by submitting a photo of a room with a rug from NW Rugs!
It's Easy....
1. LIKE the NW Rugs Facebook Page by clicking the LIKE button on our Welcome page
2. Email the photo of your room with an NW Rugs carpet to contest@nwrugs.com OR bring a photo to any NW Rugs Showroom. Make sure to include the rug name/design, purchase date and city, along with your name in the email. We will add the photos to the "Show Your Style" photo album.
If you do not have an NW Rugs carpet to enter into the contest,
you can still be entered into a random drawing to win a $500 Gift Certificate at NW Rugs by voting for one of the photos.
Two easy steps...
1. LIKE the NW Rugs Facebook Page by clicking the LIKE button on our Welcome page
2. To VOTE, Click the LIKE button on your favorite photo.
Leave a comment too if you would like. Tell us why you chose that photo.
People who enter photos can also enter the random drawing by voting - TWO CHANCES to WIN!
Photo entries accepted starting March 3rd, 2012
Start voting March 21st, 2012
You don't want to vote too early in case another fabulous room gets posted after you vote for one already posted.
Show Us Your Style - Enter now and don't forget to cast your vote starting March 21st.
TIPS FOR A WINNING PHOTO
• Photos will be cropped to 576 pixels wide X 432 pixels tall (8" wide x 6" tall). Make sure your photo will display nicely in "landscape" (wider than tall) rather than "portrait" (taller than wide).*Submit a photo up to 2 MB in file size, but not less than 300 KB file size.
•Show the rug. After all, this contest is about how your NW Rugs' carpet enhances your room's overall décor-- Show your style!
In a joint effort with Rare Beautiful Things, NW Rugs is happy to announce the birth of a new hashtag for Twitter, #loveofrugs.
The idea behind #loveofrugs is that it allows customers, rug enthusiasts, collectors, history buffs, researchers, appraisers, designers, dealers, manufacturers, and the generally curious to take advantage of the vast matrix of information pertaining to the world of carpets.
When to use #lovofrugs
#loveofrugs can be used by carpet dealers or lovers to share beautiful carpets and weavings – remembering that rugs are pieces of art for your floor.
If you are interested in the connection between the history of woven arts and their respective cultures, #loveofrugs can be a helpful learning tool.
Maybe you have a suggestion about a good book or film on carpets, their histories, or the cultures that create them. #loveofrugs can be used to share or search for these resources.
If you are looking to sell an antique rug that you own, or are curious about one that has been in your family. Whether you want to sell it, or just gain some knowledge on where it originates or how old it could be, #loveofrugs can connect you to the experts.
Use #loveofrugs to search out viable carpet options for your interior design projects. #loveofrugs aids in reaching out to carpet dealers to help you search for the perfect fit. You can throw out a request to vendors by specifying the size, colors, and type you are looking for, reaching multiple dealers in one shot.
You might be curious about the different methods of knotting or weaving a carpet, or have questions about the many materials carpets can be made with - how they are collected, where they originate, the process of spinning, what makes wool different from one place to the next, etc. Perhaps you are interested in the differences between natural and chemical dyes, or want to know more about the dying process. #loveofrugs can be used to find answers to these questions.
#loveofrugs can also be used to access tips from others on the rug buying process. Learn how to haggle, find out what you might need to know before buying a rug overseas, get advice on things to look out for when purchasing an antique rug, share stories of your experiences, and suggest great vendors to work with using #loveofrugs.
Do a Twitter search for #loveofrugs and join the conversation.
In a hand-knotted rug, colored yarns are wrapped by hand onto individual warp threads. They are secured by one or more rows of weft. The long pile yarns, which create the design, are sheared to uniform length. Persian and oriental rugs are hand-knotted. All hand-knotted carpets may be generically referred to as “oriental” rugs, regardless of design, because the technique of hand-knotted originated in Asia.
The type of structure familiar to most people is the flat-weave. In a flat-woven rug, colored weft yarns are woven through the warps to create the design. These rugs have no pile. Remember those potholder looms you had as a child? Those potholders were flatweaves. Flatweaves are available at all price points in many different materials - wool, cotton, hemp, etc. Kilims, dhurries, and tapestries are flat-woven.
