“A beautiful rug or carpet can do for floors what wallpaper or artwork does for walls – it adds dimension, color and interest to your home,” says Kamran Karimpour, owner of Jasmine Rugs & Furniture, Suite 29. He likes to suggest to his clients that they start with an Oriental rug and then base the design of the room around it. Whether this is the technique you choose to employ or not, there are always the same basic questions that must be answered prior to choosing your rug, especially when you’re faced with the amazing selection available at Michigan Design Center.

In addition to determining whether the rug will cover the entire floor or just act as an accent piece, you must also decide how quickly you will need the finished product – many Michigan Design Center showrooms offer completely custom rug options that often can take months to complete. If that timing doesn’t work for you, rest assured that there are still thousands of beautiful rug options available at MDC. Another important consideration is determining whether you prefer a flat-weave, pile or one of the newer options that has features of both. Finally, you need to consider whether you want a completely new rug or are looking for an antique (at least 100 years old) or semi-antique (50-100 years old) rug.

ORIENTAL RUGS
Designers and their clients find an astounding selection of Oriental rugs at Michigan Design Center. Stark Carpet / Fabric / Wallcovering, Suite 30; The Ghiordes Knot, Suite 20; Jasmine Rugs & Furniture, Suite 29 and Kravet, Suite 105 all offer impressive collections of Orientals, available in-stock or custom- woven in your choice of size and color.

When making your selections, it’s always important to be armed with a little background information on what you’re purchasing. A true Oriental rug is hand-woven or hand-knotted of natural fibers such as wool and silk or combinations of the two. Most often, Oriental rugs are made in the Middle East, Far East or the Balkans. Rugs that are machine-made cannot legally be referred to as “Oriental.”

The names / types of Oriental rugs can often be confusing since they originally referred to the city or region where the rug was woven (ex. Sarouk, Kashan, Aubusson). Today, however, the name actually refers to the region in which the particular pattern and / or weaving style originated, rather than the actual country of origin in which the rug was made. The term “Oriental” doesn’t necessarily refer to an intricate “Eastern” pattern. For example, the majority of Odegard Oriental rugs, available at The Ghiordes Knot, Suite 20, have very modern patterns and color palettes.

Most Orientals fall into one of two categories: flat-weave and pile. Flat-weaves include Needlepoints, Aubussons and Kilims. They are sturdy, versatile and tend to be more affordable than piles. Pile rugs are hand-knotted with the ends of the yarns facing up and are sheared to a depth ranging from short to thick and lush. Piles include Persians, Tibetans and Savonnerie.

There is now a third category available that boasts features of both flat-weave and pile. It has a unique texture that varies from a lush cut pile to a variegated flat-weave, creating a complex blend of textures and shading. Asmara, available through The Ghiordes Knot, calls this style Savonile™. At Stark Carpet, Suite 30, it’s referred to as Soumak.

Kravet Carpet (a division of Kravet, Suite 105) recently introduced three exclusive collections of rugs, including the Eastern Collection which boasts hand-knotted Oriental rugs from India, Pakistan and China and offers stock and custom size options.

Like fine artwork, Oriental rugs can be tried-out before purchase. If you are not absolutely certain a particular in-stock Oriental will work in your home, MDC’s showrooms will be happy to let you borrow the rug so you can see it within the environment for which it was selected.