Traditional Area Rugs V/S Modern Area Rugs
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Are you planning on purchasing a couple of area rugs but are not sure what the differences are between modern area rugs and antique rugs? After all, a rug is a rug and there can’t have been that many changes in the way they are made, right? Wrong! There have in fact been many changes to the way that area rugs are now being made and finding out what the differences are can help you educate yourself when it is time to go shopping.
One of the first things to understand is that patterns have changed quite a bit since area rugs were first created. It is often possible for someone who is knowledgeable in area rugs to look at an antique rug and tell in a fairly accurate way approximately where in the world that rug was made.
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This is because early area rugs were made with patterns that varied quite distinctly from region to region. They tended to reflect what the rug maker saw around them. Therefore, a rug made by someone who lived in a harsher climate may include images of animals and religious icons but a rug made in a lush and vibrant area may have had images of flowers or other items.
Rugs often used geometric patterns on them and some areas used borders in their designs while other areas did not. Rug makers may have had religious or superstitious reasons for creating the patterns that they did, such as trying to ensure that a hunt would be successful or that livestock would bear young and continue to be healthy. However, in more modern times a range of choices are available. Modern rugs may be produced according to what is more popular and not what represents the rug maker’s life.
Rugs were often produced as a group effort. Some would make the mesh that the yarn would be knotted on and others would spin, dye and cut the wool. Still others would work at knotting the rugs and creating the patterns. This was always done completely by hand. Now, although there are still many rugs which are being handmade, they may use commercial yarns that have been dyed using modern chemical dyes. This can make the colors which are available quite different from those used by makers of antique rugs. In fact, it is often possible to see when trade reached certain areas by the changes in the colors of the rugs which came from those areas.
Antique rugs are often very expensive. They may be in good condition but very old rugs may have areas where the top has been worn down to expose the mesh underneath. You may find that very old rugs are extremely delicate and may not be the best choice to use on floors where they will be walked on a lot.
Picking area rugs for your home can be a great way to add color, pattern and softness to your interior decor. Whether you are looking for an affordable rug which may have been machine made or you want to splurge on floral area rugs which are hand knotted, knowing more about the process can help you narrow down your choices and pick the one that is right for you.
