I like browsing through the pages of Good Housekeeping because I get a lot of home decorating ideas and it keeps me abreast on what is happening in the world of interior design. If you do not want to spend too much money then instead of hiring an interior decorator just flip through the pages of magazines to get inspiration and in the process know the latest trends when it comes to what looks good in a home. But more than contemporary design, I have always been fascinated with old fashioned homes decorated with oriental rugs. Their beautiful and intricate designs and colors make a house, no matter how small or big it is, look so elegant.
A lot of people consider them as pieces of art. They are rugs that were made in the Orient or in Asia namely China, Vietnam, Nepal, Pakistan, Turkey, Cyprus, Iran, India, Egypt, and Morocco. They were brought to the West during the Crusades and are organized by origin such as Arabian rugs, Persian rugs, Central Asian rugs, Chinese rugs, Indian rugs etc. They can last for decades because of their high quality. Antique oriental rugs have been in demand for years. Some even display them as wall decors. Since there are so many different designs and sizes, finding one that will complement your home’s motif might be challenging. It is probably a good idea to start your home decor with the oriental rug first then pick the rest of the furnishing to suit the oriental rug.
If you want to know more about oriental rugs, then Peter F. Stone’s book Oriental Rugs: An Illustrated Lexicon of Motifs, Materials, and Origins is a great reference. It contains over 1,000 vivid drawings and pictures of different types, designs, and sizes of oriental rugs. The book gives ample information about rugs being a part of art history and how tribal weavings, particularly oriental rugs, make us more knowledgeable about some traditions that were not given much attention before. Examples of which are the weavings of southwest Persia, Baluchistan and Kurdistan.
This book likewise gives information about oriental rugs that have not been previously written. It provides straightforward and exact definitions for the rug and fabric terms used in each country where it is made. The book also touches on museum-quality rug traditions and the modern ways of manufacturing or producing them as well as on the rich hand-knotting and hand-weaving traditions of the Near East and Central Asia and some examples of Scandinavian and Native American weavings. This brief but comprehensive book is a must-have for beginners, serious collectors, scholars, and dealers. It is easy to read and any rug afficionado can read this to expand their knowledge of textiles.