The Most Well Known and Copied Design In Area Rugs

Area rugs are sometimes known as “art that you can walk on”.

As with all art, there are some designs that capture the imagination like no other.

Various Boteh Designs

Of all the copied designs none is more well-known or more well-loved then the Boteh.  The Boteh is also known as the almond, the Kashmiri design or as we know it here in the west - the Paisley. It is in the shape of a teardrop with the upper part turned.

Most experts tend to agree that the origin Boteh comes from the Seraband region and it was first used in Mir carpets which are sometimes known as the “Boteh Mir”.

Inspiration for the Boteh Design

The inspiration for its shape has been called the pear or fig or a pinecone and was most likely based on the shape of the Cypress tree and known best as the fabled Tree of Life in Zoroastrian folklore.
 

Boteh is a Persian word meaning bush, shrub, a thicket (a small dense forest of small trees or bushes) bramble or herbs. Some would even take it to mean a palm leaf, cluster of leaves (perhaps as a repeated pattern) or as a flower bud. In Azerbaijan and in Kashmir (in the north of the Indian sub-continent) the name used to describe the motif is Buta.

The most familiar Boteh motifs have repeating patterns with each individual design to be small in size and arranged in perpendicular lines to cover the whole field. 

Repeating Boteh Design

In Qum rugs made of wool it is often one large leaf or the repeating pattern. It is very popular in the rugs of Seraband, Mir, Kerman, Kashan, Derbent in Caucasia and widely used in the rugs of Senneh.

According to an article published by Dr. Cyrus Parham in 1999, it states that the Boteh motif has been prevalent in the arts since the Scythian and Achaemenid art especially represented by the wings of Homa or Senmurv.

In ancient Egypt it appears that some silk garments are embellished with the Boteh design.

There is an interesting connection between the pattern and the city of Egyptian city of Akhmim located on the banks of the upper Nile. Akhmim was at the western end of the Aryan trade route (better known as the Silk Road) and the design motif known as “Paisley” here in the west was taken from the Aryan Boteh (botteh) motif.

The design was copied from the costly silk and wool Kashmir shawls and adapted first for use on hand-looms, and, after 1820, on Jacquard looms. From roughly 1800 to 1850, the weavers of the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland, became the foremost producers of these shawls.

Kashmir Shawl with distinct Boteh Design.

To have your Boteh design inspired rug cleaned or restored the best place to bring it to on Vancouver Island is Luv-A-Rug Services Inc. located in Victoria BC.

They are the top area rug cleaning company in the Province. See them at luvarug.com

Why Hamedan rugs are so popular

Hamedan rugs!

What’s to love about these particular rugs from this region?

Many things!

Hamedan is one of the world’s oldest cities and is mentioned under the name of Ecbatana in the Bible, see the book of Esther.

The city is a center for trading with carpets that are manufactured in the hundreds from nearby villages and cities.
 The best of these carpets are sold under their own names such as Nahavand, Tuiserkan, Malayer or Hosseinabad.

The more simple carpets from the area are sold under the generic term Hamedan .

Examples of carpets sold under the name of Hamedan are Burchalow, Enjilas, Hosseinabad, Lilihan, Khamse, Zanjan and Malayer carpets.

They are easily recognized with their typical patterns (mostly geometrical, but floral motifs also occur.) and sizes.

The most common pattern is what’s known as the Herati - a flower centered within a diamond.

Hamedan rug are usually made with a shiny and often natural dyed handspun yarn which provides a very durable surface and beautiful color scale.

Older carpets (before 1920) are often tied on wool warp, different from today’s cotton warp.

The younger carpets (after 1960) often have synthetic colors and less fine wool than older carpets
In general Hamedan are quite durable and very affordable.

So the next time you’re out and happen to be near a rug gallery, ask to look at the Hamedan rugs.
I am sure you will find them beautiful and hard to resist!

The best place we recommend to have your Hamedan rug cleaned or repaired is  Luv-A-Rug Services Inc. at 445 Beta Street in Victoria BC.

To get a free estimate, visit their website at  http://luvarug.com.

Instead of a shag rug try a pure wool Flokati rug instead

Photo courtesy of www.flokati-rugs.com

Flokati is a pure wool rug made in Greece by a traditional process.

