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Artworks Rugs

Artworks Rugs: Karastan Colette Red

Artworks Rugs: Karastan Colette Red

PLUM Blossom, one of the twelve-series Karastan Artworks area rugs collection, is a fresh, modern and distinctive rug that offers imaginative statement-making designs in a series of hand-made rugs. A variety of available techniques are craftily used in this series to give a plethora of colors, shades, textures and definitions. Many diverse combination of wool and viscose yarn yield a juxtaposition of luxurious softness, subtle shimmer and textural interest in the Karastan Artworks collection, specifically in the Plum Blossom.

The Karastan Artworks is a spirited design in the Studio by Karastan series. What sets it apart is the use of specially constructed yarn and wool combinations in a handcrafting setting to create carved decorations and fine-grained modular texture. The breathtaking variety of techniques used to create this design element in flowers and trees and other modern motifs makes the Artwork Plum Blossoms a unique Karastan area rug creation. These decorative details are further underlined by the use of cut-and-loop techniques that contrasts yarn from yarn and creates depth and space in the design elements.

The colors of these Karastan Artworks area rugs are strong and vigorous, and shimmer effects illuminate them in a beautiful manner and style. The motifs express various lifestyle interests and draw the attention of the candid buyer and admirer. Karastan has own not a few of these latter with the artwork collection and Plum Blossom.

The twelve names in the series are Bolero, Mimosa, Bistro, Couture, Tango, Colette-red, Colette-yellow, Plum Blossom, Plum Blossom Maize, Plum, Blossom Mocha, Zen Garden and Trade Winds. As these interesting names suggest, each of these in the Artwork series is a unique and novel creation from Karastan area rugs manufacturer. The Plum Blossom, especially, with its slightly faded colors and simple natural designs is very evocative of softer shades of nature. These area rugs are highly prized in various drawing rooms across the length and breadth of the North American continent and elsewhere.

Don’t miss the Karastan Sale going on right now. Look at the previous post for discount karastan coupon!

Karastan Sale

Karastan National Month is Here!

Karastan Sale

Karastan Sale

A sale promotion as big as this from Karastan is always a much-awaited affair, and customers who cannot otherwise afford to buy a Karastan, but must have one, have their dreams come true!

Karastan rugs can seem pretty expensive to some, but considering that they are made in the US under very strict quality standards, environmentally friendly (green rugs), child labor free, with lifetime or twenty year warranty, and are seemingly everlasting, the prices don’t seem to be too high at all. Buying a rug which will not last 10 years at half the price is probably not as good an investment as buying a Karastan that can last many decades but perhaps cost a bit more. Karastan area rugs are the only machine-made rugs in the world that when used for years, you can still get good money for them.

Enjoy the Karastan Sale while you can! Just enter the coupon code in “Discount Coupon/ Gift Certificate” box at checkout.

Karastan Shapura Rugs

Karastan area rugs took a novel direction in 2006 with the introduction of the Shapura collection. “We’re always looking for ways to expand on traditional collection,” said Elizabeth Miller, senior vice president of design for Karastan. “So we decided to develop a line for a customer who may not have felt Karastan was for them.”

Karastan Sale: Enjoy an additional discount on Karastan Rugs for a limited time. Just enter the coupon code at the checkout.

Karastan Sale: Enjoy an additional discount on Karastan Rugs for a limited time. Just enter the coupon code at the checkout.

The Shapura rugs emulate the jaded shades of vegetable-dyed yarn and the close color values so characteristic of authentic handmade Peshawars. The exquisite details that used to be possible only in fine-crafted handmade rugs are now visible even in these Axminster rugs, and the faded, worn effect created by Karastan’s patented luster wash technology also gives these rugs a unique authentic sheen. These Shapura rugs once again demonstrate the superiority of Karastan in the space of machine-made but authentic looking Oriental area rugs.

These Karastan area rugs have come out in some of the most beautiful Persian designs, Tiana, Tiana Ivory, Tiana Glacier Blue, Athena and Mandara. Each comes with 20 year warranties and lifetime moth resistance warranties and the support that Karastan traditionally gives to its customers. With these new area rugs, the Shapura collection, Karastan is sure to get a lot more converts to its fold.

The original Peshawar area rugs were made with a special process using hand-spun wool that gave a very characteristic color when dyed and woven. These rugs were prized for interiors, especially bedrooms, for their subdue color palettes and natural-looking hue. Karastan master craftsmen have created these same colors and texture using their Axminster looms, and yet have managed to retain the authentic natural tones of Peshawar rugs.

