Area Rugs - Retro and New Mid-Century Modern
The use of area rugs is a home decorating concept that has been around for centuries, coming into and going out of style periodically, never
disappearing completely. Of course, this can be said of many elements of home design, but in fact, in Western tradition at least, furniture
was something of a luxury, reserved to the wealthy nobility, until well into the middle of the 18th century, when the Industrial Revolution
began to stir, classes of professional furniture-makers not specifically beholden to a particular monarch began to appear and set up shop,
and the "average man" began to have enough of that newly-established wonder - Disposable Income - to contemplate actually owning a few
sticks beyond a small table, a bed and the ubiquitous, multi-tasking medieval three-legged stool.
Yet history - or at least, legend - tells us that more than 2000 years ago Cleopatra was first presented to Julius Caesar, smuggled into his
presence, rolled up in - a rug! And what portrait of any palace, throne-room, sultan's tent or nobleman's villa would have been complete
without at least one or two elaborate rugs in the picture, both to soften the austere bareness of often furniture-less rooms, or simply to
denote wealth and status? (Continued below.)
Today, just about any decorating style from virtually any period is valid and accessible because we have reached a point where vast amounts of
historical data are available on demand everywhere, to everyone; where nearly all, styles past and present, have a following - even if just a
small one - and are being produced by some niche company somewhere, to the delight of its fans. Want retro-style or mid-century modern furniture?
No problem; there are companies still producing lava lamps and plastic "Egg" chairs. Italian Provincial more your style? How about 18th -Century
reproduction or Early American? It's out there.
The decision to add rugs to our product mix is simply a nod to the fact that some people always want a beautifully-made and beautifully-executed
rug to grace a floor, soften the look or sound of wood or stone, add color to a room or set off a prized collection of carefully-chosen
furniture. In keeping with the style of our own Heywood-Wakefield solid blond wood furniture, we're proud to present our New Wave collection,
specifically chosen to reference the modernist, Moderne, "vintage contemporary" look of this period.
But it doesn't stop there. In our other collections, as well as in collections we are preparing now to add, you will find quality area rugs in
a variety of styles, from contemporary to transitional to traditional, which have been chosen for their good looks, quality materials and
workmanship, interesting patterns and great value-for-money.
Elsewhere in this section we'll discuss the various methods and materials being used today to create exciting floor coverings for the home, with
a brief explanation of terms and techniques. For now, we invite you to scroll through the collections and find the ones that best suit your
own tastes and style.
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