Vintage rugs 101
Why choose a vintage rug?
With the current, aggressive push of plastic and washable rugs, you may be asking yourself, why vintage?
Vintage rugs, as in, rugs over ten years old have the appeal of patina and durability. Consider that the rug you’re looking at, is at least ten years old and has already proven its durability. To say that vintage rugs are not durable, is simply another push by big companies to make their plastic rugs more appealing. The rugs we carry, are anywhere from 10-50 years old. They have lasted, not because they were placed behind glass and never used, but because they were made by women who needed durable items for their families. These families didn’t have the luxury of throwing away items and buying new.
Companies that peddle plastic, “recycled” rugs are using the guise of upcycling to trick the consumer into thinking they’re taking plastic of out the environment. Instead, consumers invariably add that plastic right back, considering that printed rugs do not last more than a few years. Only to be thrown out and replaced with another printed rug. Most plastic rugs use ingredients like polypropylene and tires to construct their rugs; both materials that give off toxins and withhold environmental smells.
We have seen a rise in a preference for one of a kind look; not a look that can be bought at the local IKEA. People want their rugs to look ‘lived on’ and unique.
Most of our rugs come from Turkey and from here you find the very best of vintage rugs and overdyed crafts, created using authentic - traditional hand knotted Turkish vintage and antique rugs. Perhaps this love for vintage represents the local cultures preference for re-using materials.
What Are The Benefits Of Vintage Rugs
By choosing a vintage, or an overdyed vintage rug, you’re contributing to a sustainable practice of reusing and recycling old textiles. Over-dyeing is usually carried out on rugs that have a faded look and that highlights it’s natural patina.
The recycling helps to preserve these traditional items for future generations, acknowledging the skill and care taken to create them in the first place. It is possible to discover a quality handcrafted rug for a fraction of the price of other mass produced printed rugs.
Buying vintage rugs will save you money in the long run. Though you may initially pay more upfront, vintage rugs are known to last several decades; outliving their synthetic counterparts by at least 20 years.