Each of these rugs has a unique patina. They remind one of Oriental bazaars and colorful carpet-weavers carrying on with their craft in warm sunlight. They look so authentic that even a master craftsman from Peshawar will be hard put to tell one from the other. Karastan has once again been able to make a statement of its own with the Shapura collection.

Karastan Shapura Collection, Tiana
Karastan Shapura Tiana
Karastan Shapura Collection, Tiana Ivory
Karastan Shapura Tiana Ivory
Karastan Shapura Tiana, Glacier Blue
Karastan Shapura Tiana Glacier Blue
Karastan Shapura Athena
Karastan Shapura Athena
Karastan Shapura Mandara
Karastan Shapura Mandara

10 Easy Tips to help you choose area rugs

There are area rugs and there are more area rugs, and then there is that one rug that blends perfectly into your room. The trick lies in knowing how to choose. You have to keep a lot of things in mind while choosing that ideal area rug for your home. Whether it is the color, the texture or the design, you have to consider each of these and see how snugly they fit into the general decor of your room before you buy your area rug.

10 Easy Tips to choose area rugs from a vast selection.

10 Easy Tips to choose area rugs from a vast selection.

So let’s check out some easy tips that can come handy while choosing area rugs for home decorating.

Color:

The first thing that’s important about an area rug is its color. The color of the rug you choose must be in tune with the color of the place you’re going to place that rug in. You should not forget that color coordination creates the vital bond between your room and the rug. Thirty percent of a room’s color is dominated by the color of the floor covering. If you want the area rug to be the center ‘color bank’ for your room, choose the paint color of your room according to the colors of the area rug.

For instance, choose a rug that has patterns with multiple, distinct colors. Then you can plan your room’s color scenario around the colors of that area rug and even extend the plan to other rooms with different rugs while keeping the rug colors complementary to each other. If you want area rugs that conform to your room’s general appearance, then you may want to opt for low key tones and designs that easily blend in your room’s decor while adding a new dimension to it. A textured rug is a really great choice when you want to provide a backdrop for your furnishings. You can use textured rugs that are slightly darker or lighter than the wall color to create a subtle color movement in the background.

Design:

After color, the second aspect that counts is the design of the area rug. While area rugs as a whole are an extension of the owner’s personality; the design of the rug can easily be termed as the most visual way of achieving that. Be it contemporary or traditional, both styles account for your self-expression and taste. Geometric patterns are best suited for modern settings; whereas traditional floral patterns are the ones you can use to enhance the English garden feel. When mixing patterns, it is important to remember that either the color or the pattern should be in sync with each other. This helps in binding the décor of your rooms. Another thing to note is that patterned area rugs are far better at hiding stains than solid colors. So you may want to place one under your dining table, where spills are likely to occur!

Karastan Artworks, Plum Blossom

Karastan Artworks, Plum Blossom

Texture:

The texture of an area rug matters a lot in choosing the right one, too. It is the key feature that adds to the room’s warmth. The way the rug feels, literally adds to the feel of the room. A wool rug adds warmth and definition to a room that has shiny or smooth surfaces. What you can do with this is aim to get a balance of textures. Considering the variety of area rugs available today, the possibilities are endless.

Materials:

They can be divided into two categories, natural and man made. By far, the material that dominates the world of area rugs is wool. Wool rugs are elegant in texture, highly durable, maintenance is easy and they are crush resistant. Other natural materials like silk, viscose, cotton and jute are used. Silk is expensive but is highly appreciated for its luster. The original rugs which Karastan’s Persian Renaissance collection were inspired from, offered exhaustive examples of how silk is used as accents along with other material. The effect is exquisite. Apart from silk, cotton is used as a foundation for many rugs and viscose (which is derived from wood pulp) acts as a good substitute for silk when used as accents with another material. Jute, coir and sisal are also used but though they have interesting textures, they get stained pretty easily. Man made fibers like nylon and polypropylene are cheap and easy to maintain but traditionalists may say that they lack the warmth of natural fibers, and environmentally conscience consumers find these choice unacceptable due to the effect they have on mother earth. We, AreaRugsClub.com, offer Echo-Friendly, or “green rugs” inline with our commitment to save our environment for us and our future generations.

