History of Carpets

Materials of Decoration

Origin of Knotted Pile Carpet

• The knotted pile carpet probably originated in West Asia in the 3rd or 2nd millennium BC.
• There is evidence of goats and sheep being sheared for wool and hair as far back as the 7th millennium BC.

Classification of Oriental Rugs

• Antique: 100 years or more, made before 1856, and uses natural dyes.
• Semi-Antique or Old: between 50 and 100 years old.
• Utility Value: depends on the durability of the fabric as a floor covering.
• Art Value: depends on the color and design rather than the texture.
• Collectors' Value: depends on the rarity of the art value.

Parts of a Rug (Oriental)

• Warps: parallel strings stretched from loom beam to loom beam, upon which rows of knots are tied.
• Wefts: filling yarns that are woven through the warps, running across the width of the rug.
• Pile: the surface yarn that makes up the face of the rug.
• Knots: tied by looping yarn around pairs of warps and cutting off the standing end.
• Edge Bindings: made by wrapping several warps at the edge of the rug with yarn to reinforce this part.
• End Finishes: hold knots and wefts from working off the rug's warp strings.

Design Parts

• Field: the background of the rug inside the borders.
• Border: composed of decorative designs repeated in one direction around the outside of the rug.
• Main Border: the widest decorative design around the outside of the rug.
• Guard Borders: the narrow decorative designs flanking the main border.
• Medallion: the round, oval, or polygonal design element that sometimes occupies the center of the field.
• Corner Brackets or Spandrels: designs that sometimes fill the corners of the field.

Weaving Methods

• Machine Woven:
  • Axminster
  • Velvet
  • Wilton Loom
  • Chenille
• Hand Woven:
  • Braided
  • Crocheted
  • Embroidered
  • Hand Hooked
  • Hand Tufted

Hand Knotted

• Each knot is individually tied by hand
• The knots are single strands of yarn
• Looped around two adjacent warp threads
• Known as the best kind of rug construction

Persian Knot

• Invented by the Persians
• A short piece of thread is laid across the warps
• The other end passes down between the two warp threads and up outside
• Also called a Sehna/Senneh knot

Turkish Knot

• A symmetrical structure
• A short piece of thread is laid across two warps
• The ends are carried down outside and up between them and pulled tight
• Also sometimes called a Ghiordes knot

Flat Weave

• A rug type that is woven without knots
• It is constructed without a pile
• Colored weft yarns are woven through the warps
• Used to create the pattern

Classification of Oriental Rugs by Pattern Type

• Geometric Rugs: mostly made by tribal and primitive village people
• Floral Rugs: made by educated urban people

Geometric Rugs

• Kazakh: woven with sharp reds, blues, and off-whites
• Bachtiari: bright yellows, greens, and reds predominate
• Boukara: woven rugs are usually in some shade of red

Floral Rugs

• Made by educated urban people
• Intricate flowing patterns indicate a sophisticated lifestyle
• Named after cities that had been capital

Classification of Oriental Rugs by Geographic Origin

• Persian: generally have a delicately colored all-over pattern of flowers, vines, and leaves
• Saraband: entire field covered with a repeating pattern of palm leaves
• Ispahan: coarse pile weaving, intricately done, and stately design on claret ground
• Hamadan: camel's hair rug with a coarse weave in light browns, reds, and blues
• Kerman: fine pile in soft cream, rose, light blue, and other pastel colors

Other Types of Rugs

• Indian: decorated with motifs of flowers, vines, and animals
• Turkomen: mostly woven with contrasting, shrimp-like pile, predominantly red
• Caucasian: similar patterns to Persian, but with smaller patterns and different color schemes
• Turkish: sometimes called Asia Minor weavings and are woven in both geometric and floral designs
• Chinese: recognizable by their soft ground colors of yellow, rose, salmon red, beige, and brown
• Alpujara: colorful hand-woven rugs with tree of life patterns
• Arraiolo: Portuguese hand-embroidered accent rugs
• Aubusson: named for the French town of Aubusson, where it was made
• Braided: hand-made by Americans in the late 18th Century
• Dhurrie: shaggy wool area rugs made in Greece
• Flokati: shaggy wool area rugs made in Morocco
• Needlework: tapestry-stitch embroidery worked with wool yarns on a canvas mesh backing

Glossary of Terms for Carpet

• Abrash: variation of color in a rug
• Acrylic: a manufactured fiber of moderate cost, good durability, and easy-care properties
• Adhesive: a substance that will adhere to a surface and to itself to bind one material to another### Textile Terminology
• Sizing is a coating applied to the back of woven products to enhance stiffness and reduce raveling.
• Soil retardant is a chemical finish applied to fibers of carpet surfaces that inhibits attachment of soil.
• War rug is an Afghanistan rug that originated during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, featuring designs that incorporate war apparatus.

Illumination and Lighting

• Illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve a practical or aesthetic effect.
• It includes the use of both natural and artificial light sources.
• Proper lighting can enhance task performance, improve the appearance of an area, or have positive psychological effects on occupants.

Sources of Light

• Natural light is achieved through windows, skylights, or light shelves, and can save energy by using natural light instead of artificial lighting.
• Artificial light is light from electrical sources, which can be turned on and off at a switch.

Classification of Lighting

• General lighting, also known as background or ambient lighting, provides a uniform level of illumination for a general level of visibility.
• It gives a soft glow that blankets the space, making it safe and easy to navigate.
• Over-illumination can cause tiredness and anxiety, while incorrect application can cause stress.
• Local lighting provides a high level of illumination over a small area, with a surrounding area of lower intensity.
• Task lighting is intended for specific tasks, providing localized light in certain areas where work is typically done.
• Accent lighting reveals color, texture, and form, and is used to create a visual accent.
• Information lighting provides visual information for our safety and comfort.

Methods of Light Distribution

• Indirect lighting directs 90% to 100% of light output towards the ceiling and upper walls.
• Semi-indirect lighting directs 60% to 90% of light upwards, 40% to 10% downwards.
• Direct-indirect lighting provides approximately equal distribution of light upwards and downwards.
• Semi-direct lighting directs 60% to 90% of light downwards, while 40% to 10% is directed upwards.
• Direct lighting directs 90% to 100% of light output downwards.
• General lighting distributes light on all sides.

Lighting Systems

• Cornice lighting is a system where light sources are shielded by a panel parallel to the wall and attached to the ceiling to distribute light downwards over the wall.
• Cove lighting is a system where light sources are shielded by a ledge to distribute light upwards over the ceiling and upper wall.
• Valance lighting is a system where light sources are shielded by a panel parallel to the wall, usually across the top of a window, providing light both upwards and downwards over the wall.