while I prefer a house filled with bright white walls, bedding, and couches, there is just something special about a beautiful rug to catch someone's eye when they first walk into our home. Rugs can be rotated out into different areas, they can last for generations, and they will 100% add just the perfect touch to literally any place you put them (i can vouch for this. I have at least two rugs in every room of our house. No shame!) it was years ago on craiglist that I found my first cheap, machine made Persian-style accent rug and I loved that $30 beauty very much. I think I kept it in my kitchen near the sink and from there, my love grew. Rugs are interesting when it comes to buying them because unlike most anything else you'll want for your home, the more wear a rug has the better (in my opinion). Worn spots? gimme! Fraying to the fringe? Yes please. A wool pile that has been worn down to the floor? Heart eyes.
I spend a lot of time researching rugs, patterns, colors, and styles and what I've taken away from all of that is this: For the average person that just wants a beautiful statement piece in their home- it's all about the colors and size. Whether a rug is Anatolian, Caucasian, Persian, or made in Michigan... It doesn't matter much to me and most likely won't matter to you. All of these regions (except for maybe Michigan) create equally beautiful rugs that can take years to create by hand. by HAND, people! Picture several woman sitting side by side and knotting a rug all day long. For years. That is how we get these beautiful pieces of floor art. They aren't cheap by any means but when you think about the time and energy that goes into creating just one, it makes a little more sense to spend the money.
So, here's a few pieces of advice and tid bits for when it comes to buying a rug:
1. Buy used. New rugs will look new. They will look too crisp and "perfect". That is not what we're going for. You want rich, naturally dyed colors. You want your rug to be worn in. You want to be able to fold that bad boy up like a towel. Old is good. New is bad. Ok, not "bad" but definitely not preferred.
2. Check out the back. If you're able to see the back of a rug while you're shopping, please do! you'll be able to tell by the backing if it's made from a machine or made by a person. A machine rug will cost you much less and can still be beautiful. Think of your rugs like designer handbags. A fake bag or a machine made rug can fool a lot of people into thinking it's something it's not. If you can live with that, you can save yourself some cash.
3. Save up! While buying a machine rug might be easier and faster, let's face it. Antique rugs that were made by hand many years ago are just simply too gorgeous to not drool over. But they're not cheap. Admittedly, there have been times that I have jumped online and bought a few machine made rugs because they were cheaper and I just wanted a rug right now! But looking back, I should have saved up my lunch money and waiting to invest in a handmade one. (i have the same theory for those damn designer bags!)
4. Research . Once you get your rug from some little old man at a flea market or offline somewhere, I advice researching it. Learn the history of the piece. what do the markings represent? Was the rug made during a war? Was it used for praying? Knowledge is fun and it's fun to tell others about
5. Colors. You'll see when you start your search for your new rug that most are going to fall in the red/indigo family. There are more dyes in this family and they stand the test of time the best. If those colors aren't in your wheelhouse, that's ok. Looking online at examples will help you in narrowing down your rug color preferences. You'll also find that most of these rugs have about 3435 different colors in them so keep an open mind. They can tie an entire, boring, white-walled (hi! me! hello!) room together by pulling your eyes to the floor.
6. Damage. Like I said, wear in a rug is a good thing. Worn spots and frays just add more character to your piece. But when it comes to buying, don't be afraid to offer less money when you see damage. Not everyone likes that worn out look. And repairs aren't always cheap.
7. SAGE! I can't stress enough how much I think you need to clean the energy out of rugs. They've been around for a long, long time and have likely experienced a lot. Bringing used goods with history into your house is not only a way to keep your space original, but it also can be a recipe for disaster. Make sure to burn sage over your rug to rid it of bad past energy.
8. Cleaning. Try your best to go easy on your rug. Avoid eating big bowls of ice cream or letting your animals track mud over it. But when you inevitably need to clean it, start with beating it. Take it outside and beat the hell out of it. Spot treat small areas with water only. The double edged sword with rugs is that you might not know a whole lot about its history or what it's dyed with. So avoiding soaps and cleaners is a good idea.
I hope this helps a little when you're on your rug hunt!
No comments
Post a Comment