A historical look at area rugs

Area rugs have been warming the floors of America's home since it's inception. But prior to that, how did the area rug industry evolve, and from what roots do we now see a full grown assortment of patterns, colors, styles, and fibers from which to choose?

Much of the craft that goes into today's area rug creation is thanks to the skilled tradesmen of the far east, and their ability to pass on their knowledge to future generations. Originally, rugs were either knotted with a cut pile on top (rugs as we know them are mostly similar to this construction), or woven where the face of the rug is flat-very dialed down, and looped pile.

The oldest known surviving area rug dates all the way back to the 5th century BC. One of the most remarkable things about this is the pattern of the area rug is something that you may very easily find in a person's home decor today. The timeless elegance and grace of a new area rug defies the ever changing fashion trends that seem to sometimes swirl around us.

As the demand for area rugs increased over the last several hundred years, new ways of crafting rugs came on the horizon. Now there are five prominent methods of production which include:

Hand Hooked — The weaver pushes a hooking tool through the foundation cloth to the front of the rug, then pulls the yarn to the back, leaving a loop on the surface.

Hand Knotted — Each knot is individually tied by hand. These knots are single strands of yarn that have been looped around two adjacent warp threads.

Hand Tufted — An inked-on foundation cloth is stretched over a loom. Then a manually operated hand-tufting gun pushes the yarn through the back of the cloth. When the rug is taken off the loom, a scrim and layer of latex is placed on the back. A back-cloth is then sewed on to the latex and scrim to protect your floors.

Jacquard — A mechanized loom that has an endless belt of punched cards. The holes in the card are arranged to produce the weave of the rug.

Wilton Loom — These rugs bear a close resemblance to hand-knotted rugs, but are machine made. The pile is woven between two backings and then split down the middle — so you get two separate rugs.

The richness and long storied history of area rugs is something that is fascinating and rich in heritage. From the point of concept to your home, new area rugs go through a time honored tradition of creation that has literally been passed on from generation to generation.