, but we couldn’t put it off as my brother was leaving today for the UK…so here are some of the best shots…..”

“Four Seasons” is 100 knots, 4mm cut pile, made with Tibetan wool and Bamboo Silk

“Peacemaker” is 100 knots, 4mm cut pile made with 100% Bamboo Silk

The following are a couple of small samples I had made up of Coral Reef light and Octopussy azur.

Before ordering a rug it is advisable, in order to make sure the colours and design are executed as I envision them, to have a small sample made up so any alterations can easily be made. this is particularly important for very intricate and detailed designs where many colours are used.

So let’s say we’re starting with a blank slate. Is it really a blank slate? Not really, because we already have the colour of the flooring, the doors and openings and whether the room faces north or south (this will affect the quality of light, northern light being cooler and southern light being warmer and brighter) whether it is well-lit or dark and what effect you want to create? i.e. do you want to brighten up a dark room making it look larger and seamless or do you want to make it cozier? Do you want your rug to contrast with the flooring and subsequent décor or do you want it to blend in and ‘quietly’ enhance it?

The rug you choose may be bold and contemporary or quieter and more traditional in design. It might feature bright colours or neutral and muted colours, geometric, floral, abstract or picture designs. Whatever you choose you will need to consider the rug as it will relate to the following colours and items you choose for your interior always having in mind the total effect, mood and style you want to create.

My advice is to pick out 2 colours from your rug, one which will be your primary colour and the second your accent colour and go with those. If your rug features a bold design with bright colours I would be wary of using bright patterns on other elements. In other words pick out upholstery that has a very discreet pattern or no pattern at all, just one colour. Then place some throw pillows in accent colours taken from your rug. Or pick out your sofa in one colour and armchairs in another. Same goes with the walls and curtains. Be careful with windows and if picking out wallpaper. Make sure the curtains and wallpaper design do not compete with your rug and prefer to wallpaper one accent wall rather than all four if it is a bold pattern.

If your rug features neutral or muted colours it is safer to add more pattern to upholstery, walls and curtains.

Having said all that, however, I will dare to say that if you are confident and a strong personality rules can always be broken so that your personal flair and Colourful YOU can shine in any room you create.

images via Glam Lamb, Houzz and i-village

Thank you Laura for allowing me the honor of re-posting your article, which is, of course, of special interest to me!

“Start with the rug”, is a well worn design credo that happens to be a smart route to take. When recently asked to choose the single most transformative element to any design scheme- meaning the room would fall flat if eliminated, area rugs beat out paint. Varying in construction, material, provenance, color, pattern and design, a rug can inspire and define the mood of an entire room . Today there are great rugs sold at high-end rug dealers and Ikea, making it possible for everyone to benefit from the positive attributes of a well-chosen area rug.

At the high end, here are some gorgeous antique Caucasian rugs I admired at the shop of an Istanbul rug dealer. Tribal rugs from the Caucuses, with their colorful, graphic geometric design motifs, are a favorite of mine. Works of art, these rugs easily inspire color palettes and work beautifully in both traditional and modern spaces, adding gravitas and energy to any room.

Practically speaking, rugs domesticate floors by providing an essential layer of comfort, warmth and sound protection that help mitigate the properties of hard flooring such as wood, stone and tile. Aesthetically, rugs are positively transformative. A single rug can turn a sofa , chairs and coffee table into a warm and inviting seating area; a series of rugs in an open-plan space provide a sense of enclosure and proportion.

Rugs bring depth and character to decorative schemes, adding vitality to neutral backgrounds and providing a coordinating element where rooms are more richly colored or patterned. A beautiful rug can serve as a room’s signature, the foundation for the entire decorative approach, as well as provide pleasure in its own right for.

What Size and Shape?
Area rugs are made in standard and non-standard sizes and they can be rectangular (most common), round, square, oval, octagonal or long and narrow for runners.

Rectangular Rugs
Standard Rug Sizes:
British Imperial System (width x length in feet)

2’x 3’      6’x 9’         10’x 14’
2’x 4’      7’x 10’        12’x 15’
3’x 5’      8’ x 10’       12’x 18’
4’x 6’      9’ x 12’       13’x 20’
5’x 8’      10’x 13’      14’x 21’

Metric System (width x length in meters)

0.50 x 1.00        2.00 x 3.00        3.50 x 4.50
1.00 x 1.50        2.25 x 3.25         3.00 x 5.00
1.50 x 2.00        2.50 x 3.50         3.50 x 5.50
1.50 x 2.50        2.75 x 3.75         4.00 x 6.00
2.00 x 2.50       3.00 x 4.00         4.00 x 7.00

Custom designed, handmade rugs, however, can be ordered to any size you require.

