Area Rugs Blog

DEFINING TRANSITIONAL RUGS

Transitional area rugs stand between traditional and contemporary rugs and boldly encompass the two. Unlike contemporary rugs, their designs are evidently classical, but unlike traditional area rugs, designs acquire new meaning through usage of bold colors and sharper lines and styles. The transitional area rug encompasses a large array of designs, motifs and styles. They are a good blend of the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the contemporary, and herein lies the special appeal of transitional area rugs. They provide original interpretations of floral and classic designs and when combined with modern senses of color and motifs they provide unique accents to your room.

Transitional rugs integrate the floral and botanical patterns of a good old traditional rug with bold lines and colors of impressionistic art, giving us the best of both worlds.

Consider a room in a traditional home that has or seeks to have modern furniture; a transitional area rug easily pulls together all the design elements of that multi-hued room and seamlessly gives it a sense of style that is neither ancient nor modern but a perfect blend of the best of the two. In such a scenario, neither an ancient rug from Persia nor a contemporary rug from Andy Warhol collection would have done the job; only a perfect blend of these two worlds, the transitional area rug, can truly and simply bring the two design elements of such a room together.

Floral and botanical patterns are good examples of transitional area rug elements. These were the chief elements of traditional designs, and, being too directly beautiful and realistic, therefore not falling within the concepts of impressionism, are conspicuously absent in contemporary artwork.  Yet transitional rugs integrate the floral and botanical patterns of a good old traditional rug with bold lines and colors of impressionistic art, giving us the best of both worlds.  Some of the best of such designs are to be found in Sphinx Generations collection and in the Soho collection by Safavieh.

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Posted on March 20th, 2009 under Area Rugs. Tags: Andy Warhol Collection, Area Rugs, Artworks, Contemporary Rugs, rugs, Safavieh, Soho Collection, Sphinx Generations, Traditional Area Rug, Transitional Area Rugs. Comments: None

SAFAVIEH RUGS, PAST AND PRESENT

Safavieh is that singular transition from middle Asia to the New Land that can be compared to any major new cultural discovery. People in both the old and the new world had always been aware of Persian rugs as things that the common man could only dream of while the extremely rich could afford to step on with consummate negligence. But there was a gap – created mainly by lack of means – that also did not bring the middle Asian land closer to the common occidental man, and things of luxuries from these lands remained just that – luxuries; until the arrival of manufacturers like Safavieh Rugs with their exquisite and authentic rug creations.

In the last 30 some years, the Safavieh Rugs has won award after award for its exquisite area rug collections.

Safavieh was a great name even in the land of the carpet masters; established in 1914 in the capital of Persian rug manufacturing, the company quickly became a famous brand in that land of famed area rug brands. In 1978, after two generations of slow and steady goodwill hunting, it was time to expand to larger shores, and the family decided to move business to the United States.

In those days in New York City, there were few authentic Oriental rug manufacturers. There were, of course, indigenous American rugs that were mostly machine made in Axminster, and though these were good, they did not have that ethnic touch that only a master from Persia could create. Safavieh opened up its factory in the city and decided to give the American area rug market just that cost effective but authentic Persian touch it needed to come of age.

Shah Ismail I, the founder of Safavid (Safavieh) dynasty.

In the last 30 some years, the Safavieh brand has won award after award for its exquisite area rug collections, and has taken the area rug market by storm by regularly bringing out imperishable designs and works of art in some of the finest collections of area rugs ever designed by any single manufacturer. Its area rugs collections range from antiques and reproductions of original classics to the most modern and contemporary outlooks. Safavieh designs a wide range of transitional and accent rugs of both Oriental and contemporary designs: wool, hand-tufted Classics, Shaw Hampton and Soho contemporaries that are of beguiling design and taste. Safavieh also produces a variety of rug designs from American Country styles and 19th and early 20th Century European Art, as well as high end imitations of tribal rugs from middle Americas. At any time, Safavieh has over 450 designs in 8 different styles and sizes that are ready to be shipped to any continental customer- hooked, tufted, Gabeh, flat weave, Tibetan, hand knotted vegetable dyes and silk and wool rugs of breathtaking variety and beautiful design.

The rug collections of Safavieh range from the “A” of Agra to the “Z” of Ziegler Mahal. There are the traditional rug collections from Aspen, Ancient weave, Dynasty, Empire and others, that remind the connoisseur of age old middle eastern themes and other equally hoary themes from Europe. Then there are the contemporary area rugs – Berkeley, Bohemian, Chelsea, Manhattan and Wilton, those that have that strangely modern mixture of abstractionism and impressionism that creates an avante garde look and appearance in both the area rug and its setting. Finally there is the transitional – Anatolia, Bergama, Ganges River, Jewels of India and Marrakech – that, as the name implies, provides a smooth transition from the ancient to the modern.

All these rugs are manufactured in one of the many available processes – hand knotted, hand hooked, hand tufted, hand woven, machine made and shag rugs. Each of these processes has its own typical texture and style that differs considerably from its brethren. Yet all these various construction types and styles coalesce together to form the brand of Safavieh area rugs that is commonly bound by the threads of exquisite attention to detail and ethnic authenticity.

