Striped Rugs

No type of contemporary rug design holds quite the same mass appeal of striped rugs. They have a clean, simple aesthetic yet are enriched with a sense of fun that can really lift a room. There are numerous different styles of striped rug on the market, as this basic design lends itself to a very wide range of rug constructions; from inexpensive machine made rugs, to hand woven kelims and luxurious hand knotted rugs.

Striped rugs can vary greatly in design too, with thinner stripes giving a more subtle, textural feel, and wider stripes making more of a statement. Striped rugs have been popular choices for interiors for hundreds of years. Find out more about more about what makes them so special.

Traditional Striped Rugs – The Kelim

A kelim, or flatweave, is a type of rug that is woven with only warp and weft threads and no pile. This style of rug dates back to ancient times, and was used by tribal and nomadic people all over the world due to its light flexible nature and ease of construction. Designs often feature sharp geometrical shapes or stripes.
One of the oldest kelims was found by explorer Mark Aurel Stein in China and is said to date back to the fourth or fifth century. This features stripes in its design, as described below:
‘The weave is almost identical with that of modern kelims and has about fourteen threads of warp and sixteen threads of weft to the inch. The pattern consists of narrow stripes of blue, green, brownish yellow, and red, maintaining very small geometric designs. With this one exception, so peculiarly preserved, there are probably very few over a century old.’
Striped kelims are still popular today, are a great cost-effective alternative to rugs. They bring character and texture to a room and are available in a wide verity of colors. 

Amore Kelim – Multi-coloured Striped Rugs

The rectangular block design of this rug, with its multiple staggered columns of stripes, is typical of traditional kelims. This rug is created with vegetable dyes forming a beautiful colour pallet of earthy browns, pomegranate pinks and teal blues. It features abrash in each colour section, which is a slight variation in colour created from twisting together different shades of undyed wool before being put into the dye vat.

Gum Gum Kelims – Striped Rugs with Graduation:

This is again, a traditional Persian style of kelim. Here the design is a little more organic, with smooth blended tones. This natural finish gives a casual coastal look. This design is created in Afghanistan, which has a rich history in producing this type of rug, from high quality Gazni wool.

Kandy Kelim – Striped Rugs with Playful Design:

This is a more modern interpretation of the traditional kelim, with large-scale geometric patterns and bright playful colors. Our Kandy Kelims are great for contemporary family homes as they are very inexpensive and easy to clean. They are created from new Zealand Wool, known for its bright white colocolorur, for a beautifully crisp finish.

Geometric Rugs in Art Deco

Geometric patterned rugs were the height of glamour during the 1920’s, also known as ‘The Jazz Age’ or ‘Roaring Twenties’. This period was characterised with optimism and excess, a clear reaction to the end of World War I. This was clearly reflected in the interiors of the time, with lavish interiors favoured by the wealthy. Metallic finishes were generously used, showcased by a backdrop of white marble and black veneer. Geometric and stylized shell shapes were greatly favoured, as can be seen by the famous Art Deco ‘Crystler’ building in New York.
Art Deco has recently made a major comeback thanks to the release of Baz Luhrmann’s visual feast ‘The Great Gatsby’. The showcasing of a flashy 20’s world has piggybacked on the ever-rising love of all things vintage. In addition, the simplicity of the ‘Mid Century Style’ that was hugely popular in 2016/17 is widely falling out of favour, with maximization and luxury materials being used to make our homes our palaces.

Lines, stripes and geometry are such an integral part of our design consciousness they easily infiltrate different aspects of art. They translate amazingly well as rugs, and as a result they’ve ended up covering the floors of homes across the world.
Furthermore, their sharp design lends itself to mixing with other patterns, particularly more organic forms such as florals and damasks. They also pair well with minimalist aesthetics, with earthy tones giving a hint of tribal style, and cleaner colours such as grey blue and monochrome producing a Scandinavian style statement.
It’s clear therefore, that a striped rug is a great choice for many interiors. It’s a great style that will never date, and is sure to bring you joy.