Tufted or “hand-tufted” rugs are increasingly common. A tufting gun, which works like an oversized needle, is used to punch the yarns through a pre-woven grid foundation. When the rug is finished the back is given a coat of latex to secure the yarns, then covered with cloth or canvas. This is a much faster, less labor-intensive process which does not require any particular skill. These rugs may appear like hand-knotted rugs from the pile side, but are much less durable than hand-knotted rugs.
Another type of rug is the machine-made, in which rugs are woven on mechanical looms. Many of these are made from synthetic yarns such as olefin or nylon. There are some better-quality machine-made rugs that are serviceable in certain applications. Again, they may appear similar to genuine hand-knotted rugs on the pile side, but are not as durable, nor are they unique as they are mass produced.
The short answer is: Quality. An oriental rug is more akin to a work of art than a commodity, and making a hand-knotted rug is an extremely labor-intensive process. (All hand-knotted carpets may be generically referred to as “oriental” rugs, regardless of design, because the technique of hand-knotting originated in Asia, and that is where most of them are made.)
Once a rug’s design and specifications are determined, the design is graphed out on paper (known as a “cartoon”) for the weavers to follow. Yarn is carded and spun, often by hand, and then plied to the appropriate thickness. Next comes the dyeing of the yarn in as many colors as required. Dyeing and drying of the yarn can take ten days or more, depending upon the weather; rain and/or high humidity extends the dyeing and drying times.
The most common material used in creating the pile of an oriental rug is wool. Some are made of silk, or a mixture of wool and silk, and sometimes other fibers as well. While the type of wool used varies from region to region in the rug-weaving countries, it is all derived from descendants of the same ancient breed of fat-tailed Asiatic sheep. Most of these sheep live at high altitudes and/or under extreme conditions, which produces some of the strongest and most resilient wool in the world.
Most carpets are produced on vertical looms, with the weavers sitting in front of the warp threads with the cartoon tucked behind or pinned above. The actual knotting of the carpet consists of tightly wrapping the dyed yarns around a pair of warps, cutting the yarn, then repeating this process horizontally, knot by knot, for the entire width of the foundation. After a row of knots is completed, a weft is passed in and out over the warps and tamped down to secure the knots. As a general rule, one weaver works on a portion of carpet 24”-30” wide; knotting of the carpet occurs at the rate of a few square inches to about 2/3 square foot per weaver per day, depending upon the fineness of the knotting.
When the carpet is completed, it is cut from the loom and sheared to an even pile length, then given a gentle wash to remove loose fibers and any dye residue. Washing and finishing is integral to the process of making a carpet, is again dependent upon weather conditions for the drying of the carpet.
The quality and durability of the hand-knotting process remains technically unsurpassed, which is part of the reason why there are surviving carpet fragments that are many hundreds of years old. The hand-knotting process results in a much denser pile than even the best quality machine-made rug, since the pile is actually knotted to the warp and secured by the weft, not simply interlocked through the foundation. Hand-knotted rugs wear much longer, are more soil- and stain-resistant, and will clean up better than any rug made by machine. When machine-made pile wears down, the visible result is a threadbare foundation. When oriental carpet pile wears down, over many decades, the color and pattern remain distinct because the “collars” of the knots, which form the base of the pile, are still secured to the foundation and conceal the warp and weft.
Oriental rugs have a pleasing imperfection, with each piece varying slightly from the next. Sizes are not exact, and borders may not be perfectly straight. These are not flaws, but important indicators of a handcrafted product. A typical 8×10 rug contains 500,000 to 700,000 hand-tied knots.
A quality oriental rug will never be made by children. Regardless of the “small fingers” myth, children do not have the advanced skills necessary to produce finer-quality carpets. However, many inexpensive orientals are being imported in bulk and sold in warehouse-style furniture stores. There is always a correlation between the cost of labor and materials, and the cost of the finished carpet. If a new carpet is being sold at an unbelievably low price, it is likely that it is either made with inferior materials, perhaps with child labor, or both.
In summary, the labor costs of skilled weavers, and the quality of the materials used, is what makes hand-knotted carpets more expensive than their machined or tufted counterparts. Hand-knotted carpets are simply the best available.