Cherished as family treasures, part of brides' dowries and used as wall-hangings and bed covers as well as rugs. 

Traditionally the original Flokati was made from sheep or goats hides undyed and very popular in Greece or Turkey.

Today, Flokatis are still unique in the way they are made.

So when you own a Flokati, you not only own a beautiful floor covering, but also a little bit of history. 

They begin with pure natural sheep's wool that's spun into yarn, and woven to create long loops. 

The distinctive Flokati pile is then cut by hand. 

A unique process follows: 

• Each and every Flokati is carried to mountain waterfalls where it's washed for hours in deep vats. 
• The swirling stream fluffs the long yarns into luxurious lively softness. 
• The original Flokati technique and it's never changed--Science cannot duplicate it. 
• Only the power of a waterfall can produce the special quality of a Flokati.

Greek Flokatis are natural wool. 

This means your rug will wear long and well. 

It will keep its rich sheen and softness year after year. 

Flokatis are as legendary for their strength as for their beauty.

Being wool, they not only spring back into shape but are naturally static and flame resistant. 

They simply are a fine investment in lasting loveliness.

Even though Flokatis rugs can endure a lot of abuse they are not immune to the ravages of hard soils, grit and heavy dirt.

Be sure to have your Flokatis cleaned of all the abrasive materials at least once a year so it can last generations rather than just a few years.

We recommend Luv-A-Rug Services Inc. at 445 Beta Street in Victoria BC. The owner has developed specialized equipment to vibrate out the abrasive dirt from rugs which he sells worldwide under the brandname of RugBadger.

Visit their website to get a free estimate on your rug cleaning:  http://luvarug.com

Pakistan Bokhara rugs,

I don't really have a specific topic in mind today, so since I have recently gone through all the pictures that are saved on the computer I will talk about one of my favorites.
I love Pakistan area rugs, especially the Bokhara. It was one of the first rugs that I could easily recognize when I started working at Luv-A-Rug. They are in a variety of colours. I have seen a beautiful periwinkle blue, this teal one (pictured) and a gorgeous green one. Pakistan area rugs aren't a set colour scheme unlike most Persians which are red and navy. I am not anti-Persian just anti red and navy. Although rust, red and brown are very common to see. Pakistan rugs are very soft even when they are older and a little worn.
They have the unique trait of the side wrap pulling off, which Luv-A-Rug can repair . I have seen them in unconventional sizes as well. The best was a 7x7 foot in a med blue. Right now we have 3 little ones in the shop, two of which are 1.9 x 1.5 feet. They look like little sample rugs. I can picture them on tables with a plant or photo on them, but that is just what I would use them for. I like the way they are woven too. The back is very tight and is just as pretty as the front. I wrote another blog post about the Bokhara rug that gives a bit more information. Okay I think that I have bored you enough with why I like Pakistan Bokhara area rugs. Thanks for reading, RugloverMary.

A New Antique Wool Rug

With being in the area rug cleaning business I try to educate our clients on rugs and what to check for when buying certain rugs and such. I spend my downtime at work cruising the Internet seeing what people are writing about and what rugs are popular to further my knowledge. That is all find and dandy, but sometimes I come across something that blows me away.
I came across this video on www.youtube.com that shows how to give an antiqued look to a new wool rug by using a blow torch.
Interesting technique. It shows how resilient wool is against fire.
In September of 2008 I wrote a blog about a rug that had a tea stained effect added to the rug to give it an antique finish. The tips of the fibers were the only part that was yellowed. When a manufacturer or designer wants a certain look they get it any way they can. With all the things that are done to rugs to make them look antique it can be very hard to trust that what you are buying is what you are getting.
We can't all be experts in area rug weaving, so what can we do to be sure we are not getting ripped off? I would suggest calling around to carpet or area rug cleaning companies or ask friends to see who they recommend for buying a rug from. If the same few companies keep getting mentioned then that is a good sign. Luv-A-Rug recommends a lot of the companies in Victoria and Langford. It depends on where you are using the rug, if you have children and/or pets and budget. Call us at 250-590-6210 or drop by 445 Beta St. Victoria, BC.
Thanks for reading RugloverMary

Save your wool rugs get your air ducts cleaned

Now you maybe wondering how getting your air/furnace ducts cleaned will save your wool rugs. It is simple MOTHS!

