Popular Oriental Rug Materials, Designs, and Colors
When first learning about oriental rug designs and colors, it may be slightly overwhelming. With the wide variety of different designs, colors, and quality of materials, you might want to turn on your heel and walk right out of the rug store!Don't worry. Although you may not have an expansive knowledge of oriental rugs, you can still use your gut to make decisions about rugs. Even if you don't have experience with oriental rugs, there are several easy to spot characteristics you should know that can help you make a great rug purchase.Popular MaterialsFeeling a rug's pile usually provides consumers with a general understanding of the rug's quality. A very soft rug typically uses a finer material, which gives the rug a higher quality. Rugs made out of lower-quality materials typically feel rougher and have a lower number of knots per square inch.
A rug's pile material could range from silk to wool to cashmere depending on the country of origin and the culture. Although people typically believe that silk rugs should be held in the highest esteem, quite a few of the wool rugs posses highly-sought after qualities that make them more desirable than other silk rugs.Popular Rug DesignsAlthough many design styles are very similar to the untrained eye, each oriental rug design is unique. With the many different colors and symbols available to weavers, weaving cultures are able to put their own signature style on their rugs.Rug Design Symbols and MeaningsCommon symbols that oriental rug weavers use include different animals and plants. Depending on the type of rug, the symbols used in the rug's design could vary. For example, a rug gift intended for a newly married couple might include symbols that highlight peace, love, happiness, and a faithful marriage.Some cultures have different meanings for different symbols, but many of the symbols stay the same throughout all the weaving cultures.Frequently used Animals and PlantsSome popular animals that could be used include: the stag and crane for long life, the butterfly for happiness, the lion for victory, and the peacock for divine protection.Several popular plants that weavers use in their designs include: the bamboo for wealth and honor, the Cyprus tree for immortality, the weeping willow tree for meditation, and the lotus for purity.Popular Oriental Rug Colors
Just like symbols vary in each design, colors also change depending on what culture created the rug. Although rug-weaving cultures have various traditions that sway them to use particular colors, some specific rugs call for certain colors not typical to the weaving culture.When commonly used, bright red colors represent great happiness; whereas black represents destruction. White represents purity and peace, and greens represent paradise and the sacred prophet.Weaving Culture HistoryMany weaving cultures limited their color Home Decor palette and design concept to what they had available at the time of the rug's creation. Nomadic cultures often based their designs on the nature that existed around them, and the colors came from the natural components that weavers could find.
