Have you ever wondered how area rugs have moved from what they were centuries ago to the unique pieces of interior home decor they are today? The history of area rugs may not be something you’ve ever really stopped to think about before, but there’s actually a lot to learn about the past from examining the area rugs that have come throughout the ages. Long ago, rugs were specifically only used for beneficial purposes, but now, we even have eco-friendly area rugs as an option, among the wide variety of other types of rugs out there. So how did we get to this point? What were area rugs like a long time ago? In this article, we’ll help you learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about your rugs’ history.
Animal Skin Rugs
You may have a small 4×5 area rug with a tiger print on your bedroom floor, but did you know that rug might be more reminiscent of something from the past than you may have realized? Animal skin rugs have been around for centuries, and although they’re not very common anymore, you can still find those that are made of dried cow skins in some situations. Rugs like these once served a purpose and were usually used to keep homes warmer during the winter months by providing some padding on the floors. Over the years, however, they became a little bit more decorative, and they were even eventually used as hunting trophies.
A square area rug with an animal print may be the closest thing you can find today to these animal skin rugs, but it’s important to remember where our rugs all came from. These very old-fashioned takes on the area rug were important to the people who utilized them, and they still can sometimes be seen in museums showcasing textile art from cultures of long ago. The types of animal skins used differed depending on the location in which the rugs were made.
Persian Rugs
Have you ever been in a museum and seen a huge 10×10 carpet tapestry hanging on the wall? If so, chances are good you’ve seen a Persian rug, although you may have seen something more along the lines of an oriental rug instead. Either way, these rugs are from roughly the same time period, and they made a big difference in the way we all started to look at and use our area rugs. These rugs were designed for their appearance and dyed with beautiful, deep, rich colors, and they usually took months to years to complete, depending on their size and complexity.
8×8 area rugs and larger may be Persian rugs if they came from Persia during a specific time period. During this time period, Persian rugs flourished, and they became more and more popular with people living in Western countries as well. They started to be exported to Europe, where they would soon see a surge in popularity that never entirely went away. To this day, Persian rugs are widely considered the most important (and usually, the most expensive) type of area rug out there. It can be next to impossible to actually find one to purchase, since they are usually antiques, but these beautiful rugs hold an important place in the history of our floor decor.
Western (Spanish) Rugs
As the Eastern world started to produce more and more area rugs, the trend started to spread to the West, too. Spanish rugs took over for a while as some of the more popular in the world, and their designs stood out significantly from the rugs that had been created in Persia and shipped around the world. Southwestern rugs and abstract rugs can find their roots in this movement in the world of area rugs, although the stylistic elements that can officially be labeled as abstract or southwestern wouldn’t come into being for some time yet after the introduction of Spanish rugs.
Indian Rugs
After some time, India became another major player in the world of area rugs, and they became responsible for the protection of many of the oriental rugs that were exported to other countries during this time. Dark green rugs, plum, and other jewel tones were popular with Indian rugs, and this was also a time during which new and unique patterns and styles came into popularity, too. These rugs are still considered some of the most beautiful in the world, and many of them have survived to this day as antiques that hang in museums or in the homes of the very wealthy.
From Nobility to Commoners
When area rugs first reached Europe and, much later, the United States, they were usually used in the homes of nobility or the very wealthy. They were seen as signs of social status and class, and those who didn’t have a lot of money simply couldn’t afford to use an area rug. This has changed considerably, and now, area rugs can be found in all sorts of price ranges to suit just about any budget. No longer are these rugs limited only to use by those who are rich.
Now that you have a dark purple rug laying on your living room, you may be interested to remember more about where it came from. This rug may look just like one that would’ve been used to decorate the home of a Persian noble centuries ago. It may keep your home warm the same way animal skin rugs from the past did for those who came before. It may even help you connect to your heritage, depending on your history and the type of rug you have chosen to decorate with. There’s a lot to remember about the important history of area rugs, and a lot to be grateful for, too!
Now that area rugs are so widely available to everyone, most homes tend to have at least one somewhere on the floor. Rugs now come in all sorts of sizes, shapes, colors, patterns, styles and more, and they’re made out of all types of materials, from the traditional wool to fibers that are made out of recycled tires. No matter what you may be looking for when it comes to your home’s decor, you can easily find something out there that will work perfectly to keep your floors looking great into the future.