Floorings / Rugs

When we use the term Oriental rugs we mean a hand knotted rug, the oldest of all the rug making techniques, each tuft is tied onto the warp by hand with a knot at the base of the tuft, a weft (sometimes more than one) is inserted between the warp threads and hammered tight to form the pile of the rug.

Two types of knot are commonly used; the Turkish knot and the Persian knot, although the Turkish knot is widely used in Iran especially in tribal and nomadic weavings.

Most Oriental pieces are unique and not available in sizes other than the rug you see. An experienced adult weaver can tie between 6,000 and 9,000 knots per day.

KPI or knots per inch is used as one of the quality indicators of this type of rug. Considered the only type of rug to buy by the true enthusiast, hand knotted rugs can be a very wise investment as the traditional art of village and tribal weaving is becoming less common and good pieces are harder to source.

Hand knotting is very time consuming and good quality pieces can command high prices. Available in contemporary and traditional designs,

Although handtufted rugs are a handmade product, the procedure is much less time consuming than traditional hand-knotting techniques, which reflects in the final price of the rug.

A cotton scrim is stretched across a vertical frame, the design of the rug is printed or drawn onto this. The pile fibre is inserted into the back of scrim with a tufting gun. The rug is then laid out flat and stretched onto another frame.

Latex is applied to prevent the tufts from coming out and a second backing material is added.

Most of the hand tufted rugs coming into Europe today are made in China or India. There is a huge selection of  contemporary,  modern and traditional designs to choose from as well as designs for kids rugs.

Generally prices are a fraction of a good quality hand knotted rug but like hand knotted rugs you get what you pay for.

The tradition of textile weaving in the Flemish region of Belgium goes back for hundreds of years. From a cottage industry the process has changed to the hugely mechanised industry it is today and Wilton rugs are produced all over the world.

There are many types of Wilton construction, face to face is the most commonly used in rug production. The pile is woven sandwiched between two sets of backing material. The finished material is then split leaving two rugs, a mirror image of each other.

This is a very fast method of production and the use of top quality materials and high stitch rates can produce a rug that compares favourably with a good quality hand knotted rug.

The advantage of machine made production is continuity of colour, quality and design in a programmed range of sizes. Available in a huge selection of styles, colours and qualities.