Shop online for door mats and area rugs

Putting a decorative door mat at your front or back door may serve a practical purpose, but that’s no reason to settle for a common, dull door mat. We’ve all seen them – door mats made of reclaimed tire rubber or heavy duty brush that are meant to trap the dirt on your shoes before you step into someone’s home. How plain and blah is that?

Instead, why not choose a decorative outdoor mat that is more than purely functional. Indeed, why not choose two – a heavy duty indoor-outdoor mat on the front stoop, and a prettier one inside the door that fits into the decor of your foyer or entryway?

Outside Your Door – Decorative Mats That Are Sturdy And Weatherproof

Skip the plain rubber and steel tire tread doormats. Your outdoor mat should certainly be made of a sturdy material that can stand up to the weather – and being walked on, but there’s no reason for it to be ugly. Choose a decorative door mat that wears like iron – because it is. A number of companies sell decorative door mats made of cast iron or aluminum with cast and scrolled designs that add classic appeal to your front door stoop. Among the most popular motifs are pinecones and pineapples – traditional Colonial symbols of Welcome.

If metal seems a bit harsh underfoot, there’s always the option of rubber – cast and cut in fanciful and beautiful scrollwork designs that mimic the classic cast iron designs. Slatted wood makes beautifully simple outdoor decorative door mats that are easily washable and weather as only natural materials can.

Yet another sturdy and often-used material for outdoor door mats is coir fibre – that stiff, brush like stuff you might recall from childhood mats. Today’s designs in coir fibre are dyed or sculpted to be decorative as well as functional, and clean with just a hosing.

Olefin, also known as polypropylene, has made it possible to have decorative door mats that are as varied as the carpets inside your home. You can choose from an almost limitless variety of themes and designs – fruit slices, sailboats, doggy and kitty designs – many of them available with your name customized on them. Like coir fiber, decorative door mats made of olefin hose clean – and dry quickly.

Indoor Decorative Door Mats That Wash and Clean Easily

Indoor mats needn’t stand up to the weather, but should be durable and washable.

There are many fine choices of olefin decorative doormats that range in design from the ubiquitous poker-playing dogs to those that mimic a fine Aubusson carpet.

Choose a style that suits your decor and know that your fine carpets and wood floors are protected from the damage that dirt can do to them by the decorative door mat that also adds to the beauty of your room

For quality and style choose a Persian carpet

If you are thinking about purchasing Persian carpets for your home, you should first stop and make a plan. These beautiful rugs are similar to pieces of art, and you will want to insure that the Persian carpet that you select will best fit into your home’s décor.

After all, an area rug—especially one like a Persian carpet—will be the base and focal point of your entire room’s design, so you will want to make sure that you begin your work with a good foundation. If done correctly, a Persian carpet can pull together all of the elements of your room’s design, creating a well-thought out look that complements the rest of your home.

You’ll first want to determine what sized Persian carpet you need. You will be faced with many options when purchasing a Persian rug, so it’s best to pull out your tape measure and get an idea of the perfect size before shopping. You can purchase a smaller carpet to act in a small space, such as under a grouping of chairs, or under a coffee table. If you want to cover most of the room’s space, look for a larger rug that will do the trick.

In addition to using rugs as a base, you can use a Persian carpet to accent a space as well. For example, use a rug runner for stairs or to cover a well-worn or high traffic area. You can also use smaller Persian carpets to connect spaces, such as short hallways that connect a room with a sitting area.

Next, you’ll want to consider the best color for your Persian carpet. Because the very essence of Persian rugs is the rich designs that are woven into them, you’ll need to look for just that perfect combination of color and design. Today’s Persian carpets are available in so many colors and patterns that you’ll likely be faced with some tough decisions!

After you have determined the best size and colors for your Persian carpet, it’s time to go shopping!

Imagine that it is first century B.C. in Persia and an old frail weaver sits and spins his magic, producing a silk Persian rug that will be used in his family’s home in order to keep at bay the dust and the harsh winter cold.  In his design, he tells the story of the family’s past and future; secrets that no one knows and only his family can read by looking closely at the special design in the Persian rug.

Such is the past of Persian rugs, and perhaps that is why so many people desire to use them in their homes today. Persian rugs are generally made of rich, warm colors, such as deep reds, greens and blues. A quality Persian carpet is made from silk, wool or cotton, with cotton or silk backings.

Long ago, Iran was the main producer of Persian rugs, but was banned from exporting their rugs to the United States until the year 2000. In that time, India emerged as the premier Persian rug maker, delighting people with the warm colors and eye-catching designs.

Although the patterns usually don’t have secret meanings anymore, they are beautiful in design. Some have geometrical shapes, while others showcase borders of flowers or fruit. The colors have, for the most part, stayed the same, although now it is possible to find pastels and other variations.

So, where can you use a Persian rug?

The carpets can go in just any room in your home. They look great in a living room, a dining room, or even a bedroom. The key is to use the rich colors to pull in the rest of the room’s design, and allow the magic of the rug to do the rest. A Persian rug can add an air of mystery to any room, and give it a feeling of warmth and stateliness. And if your home features hardware floors or carpet, a Persian rug will add a great dimension to your look.