Choosing the correct size area rug depends on the dimensions of the space you want to cover. Here are some hints on how to figure out what size rug you need….
If you are thinking square or rectangle, place a piece of paper where each of the corners will fall in the area you wish to cover. Measure the space and adjust the “corners” as needed to make the space larger or smaller given the standard rug sizes. You’ll probably have to go up or down a few cms/inches. Don’t rush this. Play around with sizes until you are happy with the size.

Runners
Runners are the second most common shape of rug. They are very long and narrow rectangular rugs. Most runners in today’s market are between 2.5 to 3 feet wide (0.50 x 1.50 m) and 6 to 20 feet long (2.00 x 6.00 m), and in some cases even longer. They are used as coverings for hallways, stairways, and entrances.

Square Rugs
Square rugs are very unique and rare. As their name implies, they have equal width and length. Therefore, when looking for a square rug, look for sizes such as 4’x 4’, 8’x 8’ (2 x 2, 3 x 3 m) etc. Square rugs are an ideal fit for square rooms.

Round Rugs
The length and width are equal in a round rug, and they are the same as the diameter of the rug, so when looking for a round rug, look for sizes such as 4’x 4’, 8’x 8’, (2 x 2, 3 x 3 m) etc. Round rugs are unique and rare.

If you’re considering a round rug, you can run a piece of tape from the center of the space you want to cover to the outside edge. Measure it. This gives you the radius of the circle. Double it and you have the diameter. Again, you may have to adjust it up or down to reach a standard rug size.

Oval Rugs
Oval rugs are unique and rare in shape. Therefore, no standard sizes have been established for them. However, oval rugs are measured in the same fashion as rectangular rugs. The larger diameter is considered the length, and the smaller diameter is considered the width.

You can run a piece of tape on your floor to determine the length and a second to determine the width. You will have a large cross taped to your floor, but it will tell you how big an oblong you need to cover the space.

Odd Shaped Rugs
At times, you will encounter hexagonal, octagonal or even triangular rugs. They are mostly rarities rather than the rule.

If you choose to cover the whole room with an area rug, it is best to leave a minimum of 50cm (15-inch) border of flooring exposed to frame your rug.
Rugs that are destined to go under the dining room table should be large enough so that when seated at the table, the back legs of your guests’ chairs are on the rug with enough space to push back and stand up. This way, no one has to go over the edge to get up from the table. Furthermore, be sure not to invest in a rug whose main design will be lost under the dining table base.
One more thing….when you buy, bring a tape measure. What is claimed to be, for example a 9’x 12’ rug often isn’t. Like clothing sizes, they need to be “tried-on”, or at least measured so you know what true size you are actually buying, particularly if it is a handmade rug. Don’t be surprised if it’s a little short in each direction. A good retailer will ‘lend’ you the rug to try out at home before committing to the purchase.

What Color?
Color is at least as important for an area rug as how it’s made. The combination of color, design and setting (your room) all come together to create your own personal artistic statement.
Area rugs don’t have to match the colors of the room precisely. Great interior design often features combinations of colors that either contrast or compliment a room’s primary color scheme. But a good rule of thumb is to stick to one primary shade and two additional colors.

via apartmentherapy.com

What Pattern?
Pattern is divided into three categories in the rug industry: curvilinear, geometric and pictorial. Knowing what kind of pattern you prefer can help narrow the field a bit.
Curvilinear literally means curved lines. It refers to patterns with swirl, arc and bows.

design by Geoffrey Bradfield

Geometric refers to patterns based on simple geometric shapes such as, lines, triangles, squares and rectangles.

via Freshome

Pictorial, the smallest group, refers to patterns that portray people, animals and scenes.

designed by EGE

Style
Style is such an ambiguous idea. It simply means a distinctive manner of expression. Over time, names get attached to the word style: Contemporary. Classical. Art Deco, and so on. Your style can draw on bits and pieces of all of these and more. It is a personal expression of the way you want to live your life and what expresses your personality.
Rugs also have acquired styles: Natural, Navajo, Oriental, Persian, Chinese, Turkoman, Caucasian, Tibetan, Indian and Colonial, to name a few. No one expects you to know all of these or even some of these. You need to know what you like. If you do some research and find an image of an area rug you find attractive, take it to your retailer or designer (should you want a custom designed rug) and then you can discuss what style it is. It’s another way of beginning the search.