Area Rugs Blog

The Tibetan contemporary rugs have come to be synonymous with elegance, sophistication and value in the West.

Tibetan rugs celebrate the simplicity of life and nature, and are the culmination of an ancient art form practiced by the people of Tibet for ages. It has become a popular household craft that serves as a means of living for many. The rug making is widespread and can be witnessed by the fact that area rugs are used for a variety of domestic purposes in Tibet - from floor coverings to wall hangings to horse saddles. These area rugs woven in the tradition of the Tibetan people are made from Tibet’s very own highland sheep’s virgin wool. This particular wool endemic to Tibet serves as a rich fiber, which is of very high quality, and makes the area rugs long lasting.

The art of rug making in Tibet is steeped in tradition. Even the dye making process is a carefully guarded ancient art. These dyes use minerals and botanical substances derived from fruit peels, various tree barks, roots and leaves that produce a wide variety of colors.

A Buddhist monk praying on a Tibetan rug in a monastery ( Also called Gompa)

Lamayuru Gompa of Ladakh, belonging to the Red Hat Buddhist sect of Tibet, serves as a residence to approximately 150 monks.

For all those who prefer hand made area rugs to machine made ones Tibetan rugs are the perfect choice. Tibetan rugs reflect the beauty typical of all hand made artworks. The handmade Tibetan rugs are unique in the sense that almost every part of the process of rug making is done by hand. They are hand knotted and hand tufted by master Tibetan craftsmen. The use of machines is limited to a few aspects of the rug making process, only in Hand-tufted form. Even this is only a recent change brought about by the introduction of modern technology, the high cost of wholly hand made rugs, and the disappearance of knowledge of the ancient craft. However, the use of machines has brought about some improvements also in the area rugs, which were not possible before, such as some new finishing touches such as loop and cut-pile mixture.

The Tibetan rugs are not all made in Tibet. Many of these are made in Nepal and India, where Tibetan refugees migrated after the Chinese occupation in 1950. Nepal houses a very large rug business. This area rug business serves as the primary source of income for the Tibetan people who live in exile in India and Nepal. The same goes for the Tibetan government in exile.

Along with wool are silk of finest quality, hemp, and banana fiber used in creation of various Tibetan rugs. There are mixed fibers too. Each of these fibers are 100% natural and eco-friendly. Banana fiber rugs have a strong cotton foundation. They last long if they are not exposed to heavy traffic, and hence, are perfectly suitable for bedrooms and study rooms.

Tibetan rugs are of various styles: floral rugs, contemporary rugs, transitional rugs, stripes rugs, traditional rugs and tribal rugs. The contemporary rugs are mostly a blend of wool and silk. The colorings vary from sober to not-too-loud. Many of the designs are imperfect geometrical shapes and abstract drawings. The contemporary Tibetan rugs are mostly result of modifications by western designers to fit these rugs better in American and European lifestyles. Because of the finest quality fiber used to make these long-lasting area rugs and the unique captivating styles, the Tibetan contemporary rugs have come to be synonymous with elegance, sophistication and value in the West. No wonder people who own them look upon them as symbols of status and refined taste. These rugs can totally transform the look of your room, making it a cause of envy or appreciation for your neighbors. So gorgeous are the designs that they can not only be used as floor coverings but also as art on your walls, for office as well as for home decor. These are refined masterpieces that can enliven the look, accent any color scheme or define any furniture settings. Area Rugs Club is proud to offer one of the most beautiful collection of Tibetan rugs by Safavieh. As with all other area rugs, they come with free shipping and free padding (pad with orders of $395 and greater). Treat yourself with one of these simple, yet elegant rugs today. You will love it!
I hope you enjoyed reading about Tibetan rugs on Area Rugs Blog.

all the best!

Skye

(sales team)

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Posted on March 3rd, 2009 under Area Rugs, Safavieh, Tibetan Rugs. Tags: Area Rugs, rugs, Safavieh, Tibetan Rugs, wool. Comments: None

Rug washers standing barelegged in the spring-fed pool near Tehran, Iran 1951 (courtesy of LIFE Magazine)

Area rugs and carpets have been primarily the craft of Asian countries. Persia, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan as well as China and Nepal simultaneously contributed to the art of carpet and rug weaving. In the latter period i.e. in the early twentieth centuries the USA also started contributing to this particular industry and Karastan Rugs put USA on the map of rug-making world..

Persia now known as Iran is the homeland of area rug weaving and the history of carpets date back to the early 14th century. The economic history of carpet weaving is traced to the model of a traditional family business, often a craft of women and a source of part time income to families. The “Momeni Rugs” family that has been in the business of carpet manufacturing and exports for over half the century used the same model. Presently based in USA, the business was started by the Momeni family after the World War when they exported area rugs from Persia. But these days very few families are in this business in production and manufacturing of carpets, unlike the days of yore. Generally the carpet factories employ individual women as workers, and are corporate run businesses these days.

Rudolph Condon (L) and Artist, Andre W. Wyeth showing hooked rugs. 1956 (courtesy of LIFE Magazine)

Export of Persian area rugs began in the sixteenth century. 1850 onwards American, English and German companies established new factories in Mashed, Tabriz, Kerman, and Sultanabad (now Arak), thereby leading to the steady growth of the industry. Under Reza Shah Pahlavi, factories were established to utilize the finest materials and methods of manufacture. Presently carpet industry is the major non oil export sector of Iran.

