Short Rug Weaving Demonstration

Ever wonder how rug weavers create the intricate designs in hand-knotted rugs?  Our friend and supplier, Jaipur Rugs, has put together this short video that shows how their weavers use songs to convey the proper colors and design sequence to be used while hand knotting these beautiful masterpieces!

Truly One-of-a-Kind Gifts for the More Discerning Ladies on Your List

If you struggle to come up with a new gift idea for your girlfriend, wife, best lady friend, sister, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt, or any other female in your life, then this blog’s for you!  Our designers have picked out some of their favorite items, to give and to receive.  These gifts will make you look like spent days researching and hours selecting the perfect item for that special lady – it’s an almost guaranteed way to close out the year with some extra brownie points!

Unique Gift Idea #1: Not-So-Ordinary Vases

Every woman can use another vase, but with these, it will seem like so much more – it will seem like a work of art!  Frosted glass, etched ridges, and multi-colored glass add style and sophistication to these vases that will look great with or without any flowers (although, hand delivered with the flowers is a sure-to-win-her-over touch that we HIGHLY recommend!).  Plus, there are dozens more to choose from, so you’re sure to find one that fits her taste and personality to a tee.

Large Blossom Vase $58

Small Round Vase $32

Callie Vase $48

Easy and Inexpensive (All Items Under $299) Ways to Get Your Home Holiday-Ready!

The holidays are just around the corner and, as your eye scans through your house, you start to enter into panic attack mode seeing the bare walls and floors, and colorless table tops.  There just doesn’t seem to be enough time or money in your decorating budget to get your house holiday-ready before the guests and *gasp* your MOI (mother-in-law) arrives!  We are here to tell you that, fortunately, that’s not true!  We have some easy and very inexpensive ways to fill-in all of those spots that seem like empty holes in your home.

Solution #1: Add Florals and Greenery to Tabletops to Brighten Up the Place

The easiest way to add a sense of cheeriness to any room is by bringing in plants to brighten up the space.  However, live versions require maintenance between watering and picking off dead leaves, but life-like florals and greenery are the perfect alternative!  We have a large selection of extremely reasonably priced arrangements (the ones below are under $150!) that will bring joy to your home through the holidays and all year round.

Have Enough Seating for your Guests this Year with These Simple Solutions!

You face the same challenge every year: making sure you have enough chairs around the dining table for all of your many family and guests through the holidays.  There are some easy ways to ensure you do this year!  We offer simple solutions like adding accent chairs to your living room that can be brought to the table, placing a bench in your dining room for extra eating space away from the table, great round dining table options that make it easier to accommodate more chairs, dining tables with butterfly leaves that are make expanding the dining table much easier, and long and skinny dining tables that allow for more chairs in a narrower space.  See our ideas demonstrated visually below.

Solution #1: Add Decorative Accent Chairs to Your Living or Dining Room

A simple and cost-effective way to expand the available seating at the dining table is by investing in accent chairs.  These can be placed in your living room year-round or, if your dining room is large enough and has a bay window, they can be placed in front of the window for great seat with a view throughout the year, and can then be pulled up to the table when you have more company.  Everything from more ornate varieties to fully upholstered parsons chairs give you a range of options to choose from to find what matches your décor and style.

Trend Alert: What the heck is ikat??

You may be asking yourself that if you have heard this buzz word being used around the water cooler, ahem, we mean in interior design and home fashion magazines (home fashion trends may be too cool for the water cooler!). We’re here to help you understand this latest trend, and its origins, that seems to be just about everywhere, from pillows to upholstery to rugs!

Ikat (pronounced ee-kaht, not eye-kaht) is actually a technique used in dyeing that creates a pattern similar to that of tie-dye or batik prints. However, the use of the term “ikat” in home furnishings doesn’t necessarily signify the technique used to create that item, although it might for upholstered pieces, but, rather, it is used to indicate the presence of the type of pattern this unique style of dyeing creates.

Ikat designs are characterized by rough, jagged edges to pattern components, creating an almost blurred effect. These designs also often have diamond shapes incorporated in some concrete or abstract manner.

There are numerous variations of an ikat design, but whatever the style and colors used, ikat is said to be a symbol of wealth, power, status and prestige, and is even believed to have magical powers! Go ahead – bring a little magic into your own home with ikat!

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikat

For more on ikat rugs and home furnishings and how you can incorporate this look into your own home, visit one of our locations and speak with a design associate, or ask us any questions you may have by emailing us at promotions@rugandhome.com!

Trend Alert: Script Your Life with Home Furnishings!

Everywhere you look these days in home furnishings and interior design magazines, you will notice a trend: chests, chairs, rugs, and many other pieces are adorned with lettering and words to create a romantic, ode-to-France kind of look.

Perhaps the appeal of this style is the personal feeling that handwritten messages bring in this digital world, or maybe these pieces fulfill the dream of love letters for single and married women alike!  Whatever the reason may be, you will find words and scripts in various forms from English poems, to French quotes, to more urban-looking phrases.

A great way to incorporate this look into your own home is with a single piece to become the focal point of any room!

Use a chest like this to dress up a bedroom, foyer, or even as an elegant focal piece in the living room with a gorgeous pair of lamps on top!

A Rug Pad Primer

Q: Why and when do I need to use a rug pad? What type of pad do you recommend? – Gail from Johnson City, TN

A: As we mentioned briefly in Caring for Your Handmade Rug: Part 1 and Part 2, using a rug pad is a relatively inexpensive way to ensure that your purchase lasts as long as possible. A rug pad can offer protection from mildew (a concern for renters and homeowners in humid climates) by allowing air to circulate under the rug and preventing moisture from collecting. In the event of a small liquid spill, a rug pad can buy you time to blot the spill with a clean cloth and then keep air circulating so the spot dries without mildewing.

