The finest area rugs are made by hand, they are true works of art. They require great detail, hard work and a lot of time to produce. Price will be based on how much time it takes to produce that particular work of art. Texture and inticracies of design will also determined the price.
Look at the fiber used to create the rug. You will need to pick the right fiber for the use of the space-whether it is a heavily used space or not. Wool is the fleece of sheep and is very strong and soft. The best wool comes from New Zealand and Tibet. Silk is used as a blend with other fibers to create a soft feel and give shine to the rug. Manmade fibers are nylon, polypropylene, acrylic and viscose. These materials are used to give similar effects of natural fibers but are used for cost savings. Cotton is a natural fiber grown from a plant and accepts dyes well and allows for many color options. Rugs with cotton are easy to clean, and machine washable. Jute, sisal and coir are natural grass fibers used
for very strong, durable rugs. They are usually not dyed and are left natural looking.
When purchasing rugs make sure you choose the right size for your space. For a Dining Rm make sure the rug extends beyond the back legs of the chair when someone is seated. In the Living Rm get a big enough sized rug to pull all the elements of the room together. Use the center of the room or central focal point such as a fireplace as the middle of the rug and plan outward from there. In Bedrooms choose a rug that fits the width of the bed.
The different types of weaving:
Hand knotted-individual knots are tied to the warp yarns that make up the length of a rug. These knots form the pile of the rug. The more knots the more valuable the rug is.
Tufted-yarn is pulled through the backing of the rug. The yarn is sheared to created the pile. These can be hand or machine made. Hooked rugs are similar to the tufted version but the knots are not cut and left in a loop. Flat woven rugs have the vertical yarns woven into the horizontal yarns. Braided-yarns are braided into a continuous rope and sewn together in a spiral fashion.
examples of tufted rug:
image from carpet-rug.org
example of handknotted rug
image from nejad.com and sz-wholesaler.com
example of hooked rug
image from yankeepeddler.com
example of braided rug
image from braidedrugstore.com
