The Looms Norman, the Looms

We could bore you to death with the complete history of rug weaving, but let’s just stick to the high points. We begin with the Jacquard loom invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1805. This was a leap forward in the weaving process allowing weavers to mechanize and weave more intricate patterns. This was combined with the single frame (meaning only one color could be used) Wilton Loom from England and created the modern multi-frame Wilton Loom. A Wilton rug (or carpet) can be woven in many different styles, whether it is cut-pile, loop-pile or a combination of the two. A carved effect can be achieved with this process.

Finally, we come to the type of Wilton weaving that most area rug manufacturer’s use, it’s called a face to face Wilton. Two rugs are woven at the same time (pile side to pile side) then sliced apart. Now add to this that Belgium has a rich history of textile weaving starting with the weaving of tapestries. This history of weaving gives them a unique ability and an edge when it comes to the weaving of rugs. By the mid 19th century Flanders (as Belgium was known at the time) was known to be one of the best producers of fine carpets.

This tradition of area rug weaving has continued into modern Belgium with many companies (such as Capel, Couristan, 828, Dynamic and Loloi) using the expertise of Belgium weavers to create rugs for them. Rugs woven here can be made of many different materials but the most common are polypropylene, wool and a blend of the two. Check out the amazing selection we have of finely woven rugs on our site.