Top 7 Interesting Facts About Rugs

Top 7 Interesting Facts About Rugs

At least one person owns a rug in their lifetime. Rugs are probably in everyone’s house with some used as mats and some as floor covering. Rugs provide practical benefits like keeping us warm in cold winters. If there is one investment piece that can instantly change the appearance of your living room it is the rugs. Rugs and especially the oriental rugs are so exotic to look at. They are soft, beautiful and fit in perfectly with your interior decor.

Did you know that wool today is most commonly used natural fibre for area rugs and carpet? As a soft, yet durable fibre with a lot of versatility, wool area rugs are a popular and great choice for any home. They can also be dyed in a wider range of colours, making for more vibrant and diverse interior design.  

Rugs are a form of traditional artefacts that is traced back thousands of years. They have been used in a wide variety of ways, ultimately becoming a decorative flooring option. In fact, rugs are considered a luxury item because a lot of work is put into the making of these luxury items.  Check out these Top 7 Interesting Facts About Rugs.

  1. It is not known when the first rugs were produced, but it is known that it was probably started centuries before Christ by the nomads of Central Asia to insulate their tents. Which was carried across Asia and the Middle East by the armies, traders and nomads (a member of a people that travels from place to place to find fresh pasture for its animals and has no permanent home).

  2. What is the difference between a rug and a carpet? It is generally a matter of size where any piece smaller than 40 square feet is a rug while another larger is a carpet.

  3. Most Expensive Rug The world’s most expensive rug to be sold is a 17th century Kerman carpet measuring about 8’x6’. In an auction in 2013, it was sold for $33.8 million. This carpet was initially expected to have a bid of around $15 million but to everyone’s surprise, it blew everyone away as this broke the record of the previous record holder of a carpet being sold at $9.6 million.

  4. Rugs are healthier than wall to wall carpets because they are easier to clean, and are often less permanent in a home.

  5. Did you know a good quality 9×12 Persian Rug has more than 1.5 million hand-tied knots, takes 300 people 400 days to create and requires about 5000 cups of tea to complete!? These rugs have a symbolic meaning. They are mainly flat hand-woven rugs that are often hung on walls and also used as prayer rugs. 

  6. World’s Largest Handmade Carpet The world’s largest carpet which was handmade was originated from Iran. It is called Qasr-al- Alam designed by Ali Khaliqi. The size of this carpet is approximately the size of a football pitch. It is exactly 5,625 square feet in size. This carpet was assembled in 9 different pieces before being installed in a mosque in Abu Dhabi.

  7. All the rugs are delicate, but the oriental rugs known for their superb and exotic designs are extra delicate. Their fibres can easily get damaged so it is important to take great care of them when cleaning them at home. The hand-wash only method is most suited for them.

Image: Lida Sahafzadeh-unsplash