All spring and summer when you haven't been using the heat, organic dust, hair and allergens have been collecting in the ducts. When you turn on the heat in the fall all of that dust and allergens gets blown in to your rooms along with any moth eggs and larva that may be feeding on the dust.

Clothes Moth Larva eating a wool rug

Not only is breathing in all that dust not healthy, but the moths need to find a new source of food. It will be your wool area rugs. Moths like dark, undisturbed, dirty areas of rugs. When you have furniture on your rugs or have your rug near air/heat vents this makes for a great place for them to eat your rug without you knowing it until it is too late.

In Victoria the clothes moth runs rampant damaging wool area rugs all year round. In the month of July 2011 alone Luv-a-rug received over 20 rugs that had moth damage. That is too many rugs, in my opinion, to have been victims of the clothes moth.

It isn't because of poor cleaning habits by the owners, it is caused by the female moth being sneaky and laying her eggs on the back of the rugs, but mostly because the rugs were not cleaned before they were stored and improper storage.

When I talk about storing a rug I don't mean in a storage locker or garage. When I say storing a rug I mean not using a rug for weeks to years and just having it rolled up or folded and put out of the way. No matter what the reason for you not using your rug, puppy training, renos, moving, too big for your home, you need to get the rug cleaned and wrapped properly so that moths and other pests don't make your rug their home.

Summertime is the best time to get your air/furnace ducts cleaned because it isn't busy right now. Once the colder weather hits everyone will be getting their homes ready for winter. There is nothing wrong with getting things done early.

Luv-A-Rug recommends Sunny Carpet and Air Duct cleaning. In Victoria call 250-384-7951, in Nanaimo 250-755-1128, in Duncan 250-746-1888, in Parksville/Qualicum 250-954-3491.

Here's to clean, moth damage free rugs, RugloverMary,

Customer Service is about Service- A Shag Rug Story

At about 2:20pm, June 2nd 2011, a lady came into Luv-A-Rug carrying her rolled up shag rug. I greeted her and told her that she had a great coloured shag. It was a charcoal grey and cream polypropylene shag rug that she bought from Scan Design in Millstream Village.

She said that her rug was new and it had a small yellow spot from where her friend had dropped a hotdog with ketchup and mustard on it. She wanted to know if we could just spot clean the area.

With it being a quiet day I said that I would try just using our own spotter and see what would come off if she had the time. She said yes she did, so I sat down and started spot cleaning the area.

As I was doing it I explained to her that whenever she had to clean up a spot on her shag to always wipe from the bottom of the fibers to the top as to not cause the pile to distort.

We sat there on her shag and had a good discussion about her shag, Scan Design and coffee tables, as she had ordered one from Scan design to go with her rug. I had also found 30 cents and 3 bobby pins in her shag and I explained the best way to care for her shag.

I said that Shags needed to be vacuumed and cleaned more often that regular pile rugs and once a month she should turn her rug upside and vacuum the back. Here is a video I did showing the best way to vacuum a shag rug.



I spent about 10-15 minutes sitting there chatting and cleaning the mustard off each individual fiber. With a shag that is how you remove spots and spills is to WIPE EACH FIBER FROM BOTTOM TO TOP. When you wipe against the fibers you are spreading the spill further and it makes the fibers fray open and not lay right.

I succeeded in removing at least 90% of all the yellow mustard from her rug and made it almost invisible when you looked at the rug. I had good success because the rug was a synthetic fiber, she did not try to remove the spot herself and she got the rug to us the next day after it happened.

The client was thrilled that I could get the spot out and explained how to take care of her shag. She was also happy that I wasn't charging her for me doing it. It was such a little thing to do and took no time to do it that I didn't feel right asking her to pay. She also said that when she did need her rug cleaned that she would be bringing back to Luv-A-Rug. That is the best compliment ever!

She asked the best spot cleaner to use and my answer was water and a white cotton towel. Vinegar is good for urine, salt is good for red wine same with dry oats for wet spills, baking soda is BAD! as a spot cleaner for rugs. Adding anything else just makes a layered sandwich and can make a spot into a permanent stain.

Next time you get a food spill on your rug don't rub deeper into the rug. Wipe in the direction of the fibers in straight lines, blot, and if possible keep the area damp until you can get the rug in for cleaning.

Here's to spot free area rugs, RugloverMary