Rugs are offered from several sources

Rugs these days are offered from an incredible range of sources. Not so long ago the sources from which we were able to purchase rugs was relatively limited. We had established relationships with three manufacturers that supplied us with 85% of the rugs we offered. The year was only 1999. Our suppliers at that time were:

Oriental Weavers

Oriental Weavers was started in the mid 1980s as an international supplier of machine woven area rugs. Their corporate headquarters is in Cairo, Egypt. The organization has a significant degree of vertical integration which allows for both quality controls and cost reduction throughout the manufacturing and distribution process. Rugs that were initially offered by Oriental Weavers had more introductory price points such as 5x8 rugs for only $99. Oriental Weavers was the first manufacturer to use the Van DeWiele weaving machine which took the process of wilton weaving rugs and moved it into the 21st century. Prior to Van DeWiele weaving, the production of weaving rugs took a good deal more time. Essentially, a VanDeWiele machine allows for two rugs to come off of the loom at the same time, with the items being woven face to face (sort of like a sandwich) and then sliced down the center, laterally. The result is two rugs in the time it used to take to make a single rug.

Once Oriental Weavers perfected machine weaving with the Van DeWiele, they moved to another process, which is known as side weaving. Conceived by Oriental Weavers, side weaving allows for up to 36 colors to be used in any rug pattern designed. The result is an incredibly varied range of colors that makes the rugs look even more luxurious and vivid than before. With each techological advancement, the retail prices of Oriental Weavers rugs moved up, along with their quality and styling. Oriental Weavers is now known for producing rugs in the $299 and $399 price points for a 5x8. Long known as the industry leader in machine woven rugs, Oriental Weavers branched into hand tufted and hand knotted rugs in the early 2000s. Using their existing design team, they began using much of their styling talents to make rugs that offer an incredible value within their respective quality ranges. Click on the logo above, and you will see what an amazing range of goods they offer.

Shaw Living

Shaw Industries was started by Bob Shaw in the early 1980s. In the early days, Shaw was know for creating well priced wall to wall carpets. As the flooring industry evolved, and homeowners began to prefer hard floors such as wood or tile, Shaw Industries branched into hard surfaces. Naturally, they realized that rugs were a great fit to the hard woods and tiles that they offered.

Teaming up in the late 1990s with Kathy Ireland resulted in a catapult of the sale of their rugs, thanks to the savvy styling and fashion sense of the Kathy Ireland Home organization. As years went by, Shaw living acquired their own advanced weaving machines which allowed them to offer a huge range of rug patterns at competitive price points. Be sure to browse the incredible assortment of patterns offered by Shaw. I am sure you will agree that what started as a very small wall to wall carpet manufacturer in Dalton, GA blossomed into an incredible corporation that supplies a delightful range of rugs to homes across the USA.

Milliken

Milliken has long been know for manufacturing screen printed rugs. Their origin, however is much more diverse. Being from Detroit, Rugs To My Door staff is tuned into the other items that Milliken has long manufacturered including vehicle carpet and automotive headliners. As their business grew and evolved, Milliken became a major presence in the rug industry.

With collections such as Claire Murray and their hugely successful Signature Collection, Milliken rugs offer a great range of stain resistance and styling that is absolutely ideal for today's home interiors. Since Milliken rugs are made to order, they are able to offer an absolutely huge range of patterns in sizes and styles that are truly unprecedented in the rug business.

If modern styling and ease of maintenance is what you're looking for, then Milliken is the ticket.

Be sure to check back when I will discuss the other vendors that hit the rug industry in the mid 1990s. Rugs really can make a huge difference to a home's interior. Knowing where the industry started and where it is heading is a great way to know why the rugs you buy cost what they do and where style and design is poised to head in the coming years.

Wes

Guru of Rugs.