Many thanks to GuildCraftRugs for this informative article.
Handmade (hand-knotted) rugs are works of art and in many cases are generational investments. Proper care is essential for long lasting beauty and enjoyment of your rugs. Wool is a strong and resilient fiber, one of the strongest and most durable of all fibers. This means that your rug can take a great deal of wear without damage. For the most part, you will only need to do regular vacuuming and spot cleaning of spills to keep your rug looking lovely for several years.
Every 8-10 years you will want to have your rug professionally cleaned. Doing so will bring out the natural beauty of the rug that will closely match the look it had when you first purchased it. The rug will most likely be softer and the patina over time heightens the inherent artistry of the piece. See the video below which shows the "immersion" process for cleaning rugs.
With rising fuel costs and an increased concern for the environment, many people are turning down their thermostats and finding alternative ways to stay warm. Gas and electric heaters as well as oil burners consume a lot of money and there are more economical ways to stay warm in the house with a little ingenuity.
Don't just take our word for it...here's what customers have said about using area rugs to control heat -
Rugs will definitely keep your floors warmer. We pulled up all our ratty carpet a few years ago and are still using the orignal hardwood floors for now while we decide what to do with them. I put some area rugs down in front of the sofa and chairs and walkways to keep our feet warmer in the winter! Rugs will help keep your heating bill down because they will insulate the cold floors.– JillBeth
I find that area rugs are needed especially in the winter to keep the house warm. By adding area rugs on tip of wood floors instead of installing carpet, you can give the room a look of its own without sacrificing your resale value.– Andrea
Putting up curtains and putting down a rug can block drafts and make floors warmer. The sun is a great natural source of warmth so remove anything that is blocking it from getting in your house. Some people put a dark rug in a sunny area of their house to absorb as much heat as possible. A dark rug will absorb the sun's heat and help keep a room warm.– Gail
There is nothing better that you could do to improve the warmth of your house than to buy a few area rugs. You could put one area rug under your breakfast table so that your entire family is able to keep their feet warm while eating. Contemporary area rugs also look great around the house and will do an awesome job at keeping your dogs and cats warm during cold months. Our small dog absolutely loves cuddling up on the area rug that we have in our dining room because it keeps him nice and warm. – Jordon
Whether you have made a conscious decision to turn the heat down, or your heat is down because of a malfunction, it's important to get creative and find ways to stay warm. A cold house is never comfortable, but there are ways to stay warm without a heating system.
Visit our website to see some of the many rugs we have in stock for you to choose from this winter. With 20,000 rugs you will have no problem finding one that is just right for you and your family this winter. www.nwrugs.com
Health professionals sometimes recommend that allergy and asthma patients remove rugs from their homes. But those recommendations are generally based on faulty assumptions. In fact, clean, dry, well-maintained rugs actually improve air quality.
Rugs act as a trap for airborne particles.
Professional Testing Labs studied the distribution of airborne dust associated with normal activities on hard and soft flooring surfaces. Their findings showed that walking on hard surfaces disturbed more particles. These particles became airborne and entered the breathing zone. In contrast, surfaces covered in rugs or carpet trapped more particles so that walking disturbed fewer particles. Result: less dust in the breathing zone over carpeted floors.
Click here for The Facts about Carpet/Rugs and Asthma and Allergy.
Bukhara (Uzbek: Buxoro, Tajik: Бухоро, Persian: بُخارا, Russian: Бухара), also transliterated Bukhoro and Bokhara, from the Soghdian βuxārak ("lucky place"), is the capital of the Bukhara Province (viloyat) of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 237,900 (1999 census estimate). The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia and the city itself has existed for half that time. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. The historic center of Bukhara, which contains numerous mosques and madrassas, has been listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites. (Wikipedia)
Bokhara rug designs have originated from the Samarkand and Bokhara Region. Bokhara rugs hold a high place in history and compete with the best in the world. Bokharas are a traditional piece of art suitable for any interior decor. Bokhara rug popularity has been on the increase in recent years and the quality are workmanship very consistent with ancient methods. (Rugbiz)
Bokhara rugs have small, repeating geometric designs and are normally fine quality. A popular Bokhara design, the elephant foot and octagonal 'gul' motifs tend to work well in both small and large spaces. Our Design Consultant, Jacque Hubl says of this paricular rug and design scheme...
