Lend Me A Hand

Have you recently finished construction on a new home or done some remodeling that included the installation of hardwood flooring? If so, it’s probably time you started thinking about adding some rugs.

What’s the point in going through all of that effort, not to mention expense, and then turn right around and cover up your beautiful oak or walnut floor? Besides helping to coordinate the color scheme that you’ve chosen for the individual rooms in your house, certain high traffic areas will benefit from the protection afforded by some sort of floor covering.

Unless your décor is one that calls for an oriental or Turkish carpet, braided area rugs are a very popular choice. They pair well with hardwood flooring and come in patterns, styles and colors to complement any of the variations in types of wood.

In colonial times, our ancestors made these attractive and resilient rugs for the cold floors of their cabins. Passed down as family heirlooms, many of these rugs are still in use, today.

Our grandparents and theirs before them were the original recyclers. Unlike our current throw-away generation, they wasted very little. When clothing or bedding became old and worn, it was cut up and given a second life. Some of it was cut into small squares and pulled out at the next quilting bee while the rest was cut into strips used for braiding into rugs.

As with many other things, machines were invented and mass production replaced making by hand. In the late 1900’s, a wave of nostalgia swept across the country and many of these lost arts were revived. It’s now possible to find someone who does rug braiding by hand. Commissioning one in your choice of style and color is absolutely the next best thing to having one that has been passed down through your family.

Another option is to check out flea markets and second-hand retailers. Not everyone recognizes the value in these old, hand-made rugs. It just might be your lucky day.