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Posted on March 11th, 2009 under Area Rugs, Safavieh. Tags: area rug, Area Rugs, Chelsea, Oriental Rug, persian rugs, rugs, Safavieh Area Rugs, Safavieh Rugs, Tibetan. Comments: 2

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INDIA’S CARPET INDUSTRY

The Persian architect, Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer of the Taj Mahal. India's carpet weaving initially also started in the Persian tradition and design. Gradually it blended with the Mongol as well as Indian art.

Indian carpets are considered to be one of the most traditional and technically accomplished. The carpet industry of India has grown with time and has gradually reached its height of fame, such that Indian rugs are renowned for their exquisite design, elegant craftsmanship, beautiful designs and impressive color matching.

Area rugs were known to be weaved in India since 500B.C. and woven mats and floor coverings have been found from the ancient times of Indian civilization.

But the real carpet industry of India started in 1500 A.D. during the reign of Akbar.  During this period, he brought Persian craftsmen from their homeland and established them here. Initially carpet weaving started in the Persian tradition and design. Gradually it blended with the mughal as well as Indian art. Thus the carpets produced at that time became typical of the Indian origin and gradually the industry began to diversify and spread all over the subcontinent.

From the beginning, silk has been the basic material to produce area rugs. The type of silk depended on the quality of the carpet produced. The silk carpets had floral patterns, animal or bird figures.

The are rugs produced during Akbar’s reign were generally made of cotton and silk, and used shades of blue, green and several other colors on a red base. The carpets were initially made according to the Persian style but later adopted the Indian style.

The are rugs produced during the reign of Jahangir were more subtle and refined in make and design. The materials used were silk or pashmina that allowed more knots to be tied t the base of the carpet. Therefore minute and detailed designs could be incorporated. The designs were more detailed and fine. Minute figures, flowering patterns and manuscript paintings were created on the carpets.

During Shah Jahan’s reign (1628-58) the art of carpet-manufacture had reached its greatest heights. Warps of fine silk yarns allowed about 2,000 knots per square inch. Silk or pashmina piles gave the area rugs velvet like texture. Yarn shading was made more sophisticated. Flowers were now the primary elements of design.

Again during the reign of Aurangzeb the art and craft industry of India faced a downfall.
But the industry of area rug weaving sustained primarily because carpets were required for religious purpose. But the carpet industry did not see any development during this era. The same materials, designs and colors were used as that of the reign of Shah jahan.

The area rug industry of India survived even after the downfall of the Mughal Empire. Kashmir is now the pioneer of carpet industry of India. The History of the Kashmir carpets dates back to the early fifteenth century. According to the history of Kashmir, King Zain-ul-Abedin brought master carpet weavers from Persia to train the local craftsmen of the Kashmir valley, who already were master weavers of famous Kashmir textile. He introduced the assembly line system for weaving, clipping and washing of Kashmiri carpets in the 15th century. Because of his personal interest in the development of this industry in Kashmir the area rug industry flourished during his reign.
The industry suffered badly after this period and it rejuvenated during the time of the Mughal. In the mid 18th century the Dogras ruled Kashmir. Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the ruler of this period, showed interest in the development of carpet industry in Kashmir. During this period there was a huge development in terms of quality and production. The kashmiri carpets became valuable gifts from one King to another and have been found in almost all the palaces of India and Central Asia..
In the early 19th century, the kashmir area rugs saw the light of the international market, and was considered among the world’s best carpet weaving regions. European companies like The East India Co. took an interest in the carpet industry and established factories there. Thus the process of export began and continues to this day.
It is the color of the Kashmiri carpet that helps distinguish it from others. The colors of Kashmiri carpets are subtler and have low profile. They do not stand out in bright shades. The yarn is dyed using vegetable colors or any other forms of natural colors. The yarn is either silk, cotton or a combination of both. Cotton carpets are more common. Silk carpets always have a cotton base. Cotton carpets are more common and affordable than the silk though silk always forms the cream of the industry.
Just like Persian area rugs, the knotting determines the durability and the number of knots determines the price of the carpet. Other noteworthy aspects include color and design. The Indian area rugs can be double knotted or single knotted. The single knotted carpet is fluffier and softer than the double knotted.
The general characteristics that are seen in the Indian carpets that make them so special are their aristocratic design, unique patterns, refined and high quality materials, subtle color combinations, all these features make them stand out in the world of carpets. The durability of high quality Indian carpets can be similar to that of the Persian carpets, after all it was the skillful Persian carpet weavers who showed Indians how to make rugs. This feature makes the Indian carpet almost as valuable as Persian carpets and considered as assets and life long investments to many people.

Hope you enjoyed reading this article/blog!

Shaswato

(Shaswato is an avid admirer of area rugs living in Calcutta, India and wrote this piece exculsively for Area Rugs Club)

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Posted on March 6th, 2009 under Area Rugs. Tags: Area Rugs, Indian Carpets, Indian Rugs, persian rugs, rugs. Comments: 1