Story by Anita Tighe

Pay attention to size and scale to make sure you don’t have too small of a carpet for the size of your room or seating cluster. If you are looking for a carpet for under your dining room table, make sure it is wide enough to accommodate all chair legs on the carpet when someone is seated at the table. There’s nothing worse than sitting in an uneven chair with the front legs up on a carpet and the back legs lower because they have no carpet underneath.

As far as colour goes, make sure the carpet incorporates a combination of colours that are already present in the room. Take along paint samples, sofa cushions and maybe a picture of any significant art work you have in the room. If you are starting from scratch then by all means pick an absolute favorite area carpet and then match your new sofa and accessories to the colours present in the carpet. The sofa colour should be lighter or darker in colour to add a little contrast.

Gary from The Rug Shop says there are three types of area carpets: machine-made, hand- tufted and hand-knotted on a loom. The hand-made ones are imported from places like Iran, Afghanistan, China, India, and Nepal or otherwise labeled as Persian carpets. These carpets are made of natural fiberes such as wool, silk and goat’s hair. One of the ways to tell if the carpet is genuine hand-made is to look at the underside. The pattern on the underside of the carpet should be almost as clear as it is on the top. These carpets are made to last hundreds of years, but, despite what you might see in the movies, they definitely can’t fly.

Machine-made usually have any combination of polypropylene, wool and nylon and are generally made in North America. They have a canvas type back and the pattern does not show on the underside very well. These carpets usually last around five to seven years.

Ernie from House of Persian Rugs is a wealth of unusual, yet useful, facts about hand-made carpets:
•Wool has natural Lanolin oil which acts as “nature’s scotch guard” and repels stains & dirt;
•Silk is the strongest fiber; and
•Goat’s Hair is hard to come by because they only use the hair off the back of a goat’s neck.

There is no doubt that a hand-made carpet is not just for decoration, but is an investment. They are beautiful, durable and, in many cases, a one-of-a-kind work of art. In fact, in Europe and the Middle East, carpets are often hung on walls as pieces of art. And, you may be surprised to learn that House of Persian Rugs has a lifetime buy-back guarantee. Apparently the hand-made carpets are made to last hundreds of years and the older they are, the more valuable.

Unfortunately, I’ve only touched on the information and history on these carpets.  NL

For more information, visit the experts, or check out their websites at:
www.houseofpersianrugs.com
www.rugshopcalgary.com