In terms of colours, it is essential to choose a colour that you really like and won’t get sick of quickly. There are no right or wrong colours; it only comes down to your tastes and preferences. However, it is good advice to match up a particular colour in the room, for example the colour of your walls, curtains, cushions or even artworks.

Always keep the colour matching subtle and not over the top, in order to harmonize everything in your room. If your space is already full of colours, you don’t necessarily need to try and match your rug to its environment, it is best to choose a neutral colour.

The other way around applies for a very neutral room; a bright coloured rug will look great. In matching a wall or furniture colour, your rug will only help set off your interior and make your design come together.

Keep in mind that you will always get a colour variation depending on the material you’ll choose, as different yarns absorb light differently. Natural fibers like wool tend to absorb light more than synthetic fibers showing colours less brightly. Also, light will vary depending on which side of the yarn it is reflected off. The cut edge of yarn side will always show colours darker than the other side.

These are Images from our lovely customers who shared their pictures of our rugs that they have bought from us and shared it on our Rug Direct Facebook page!

Written by Farah Farahani

Hand Knotted rugs are truly pieces of art, with hours of labour going into each one. No two rugs are the same which gives them unique character and charm. The craftsmanship of hand made rugs stands out against rugs that are machine made and gives them a history.

Often consumers are overwhelmed by the variety of hand knotted rugs available, and can become confused about which design, colours and tribes they prefer.

For customers just starting out in the hand knotted market, Afghan rugs are a great introduction into the rug world. Made in Afghanistan, these rugs remain significantly tied to their tribal roots, as they reinvent typical patterns and colours of their area.

Choubi

Choubi pile is hand spun wool and the dyes used are natural. Choubis are a well woven rugs; they are woven on a strong cotton warp and weft and are suited for dining and formal rooms.
The wool has a natural glow and there is a colour variation depending on the angle they are viewed. 

The word "choubi" was derived from the Farsi word "chob" which means wood, which refers to the source of the rugs natural dyes. The natural dyes are made entirely from fruits, vegetables, roots, tree bark and dried shells. Because of the natural dye used, Choubi rugs are known for their soft muted colours that range from browns to coppers and maroons, and even to unusual blues and greens. Choubi rugs tend to have large geometric floral patterns and have a main characteristic of an abrash effect,or marbled effect, based on the fine nature of the hand-spun wool.

 [ Hand Knotted Choubi Rug pictured above, SKU: PK12-5 ] 

Written by Farah Farahani

Sizing

Before choosing a rug, you must decide what you want it to do within your space, do you want it to make a bold statement or blend in for a subtle effect? If your goal is to  break up a room into different areas, the use of a number of smaller rugs can do the job beautifully.

A tip is to go for the largest size rug you can afford as it gives a generous, calming effect to the room. It’s great to be able to place furniture such as the sofa half on a rug (Living Room A), to give a wonderfully luxurious feel to the space.

Small rugs can give an unfinished look in the wrong space. A common solution is to have a rug that sits within the furniture, in front of sofas and chairs. In this case, the rug should be slightly longer and wider than the furniture, and not too far from the seating (Living Room B).

If you want to merge a room, a large rug will do this effectively (Living Room C). For this, leave sufficient space around all the furniture so it does not appear to be hanging on the edge of the rug.

Furniture around the perimeter of the room, such as sideboards and cupboards, are generally best left completely off the rug.

For a dining room, a large rug under the table will deaden the sound in the room and bring colour, pattern and texture. Ideally, the rug should be in proportion to the table, and larger than it so that there is sufficient space to pull out a chair and sit down without the back legs coming off the rug.

Remember that the centre of the rug will mostly be obscured by the table and chairs, so the most important part of the design becomes the border and not the medallion. 

For a bedroom, the rug is best placed underneath the bed, framing it but stopping before the side tables (Bedroom A). This allows for rug underfoot when one gets out of bed.

An alternative option is to have a smaller rug on either side of the bed (Bedroom B) 
 

For a hallway, machine made comes in 0.67m wide, 0.80m wide and 1m wide that we can cut to your desired size. Hand knotted come in a variety of sizes.

Written by Farah Farahani