Magic Carpets

Carpets bring warmth, comfort and luxury to a home. They also absorb sound, taking that empty ‘echo’ away or quietening the noise of movement across the floor. Carpets can also protect floors in areas of heavy traffic as well as visually enhance and define focal points such as seating areas. They can define areas in other ways too:

When I was still at school I went, with others in my group, to St James Palace in London to receive my Gold Award, as part of the Duke of Edinburgh's Scheme. I was wearing a rich rose red velvet suit and as I entered the palace through the front doors my first impression was of the carpet. It was exactly the same colour as my suit and we all joked that I was almost invisible! The carpet was fitted, and covered a large area. What struck me the most however was that, as we gradually progressed onwards, up the stairs and eventually into the throne room, the carpet (which still looked the same) progressively became deeper and softer, soaking up even more sound as it did so. I remember the carpet more than any other part of my visit (except of course for meeting the Duke of Edinburgh!).  I was clearly  struck that a carpet could speak to me through my feet, silently telling me where I was. I could have been deaf or blind but would still have felt and understood the significance of the deepening pile.

Carpets can also be great works of art and hold immense value. Hanging works of art on the wall where they can be viewed in relative safety is one thing but to be able to put exquisite works of art on the floor to be walked upon is another thing altogether and something most of us wouldn’t even think about, let alone be able to afford.

I am sure there are many fascinating books about the history of carpets, their traditional designs (which range from geometric to elaborate paradise gardens), their wonderful and varied colours, materials and the expertise required to create them. The earliest 'carpets' were probably animal skins. Carpets themselves have certainly been around for a long time, indeed Cleopatra herself is said to have hidden in a rolled up one in order to secretly enter Julius Caesar’s room. I think we can safely assume that this was no ordinary carpet either.

I am no expert on carpets but I do know that they are an important part of interior design. They can make or break a room. For those wanting to achieve a traditional (country house) look it is not enough to have a fitted carpet, in fact fitted carpets on their own can destroy an otherwise successful design. Plain beige or cream fitted carpets can make a suitable base on which to place a colourful antique rug. Alternatively a rug can be placed over tiles or a polished wooden floor. If your floorboards are not up to scratch and you have a very limited budget it is not a bad idea to paint the boards and place a colourful rug on top. If you have a particularly large room use several rugs to define different areas.

Rugs can often be identified as being made in a particular country – French Aubusson (although many copies are made in china), Chinese rugs, Tibetan, Turkish, Indian, Afghan Persian and so many more. The designs, colours, weaves and piles are just as varied. The great advantage of rugs is that they are so versatile. In hot countries they can be taken up during the summer months in favour of cool tiled floors. They can also be moved around the house to change colour schemes and you can take them with you when you move! Many years ago we lived in a 15^th century manor house and managed to buy a large second hand rug from an antique shop for the fairly large drawing room. When we moved to a Victorian town house ten years later the rug was far too large for any of the rooms. I couldn’t bear to cut it to fit, so folded it in half for our bedroom. About fifteen years later we moved to a larger Edwardian house and the rug was the perfect size again for the drawing room!

The lovely thing about rugs it that whether you prefer a contemporary or traditional design scheme, you can have plain neutral walls and the rug can bring all the colour and pattern you desire into the room.  It is so easy to change the room’s colour scheme merely by changing the rug, no re-painting required!


A selection of colourful rugs from around my house, ranging from antique, distressed (to look antique), vintage and new 

It is possible but not necessary to pay a fortune for a rug, it depends upon your priorities and budget. Of course it is lovely to be able to buy an antique beauty if you are looking for something more traditional but if that is beyond your budget, there are plenty of beautiful, well made, affordable rugs out there.  It's probably worth adding that there are a lot of modern fakes around too, rugs distressed to look old, but so long as you are not fooled and find the size, design and colour you are looking for, they are very affordable and can help you achieve the look you want. If you can invest in a really special rug, it's worth it. These rugs are so well made they can easily last 100 years or more and are heirlooms of the future! Providing you look after them, they are like oil paintings, will increase in value and bring you lots of pleasure in the meantime. 

A very pretty silk rug decorated with a central water filled urn and 'tree of life' motif surrounded with birds and flowers of many colours in a paradise garden.