The Martha Stewart Show

Learning About Rugs

The Martha Stewart Show

Rug expert Arash Yaraghi joins Martha to explain how different types of rugs are made.

Rugs 101

The Martha Stewart Collection of rugs features six unique rugs, each made in a different fashion.

Natural Cotton (Bloomery)
Inspired by the detailing of an antique iron gate, this natural cotton rug is handmade in China. A very dense rug, the fine weave brings out the designs details. A soft and durable floor covering, this rug is great for a bedroom or high-traffic areas, and its all-over pattern makes decorating easy.

Petit Point (Solar Garden)
Handmade in China, this rug made of soft 100 percent wool yarns uses small hook stitches (a technique similar to the craftsmanship of early American hooked rugs) to create a tapestrylike effect in its design. With an authentic charm, this petit point rug is especially charming in family rooms.

Flatweave (Pinwheel)
Inspired by antique textiles in Martha's library, this rug is woven in Belgium, a country renowned for superior machine-made flatweaves. Also influenced by traditional European custom loom weaving, these rugs are created without pile, as weft yarns are interwoven flat across the width to create an overall pattern. With painterly detailed designs, flatweaves are ideal for dining rooms.

Tibetan (Faux Bois)
Made in Tibet, this rug uses a special weave of wool, silk, and linen to create a unique texture. The original pattern used in the rug results from ancient hand-knotted Tibetan weaves; yarns are hand-dyed in small runs, then knotted and woven by rural artisans who sun-dry them on rooftops to further influence the colors. With depth achieved through cut-and-looped piles, these Tibetan rugs are ideal for living rooms.

Nepalese (Reflection)
Made in Nepal, a region known for superb quality wool and very fine weavers, these rugs use high mountain wool from Katmandu and are woven with silk for a plush feel. By using ancient techniques in a modern, expressionist form, these rugs create heathered colors with yarns dyed in small batches with vegetable tints. Using fine hand-knitted techniques that make each one slightly different, the Nepalese rugs are ideal for bedrooms.

Oushak (Tendrils)
Made with a weave originally created in the Turkish town of Oushak, this rug incorporates a rendition of this centuries-old craft now woven in India from 100 percent hand-knotted wool. Traditional Oushaks are renowned for beautiful designs and colorations; small-batch vegetable dyes yield color variations typical of this rug weave and create the highly prized delicate and dappled color shadings known as "abrash" across its width. Inspired by trailing garden vines, this rug is fantastic in a living room.

Resources
For more information on Martha Stewart Rugs, visit marthastewart.com/shop/rugs. Special thanks to Arash Yaraghi of fine rug manufacturer and importer Safavieh for sharing this information.

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The Martha Stewart Show

Learning About Rugs

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