"Bokhara is a favorite of mine because of its bright, lively vibrant color and its simple repetitive pattern. It instantly makes a space look rich. Also, pairing it with the modern bone leather sectional brought out the contemporary features of the rug even though the design is one of the oldest."
They are made of finely spun, soft wool. New Zealand wool is commonly used, and this can make a shiny, glossy finish that almost looks like silk. Fine examples are often closely clipped (so that their intricate designs are crisp and clear), but some are left especially thick for their quality.Red and rust fields are most common colors, but can have ivory, navy, green, slate, teal, peach, rose or orange backgrounds. (Rugbiz)
The graphic nature of the design makes the Bokhara rug a versitle design element for both traditional and contemporary modern spaces. Their lustre, vibrancy and overall symetry ground a design concept while adding a sense of sublte drama and luxury.
a What makes hand-woven Indian Rugs
as affordable as they are beautiful?
Whether the centerpiece of an elegantly furnished living room or adding style to a high traffic area, a hand-woven rug from India enhances any space. For centuries, all the rugs woven by hand in India and the other rug-making countries were one-of-a-kind. These “unique creations” were priced like paintings and other original works of art, which made them unaffordable to all but the most affluent.
To adapt to changing decorative tastes and trends – and accommodate a broader range of budgets – a few innovative area rug manufacturers began modifying traditional Persian and other classic designs in the early 1980’s. The enthusiastic response to these new interpretations led to the production of an array of designs in a range of sizes, and in a variety of designer-influenced color combinations. However, unlike machine-made floor coverings, these new hand-woven rugs were produced in limited quantities, and in the same painstaking way as the one-of-a-kind carpets, helping maintain their value.
The new production process also offered the option of customizing rugs to meet special size requirements and individual design and/or color preferences. In short, this revolutionary development, along with the emergence of new weaving techniques and materials, not only made hand-woven Indian rugs much more affordable, it also opened up a host of new and exciting ways to incorporate area rugs into homes, apartments, and commercial spaces.
Presented by CARPET EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL in cooperation with the Oriental Rug Importers Association. For the complete .pdf of “A Shopper’s Guide to Hand-Woven Rugs from India” click here.
Thanks to the innovation and creativity of area rug designers, manufacturers and importers, an ever-broadening spectrum of value-conscious consumers can grace their home with a genuine handcrafted rug from India.
The following information will help guide you to the Indian rug that will match your taste and budget:
BASIC RUG STYLES:There are three basic styles of hand-woven Indian rugs: Traditional, Transitional, andContemporary. And there are a multitude of designs and color combinations availablein each of these categories.
Following is a brief description of the basic styles:
TRADITIONAL
Atlantis Collection
The classic “Oriental” carpet, traditional style rugs are inspired by the ornate and intricate Persian and Indo-Persian patterns and rich colors that were the wellspring of India’s rug-weaving industry.
TRANSITIONAL
Oushak Collection
Transitional style rugs are adaptations of the classic Persian, Indo-Persian, and other traditional Oriental rug patterns. They are characterized by more muted and subtle color palettes, more open designs, and intricate patterns most often inspired by nature.
CONTEMPORARY
Sahara Collection
Fanciful, fashionable, and eye-catching, contemporary style rugs are the perfect accents for a residential or commercial space whose design and furnishings are distinctly modern.
NW RUGS - So Much More... Service, Selection, Style! We are thrilled that you have taken time to visit today & we look forward to hearing your comments and/or questions.
This is our promise for every customer, everyday. Come and let us impress you with our service, selection and style. We are confident we can make your in-store experience enjoyable and worth your time. Being a 1-stop decor destination, we will save you time because of our vast and varied selection. Many choices made easy, fast and economical.
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NW RUGS - The West Coast Leader in Rugs
NW Rugs has been a leading supplier of area rugs to homeowners, businesses, and designers and their clients for over 17 years. With 25,000+ rugs in stock from many different countries, finding the perfect rug is easy. Our tenured staff of customer service oriented professionals is commited to providing superior service and competitive pricing. NW Rugs stands above the rest as a resource for rugs.
