Exclusive Stories

“A good quality wool rug or carpet will provide years of service with proper care and cleaning” is in one way or another a sentence that has been spoken by countless salesmen when describing the durability of said rugs.

Inspired by a trove of darning samplers at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Kyle Clarkson from Jan Kath has designed a visually intriguing new collection.

In late August 2017 a calamitous hurricane caused massive flooding and destruction in Houston, Texas. As the city and region continues to rebuild, rug insider Lisa Slappey of Pride of Persia Rug Company & Postmodern Traditions provides a narrative on the fate of deluged rugs and carpets and the state of rug sales.

“Well it all depends on the individual requirements of the project.” Carol Sebert, President of Creative Matters said in response to my question regarding how to choose the right quality of rug or carpet. “As you know we do a considerable volume of work in hospitality and contract which has its own set of requirements outside of simply the aesthetic.

Rug Insider takes you behind the scenes to examine the making of a Nepali-Tibetan carpet as Josephine Ford talks about her process and her collaboration with London’s FLOOR_STORY. Follow along as we offer a peek behind the romance, into the toughness—the strength—of Nepali-Tibetan weaving.

By standard accounts felt made from wool is considered to be the oldest known textile. Multiple cultures spanning the nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples as well as those of Sumer lay claim to legends of the origin of felt. Catholic tradition even tells the tale of Saint Clement and Saint Christopher who—while fleeing persecution— stuffed raw wool into their sandals to prevent blisters only to discover at the end of their journey the sweat and constant beating of their paces had felted the wool.

When award-winning designer Emma Gardner first introduced her ‘Spray’ design during ICFF in 2003 it became an instant classic. As the design now reaches its teenage years, Rug Insider looks at its history and evolution.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the rug industry began to see an increased number of traditional broadloom showrooms expanding into the area rug market, thus adding another layer of competition to the specialty rug showroom that continues to this day. This was a logical next step—the natural progression if you will—as the broadloom industry sought to capture more sales.