Iranian women have been into the business of area rug weaving. From the early centuries till date carpet industry has been a major source of income for the families of Iran. Earlier when the Persian carpets used to be exported all over the world, the economic condition of Iran was in a better state. But from the late 1970’s the political and social problems of Iran created a negative impact on the export market. Finally the USA government stopped the export, which led to a huge economic crisis in Iran. Presently Iran is seeing better days and with an order to make the world’s largest carpet till date, one can hope that the carpet industry and also the workers will revive.

Women learn the art of hand hooking a rug. 1951 (courtesy of LIFE Magazine)

Most of the hand knotted area rugs are woven at home and are done by the women of the family. In most cases this is considered as a supporting income while the male member of the family is the principal earning member. But there are also families where carpet weaving is the principal source of income. Generally the wages of the carpet weavers is very low compared to their work load. Their daily wages can never be calculated as they work on a contract basis and the time taken to weave a carpet can never be estimated as they all work from home. Many of the women in Iran’s villages support their families by weaving area rugs.

In Afghanistan, approximately 30% of the women are into the business of area rug weaving. They learn the Persian style of weaving and produce carpets of silk and wool bearing designs of the traditional Persian styles.

India had been into the business of carpet weaving from the 1500 A.D. But export of Indian carpets began in the nineteenth century during the reign of the East India Company. From then carpet industry has been one of the leading sources of income for Kashmir Valley which houses the carpet industry of India.

Pakistan also holds a significant place in the area rug and carpet industry. Carpets from Peshawar have captivated the international market since 1970. Carpet making has been one of the basics sources of income of Pakistan.
Though the carpet industry had faced a major back log due to socio-political reasons, presently it has been trying to revive and gain back its lost glory.

Setter working at rug making machines in Alexander Smith Carpet mill. (courtesy of LIFE Magazine)

The carpet industry in USA emerged in the eighteenth century. Initially skilled weavers produced woolen hand loom carpets of a very high quality. But due to political reasons the import of raw materials were interrupted, which gradually led to the downfall of this industry. Later when the use of carpets became extensive, the political situations also improved and during the nineteenth century the USA carpet mills increased to 220.

A man named Alexander Smith started his own carpet manufacturing plant in 1845 in West Farms, New York. Halcyon Skinner, An American, had perfected the power loom for making Royal Axminster in 1876. These men joined forces, forming a very successful carpet company. Alexander Smith was elected to Congress in 1878, but died on the evening of Election Day. Sixteen hundred people were employed at his factory at the time of his death. Alexander Smith & Sons continued to exist and During World War I, the carpet looms were converted to make tent duck and navy blankets to support the country in war time. By 1929 Alexander Smith & Sons was the largest manufacturer of rugs and carpets in the world.

The area rug industry is dominated by women workers. As men work outdoors to earn money and support the families, the women weave carpets sitting back at theire houses thus providing an additional income to the family. Girls in many countries from the age of ten to twelve years start working in the carpet industry, thus supporting their families.

Rug Hooking Bee - Woman hand hooking a rug. (courtesy of LIFE Magazine)

Carpets can be accounted for as the most lucrative investment in many third world countries. The carpet industry pays very low wages to the workers and these magnificent creations are sold at a quite high price which gives a huge margin. Also buying a carpet and maintaining it in a very good condition for around sixty to seventy years can provide a huge profit. Thus carpets can be treasured as very good investment.

Various countries across the world house the carpet industry. In every region, the dimension  of the industry depends on its quantity of its carpet exports, type of fabrics used, availability of skilled weavers, presence of weaving techniques since ages, types of carpets produced etc. Every nation has a different style, preference, pattern, quality and colors which makes the carpets manufactured to stand out as unique. The history of carpets has revealed that this industry has been a major economic back bone of many countries. One can only expect that production of magnificent rugs and carpets will continue for years to come.

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Posted on November 25th, 2008 under Area Rugs. Tags: Area Rugs, Carpet, Hand Hooked, Hand Knotted, Persian Area Rugs, Persian Carpets, persian rugs, rugs, Silk, Women, wool. Comments: 8

Karastan rugs has announced that its manufacturing plant in Eden, NC has achieved ISO 14001 certification with the International Organization for Standardization. Karastan’s spinning and worsted wool facilities in Greenville, NC have receive this prestigious environmental certification. Karastan wool rugs are one of the best sellers among “green area rugs.”

ISO 14001 is an environmental management standard (EMS) that specifies a set of procedures and requirements. The purpose of this standard is to help organizations become more environmentally friendly. Some of the benefits of an ISO 14001 include:

• Encourages organizations to improve in overall environmental performance and compliance
• Provides a set of protocols for using pollution prevention practices to meet EMS standards and objectives
• Cost savings when managing environmental obligations and increase efficiency.
• Promotes consistency in managing environmental obligations.
• Advances effective targeting of scarce environmental management resources.
• Gives consumers the reassurance they need that the organization’s environmentally friendly claims are valid.

“Conformity to ISO 14001 standards benefits the environment, our company and our customers,” says Scott Mair, director of manufacturing for Karastan. “By making environmentalism a priority, we constantly strive to find better and more efficient ways to meet our eco-goals. These efforts are reflected in products with environmental value and selling power that sets our customers apart.”

Karastan is also proud that all New Zealand wool it uses is scoured by a company that meets stringent Environmental Choice New Zealand specifications.

If you are shopping for area rugs, don’t miss Karastan Sale going on right now at AreaRugsClub.com. 

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Posted on October 13th, 2008 under Area Rugs, In the News, Karastan. Tags: Area Rugs, Environmentally Friendly, Green Area Rugs, ISO 14001, Karastan, Karastan rug, karastan rugs, Karastan Sale, Karastan Wool Rugs, wool. Comments: 1