The art of crocheting useful articles from worn out clothing created some of the most unusual area rugs of the past two centuries.

The colonial housewife and her descendants believed in the maxim ‘Use it up, wear it out, and make it do!’ When clothing, sheets, blankets and other household cloths became too worn to serve their original purpose, they were torn into strips and used to make other things that the household needed.

Rugs were a natural, and the techniques used included weaving, braiding, looping, tying and crocheting.

Crocheted rag rugs are either worked in back and forth rows of stitches for square or rectangular rugs, or in rounds, for oval, round or some other shaped rugs like hearts. Square and rectangular rugs can also be worked in rounds, but the increases can be more difficult to control than straight back and forth stitching.

The material used is strips of cloth, either torn or cut in lengths from fabric, then joined together end to end by a variety of methods. The stitch most often used is single crochet, which gives a firm texture and surface to the rug, but there have been a variety of stitches used for rag rugs depending on the materials used and the fashion.

Since crocheted rag rugs are extremely durable, there are many vintage rugs available. They can often be found at flea markets, antique and vintage stores, and even on eBay and other auction sites. The amount you can expect to pay for a vintage crocheted rag rug depends on the material, age and condition of the rug. If you absolutely love the look and don’t care about vintage, there are any number of artisans who create crocheted rag rugs for sale and for custom orders.

Cleaning and caring for a crocheted rag rug is as individual as the rug itself. Since it’s difficult to know whether fabrics used in the rugs construction are colorfast or even washable, it’s safest to have the rug dry-cleaned. Before cleaning with any chemical cleaner, test a swatch of it to make sure that the fabric won’t be damaged by the cleaning chemicals.

Want to create your own? Crochet supply houses carry rolls of strip fabric in an array of patterns and colors that can be used for crocheting rag rugs. You can also find many patterns for crocheting rag rugs on the internet. The most important things to remember are to use a crochet hook that gives you an even tension working with the fabric strips.

Crocheting rugs from rags is a unique craft that can give you the satisfaction of creating something from throwaways!

For quality and style choose a Persian carpet

Persian rugs have long been known for their quality and style. Produced by hand, these oriental rugs have a beauty that can’t be beat. Completely unique, Persian rugs are a quality investment that will last for years.

Authentic Persian rugs are produced in Iran, (formerly known as Persia). Copies of these rugs are produced in other countries such as China and areas in the Middle East. Some consider the quality of these to be just as good.

Persian rugs have been produced for thousands of years but the industry really came into it’s own in the 16th century. The design or style of a particular oriental rug is unique to each region in Iran and has been passed on through the centuries.

When looking for a Persian carpet, the best quality are those with a greater number of knots per square inch. The more knots per square inch, the longer it has taken to create the rug. This of course is reflected in the price.

Other factors to consider when shopping for Persian carpets are the quality of the wool or silk used to weave the rug, the symmetry of the design and the complexity of the design.

Persian rugs are surprisingly affordable considering the amount of work and effort that has gone into making them. Purchasing a quality Persian rug will not only be a good investment but will also add greatly to the beauty of your home.

Beautify your home with a quality cotton area rug

When you think ‘rug’, do you automatically picture something furry, or with pile or nap?

Do you think ‘wool’? Wool is the traditional material for making rugs, but there’s a long history of area rugs made from other materials.

Cotton area rugs in particular can give your home a much lighter, brighter look.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular styles of cotton area rugs.

Cotton rag rugs

One popular style of cotton area rugs is the cotton rag rug. They grew out of the thriftiness of old-time housewives who saved clothing that was worn beyond wearing and created area rugs for their floors from them. Cotton area rugs made of rags may be braided and coiled, crocheted or even knitted. One unusual style of cotton rag rug is made from cotton jersey material, like t-shirts. The t-shirts are cut across, making fabric loops which are then woven on flat, pegged looms into squares, much like potholders. Smaller squares can be sewn together to make larger cotton rugs, or left as they are to make small cotton area rugs. One bonus of small cotton area rugs is that they are washable, as long as you take care to use cool settings and cold water.

Flannel Looped Cotton Area Rugs

Flannel cotton rugs are typically hooked rugs, most similar to wool hooked rugs. They are traditionally hooked with more loops per inch, making a very thick, dense rug. When the hooking is finished, the top surface of the cotton rug is shaved and brushed to create a soft, luxurious nap. Cotton accepts dye more readily than wool, making cotton area rugs a perfect choice for the bright, clear colors that are often used in children’s, babies’ and teens’ rooms.

Cotton Dhurrie Area Rugs

Cotton dhurrie rugs are woven rather than looped. Traditionally, they are made in Indian patterns and rich colors, or left the natural color of the cotton for a warm, airy look. They work very well with today’s modern, sparse styles of furniture, lending a touch of simple elegance.

Cotton area rugs have a number of advantages over wool and acrylic versions. The flat woven styles of cotton rugs are far less likely to hold dust that can trigger allergies, and can be easily cleaned and laundered. Rag rugs, especially those braided from bright patterned colors, are a particularly welcoming choice for a colonial style living or dining room, and looped flannel rugs are an excellent hypoallergenic choice to add a touch of color and warmth to an infant’s room.