Quality:

Now we can talk about the whole new concept of quality. Various factors blend in to determine an area rug’s quality. The first thing to notice is the craftsmanship of area rugs. They can be hand woven, hand tufted, machine-woven and tufted. To figure out the best option for you, consider the general make of the rug along with the fiber used and the precision in design. All of these account for a good area rug.

Among the materials used, wool tops the list for various reasons. It is the unanimous standard for comparisons with other materials. You pay more than man made fibers but it’s worth the price.

Skill:

The skill of the artisan who has made the rug (and the machines in power-loomed rugs) is another important factor. The skill of the artisan and the beauty of the rug are directly related.

Pile Density:

This, along with the fiber which was used to create the rug, is arguably the most important indicator on how long your rug will going to last and keeps its original look. It refers to the amount of yarn used in making of the rug and how close the Knots, or weaves, are to each other. Denser the rug, the better it will stand up to time.

Finishing:

This is important as wool area rugs need moth proofing and you should make sure when buying a wool rug that it has been done.

Size:

It is also necessary that you know the size of the room where you want to place your rug. For family rooms, it is good to have one large rug with 12 to 18 inches floor space to frame the rug. Measure the dimensions of your dining table if you intend to place one in the dining room. The table should fit within the rug with extra space for the chairs. We recommend pulling the chairs out on each end, then measure from the back legs and add a few inches. Long runners are good for hallways, and you can even opt to put different runner rugs one after the other, but keep the colors in mind. Bedrooms usually demand a large luxurious rug that is heaven for your bare feet, so that you wake up every morning on the soft side of the bed!

Kids and Pets:

If you have kids or pets at home then it is very likely that mishaps will occur. In such a situation, you should always choose a rug that is easy to clean. Wool is the best choice as it is resistant to soil and stains while being easy to clean.

So when buying a new area rug, keep these things in mind and it will help you to streamline your options because you WILL have a lot of options if you are buying from Arearugsclub.com.

Area Rugs, Free Shipping

These days, you cannot buy an area rug from a reputable seller without being offered free shipping; the two go hand in hand. It is always nice to know that companies care about not only the selling part but also the safe and trouble free shipping of your precious area rug. With the area rug industry growing with leaps and bounds, the aim shifts from only selling the product to creating a new bond between the company and it’s valued customer, you. Free shipping is one of the most important values that can be added to the selling of a product. Customers love it, and when it comes to be a matter of choice, they will always go for that area rug which comes with free shipping.

AreaRugsCLub.com offers free shipping and no tax!

AreaRugsClub.com offers free shipping and no tax!

Speaking of area rugs, the limits to your choice are endless. From the representation of your whimsical desire to pure class and elegance, the area rug of today provides for all of that with little or rather no difficulty at all. With the shattering of the barrier between the machine woven area rug and the handmade, the diversification in terms of quality, style and design is wondrous. And, the best part is that you don’t have to pay a single cent to ship it to anywhere you want. They have not started fedexing to moon at the time of this writing, but if there were people up there, and they were buying area rugs, I wouldn’t be surprised if these dealers offered free shipping. In today’s competitive market, that is, to reiterate, one of the best values that a seller can add to that splendid rug for your home décor.

Do not be under the impression that you have to spend a lot of money in order to elevate the mood of your home to a new exquisite height. An area rug does the job with acute precision. Brands like the famous Karastan sell affordable area rugs that will simply blow your mind. Though Karastan manufactures machine made rugs; don’t get fooled with that, because when placed beside a handmade rug, even the experts have doubts deciding which one is the machine-made one and which the handmade. To create something like this, a complete mimicry of human artwork, this is sheer mechanical excellence. It is not though that Karastan makes only machine made area rugs, as they import a lot of Persian rugs and Indian ones. Whether handmade or machine woven, one general assurance that the brand provides you is the guarantee of the quality of the wool, which is used to manufacture the rugs. Karastan uses wool of the highest quality to make their wonder rugs. This is a guarantee that has been there since 1928 and they intend to keep it that way, with no compromises on this one, ever.

Discount rugs are available from most dealers and you’d be amazed to see the level of quality you can get even when there is the discount tag attached to it. The discount is not because the rugs are bad but rather it is the celebration of the goodwill of the various companies as they are out to provide the customer satisfaction and in return, the inception of a life long relationship between them. The free shipping policy plays a pivotal role in developing this relationship.