A Braided Rug Renaissance

There’s no doubt about it: braided rugs are back! Rarely a day goes by without our samples being excitedly thumbed through. Perhaps it’s because, as Norma and Elizabeth Sturges—authors of The Braided Rug Book—put it, braided rugs represent “hearth, home, comfort, family, and love.” Isn’t it amazing that a simple rug can conjure up all of that?!

Braided Beginnings

In the early years, wooden floors of American homes were covered with straw or rush-woven mats. These primitive coverings didn’t contribute much to a home’s comfort or warmth. While European rugs were available beginning around 1750, only the wealthy could afford woolen imports, so the average American used the straw they had. Wool did become readily obtainable in the states in the early 1800s, and, around 1839, the power loom made commercially produced rugs available. However, these coverings were still too expensive for the general public. So, New England housewives got crafty. They already knew how to braid straw mats, why not try the technique with wool, they thought. And the braided rug was born.

Braided rugs were an extremely popular floor covering then, as they were more durable, warmer, and more decorative than their straw counterparts, all while remaining affordable options. Also called “rag rugs,” they could be created from leftover scraps of materials and even strips torn from old clothes and blankets.

It’s thought that the braided rug reached its height of popularity in the early 1900s, during the Arts and Crafts movement. The housing boom and its promotion of wall-to-wall carpeting that occurred after World War II brought their—as well as area rugs in general—decline. Unfortunately, the craft of rug braiding experienced a decline in popularity, too, leaving fewer expert rug braiders to carry on the long-standing folk art tradition.

Rag Rugs Rise Again

Trends come and go, and despite going out of fashion in the 60s, braided rugs are now back on the scene. In fact, since many are taking a “green” approach to furnishing their homes and are opting for area rugs over carpeting—which can negatively affect indoor air quality—rugs in general are experiencing a rise in popularity. Just as they were in the 1800s, rag rugs are durable, comfortable, and affordable choices. They’re reversible and can be made of a myriad of materials—from chenille to cotton and acrylic to wool. They’re also, as mentioned in the opening paragraph of this post, symbolic of a simpler time.

We’ve Got You (Well, Really Your Floor) Covered

Rug & Home carries braided rugs by Colonial Mills, a Rhode Island manufacturer who is the leader in braided rugs and who blends old-school craftsmanship with innovative design.  Their braided rugs are 100% U.S.A. designed and manufactured, plus, their styles and designs are fashion-forward with colors and patterns to coordinate with today’s home decors.  You’ll find samples for almost every braided rug in their product line in our stores, and our design associates are happy to go through them with you to help find and order the best option. While you may begrudge the ordering process (and we don’t blame you; it’s nice to leave with a new purchase in-hand), we offer our braided rugs this way so you can get exactly the size, colors and materials needed for your space. And because it’s Rug & Home, you can get them for 30% off the suggested retail price!

Big On Braids?

We’d love to hear why you’re single-handedly helping bring braided rugs back in style. Do you choose them for durability? Their cottage feel? Their symbolism? Comment here! Or, email us photos of braided rugs in your home, and we’ll upload them to our customer Facebook album!

Sources: We consulted a variety of sources for this post. A Google search of “The History of Braided Rugs” brings up many articles. If you’re interested in learning the craft of braiding rugs, check out the book we mentioned published by local publisher Lark Books: The Braided Rug Book by Norma and Elizabeth Sturges, which also includes a detailed history of the craft. You can read a preview HERE.

We want to hear from YOU!

Indoor/Outdoor Rugs

Q: I hear a lot about how “indestructible” indoor/outdoor rugs are, but I’m skeptical that one could really hold up on my patio. What exactly makes an indoor/outdoor rug suitable for exposure to the elements? – Suzie from Greenwood, SC

A: Nowadays, you don’t have to flip far in a design magazine before you’ll find a feature on an outdoor room, and homeowners and renters alike are doing some amazing things in the world of exterior design. In fact, people aren’t just creating comfortable sitting spaces on their patios, they’re even creating full outdoor kitchens—range, refrigerator, bar…the whole nine yards! Just as area rugs play an important role in the design and function of your indoor space, so can they too in you outdoor room.

Indoor/outdoor rugs come in a variety of designs, from traditional to contemporary. Today, the majority of these rugs are constructed of either synthetic polypropylene or polyacrylic fibers that are made to withstand almost anything Mother Nature could throw at them. Polypropylene is a plastic that can easily be dyed and turned into a fiber (it’s also often referred to as olefin). As a plastic, it’s rugged, durable, and resists permanent stains. Unlike nylon, a comparable fiber found in rugs for indoor use only, it doesn’t soak up water, making it mildew-resistant. Rugs hand-tufted with a polyacrylic pile are also mildew-resistant, yet they offer the look and feel of a wool rug (typically at a lower price point). These synthetic fibers can also be dyed with a solution that is colorfast and resists bleaching and fading. In other words, sun and rain are no match for them!

Of course, you want to allow the opportunity for both sides of your outdoor rug to dry, whether it’s wet from rain or a quick hose-off. While these rugs can resist mold, mildew would surely put up a good fight with a rug left completely saturated for a lengthy period of time.

Because of their durability and stain- and wear-resistance, these rugs are often used in high-traffic areas inside the home as well. As mentioned above, polypropylene has a feel similar to nylon, and tufted polyacrylic pile mimics wool, providing a soft, yet strong option for rooms like your kitchen, living room, or bathroom.

This summer, find indoor/outdoor rugs to fit your style and space at any of our locations. Or, CLICK HERE to shop indoor/outdoor rugs online.