A beautiful rug is a foundation of every well-designed room. Quite often is the first purchase made when designing a room. When purchasing a rug, you should be familiar with the language salesmen use so that you can make a well informed decision and ask the right questions.

Here is a quick glossary of the most popular types of rugs:

Rugs 101

AUBUSSON: Type of rugs with decorative floral designs, which history dates back to 14th Century France.

 

BRAIDED RUG: Originally made from scraps of material by colonial Americans, usually oval in shape. Braided rugs that are fabricated today are made on heavy duty sewing machines.

DHURRIE: A flat-weave rug from India made of cotton or wool.

HAND-HOOKED: Is a loop pile rug. Loop rugs are produced with a special hand-hooking attachment.

HAND-TUFTED: By using a hand-held “gun”, individual tufts of yarn are applied to a framed warp. The face is finished by cutting or shearing.

HAND-KNOTTED: Made by weavers who knot yarns around the warp running the length of the rug. The more knots there are per square inch, the more valuable the rug.

KILIM: A universal description of flat-woven rugs.

NEEDLEPOINT: Ancient hand-embroidery technique.

SHAG: A rug with a long, rough pile.

SOUMAK: A type of heavy flat weave, Soumak’s are usually seen in a herringbone pattern.