Choice of material is never a matter of constraint. So what if you don’t like wool? There’s so much to choose from. New materials and fibers are being introduced constantly, in an effort to provide you the best possible option that you can have for your home. For example, manufacturers are using nylon in ways that you can’t imagine. It won’t even feel like nylon to you. Some may say that this is overworking the methods of rug making but on the contrary, it is the evidence of the untiring dedication of the manufacturers to furnish the maximum possible choices for you. They are very well aware of the fact that your home is important to you and it is important that you get an exhaustive range of options from which you can find the perfect one for your home.

Rugs and home; the former complements the latter and becomes the pride of any home owner for whom the look and feel of his or her home matters. This relationship has its own history and the variety of rugs that are found all across the globe are a testament to it. The Persians made their rugs a whole aspect of their identity and so did many other cultures. The explanation is simple, because rugs can define one’s home, add that essential warmth and color to any part of your home. This wonderful property of the area rug makes it the pride of any room and of course, your home. Use a rug to change your home and the way you will remember your home when days have passed across the landscape of time. A rug adds to the perfect home and takes the not so perfect home to the pedestal of perfection. If you own a good rug from a reputable collection, your satisfaction, so far as making your home a more livable place is concerned, is guaranteed.

So stop looking for expensive ways to achieve your goal of beautifying your home, and go buy an area rug. You’ll most definitely end up saying, “why didn’t I try this before?”

History of Area Rugs (Part II)

Area Rugs in the West

The art of area rug making and the taste for wool area rugs spread across Europe with her contact with Islamic civilization. The earliest European rugs were made in Spain, and some of these pre-date the Muslim invasion. The Synagogue rug, a wool area rug dating from the 14th century, is the earliest extant example of this ancient style. The Armorial carpets, another well-known remnant of this style, has birds and flowers motifs and depictions of Spanish Christian families. This style gave way to the Renaissance style with its silk designs and wreath and pomegranate motifs as the land was re-conquered from the Moors.

Flying Carpet

The Flying Carpet by Viktor Vasnetsov (1880). Oil, canvas.

In early seventeenth century, France began producing wool area rugs at Savonnerie in the style of Persian rugs. These were densely ornamented with flowers, and were characterized by architectural framing and mythological scenes. The most famous of these were a set of 105 carpets produced under the direction of Charles Le Brun for the palace at Louvre.

Area rug making came to England in late 16th century AD. The 14 extant specimens are called “Norwich carpets” after the town in Northern England where they were produced. These are adaptations of Oriental rug making, especially of the Indo-Persian art. In the coming centuries, the carpet manufacturers Exeter, Moorfields and Axminster became prominent in England. The heart of English area rug manufacture was at Kiddernminster in Worcestershire, where, to this day, a majority of the population is engaged in the industry.

1791 saw the beginning of area rug manufacturing in the United States with William Sprague’s first woven carpet mill in Philadelphia. Other such manufacturers sprung up in New England, and the Beattie Manufacturing Company in New Jersey of that era lasted until 1979.

The revolutionary power loom was invented by Erastus Bigelow in 1839. Area rug making doubled and then tripled in the next few years due to the impact of the power loom. Various enhancements and modifications began to be made, and new companies sprung up based on each such modification. Alexander Smith and sons, which was based on the Skinner powerloom, was founded in 1845 and grew to become the largest manufacturer of area rugs in the world by 1929.

At around the same time, in 1926, Marshall Fields, the well-known Chicago retailer, had a traditional Axminster loom modified to create an unprecedented area rug – a wool rug that was woven through the back like Oriental carpets and with the same sort of color variations as an Oriental. These area rugs were called Karastan rugs, and they are still widely manufactured and fawned upon by carpet-lovers.

Another development took place in Dalton, Northern Georgia, where a young woman named Catherine Evans Whitener invented a new method for weaving wool area rugs – this was called tufting and mainly used for making bedspreads. This became widely popular throughout the US and elsewhere, and Dalton became known as the Bedspread Capital of the World.

Meanwhile, wool area rugs also began to mature as an industry. Various new finishing processes were invented by manufacturers in a bid to give their area rugs a more antique, oriental quality. The creation of a faded, vintage patina, much like the grayed photographs of old days, began to gain a sophistication which made it hard to tell an ancient oriental area rug from a present-day rug manufactured by the likes of Karastan. Using chemical dyes, wool area rugs made in present day USA could be given the same texture and appearance that a fabulously ancient Persian rug using vegetable dye could have. The ancient industry seemed to have come full circle.