For thousands of years the manufacturing of rugs remained virtually unchanged with hand weavers using natural fibres and taking, sometimes, years to complete a single oriental rug. That all changed in the 1950s as the advent of weaving machines and synthetic fabrics led to what we today call the modern rug. After reaching peak popularity in the 70s this type of rug slowly fell out of favour, but in recent years modern rugs have made a comeback as designers in Toronto and elsewhere found ways to integrate them into contemporary design schemes.
Getting the Most From Your Modern Rugs
Today’s contemporary rugs can be easily adapted to nearly every type of decor, from Modern to Industrial to Indian to Vintage. Modern rugs are great for:
- Unifying a Design – If you have an established design ethos at work in your home but it seems to lack a sense of cohesion, an area rug is a great way to pull the disparate elements together. Choose colours that work as bridges between existing tones and a pattern that buttresses the geometry of the room and furniture.
- Filling the Space – A room with strong geometric lines and minimalist features can seem a bit empty sometimes. A rug with large, bold patterns (not necessarily bold colours) can help “fill” such a space without intruding on its minimalist qualities.
- Creating a Starting Point – If you’re chucking your old furniture and starting from scratch but are unsure how to get things rolling, start with a modern rug. The colours, shapes and size of the rug will point in certain design directions that will trigger ideas that will trigger other ideas and, well, you get the idea.
- Complimenting Artwork – If you have contemporary art on your walls that seems a bit lonely a modern area rug is a great way to reinforce the visual concepts in play within the artwork without distracting from it.
- Protecting Hardwood – If you’ve decided to install hardwood floors in your home you’ll notice that one of their potential drawbacks is their tendency to make a room feel cold. Warm things up a bit and protect your new floors with contemporary rugs and watch your space come to life.
- Dampening Noise – A beautiful area rug is a great way to help absorb sound. A smartly placed rug can absorb considerable amounts of echoing sound without having to cover the entire floor. Adding sound absorbing padding under the rug can help even more in noise mitigation.
These beautiful, versatile rugs fill a variety of interior design needs. From simply looking great to helping with practical tasks like reducing noise to being that element that brings the rest of an interior design to life, modern rugs can do it all. Keep in mind that when you buy a modern rug today you are not limited to turning your house into a museum of the 1950s. Just the opposite: today’s modern rugs can add life to virtually any contemporary decor and will repay your investment many times over.
About Weavers +
If you happen to be in the Toronto area, visit Weavers Plus, one of the premium broadloom stores and persian rug stores in Toronto. We have a great selection of antique rugs, contemporary rugs, Persian rugs, modern rugs, Oriental rugs, and traditional rugs. We also offer services for rug repair and rug cleaning.