Archive for July 2009

The popularity of damask rugs has been huge in recent years. This has prompted an increasing number of the worlds leading rug manufacturers to produce more and more damask style rugs in the latest fashionable colours. In this article we discuss the history of the damask design as well as the best of the current ranges on sale in the UK.

Damask dates right back to 300 B.C. and was first used in linen and silk artefacts.  Damask was originally a style of weaving rather than a specific pattern. Woven on a jacquard loom a Damask pattern was created by using a weave which was different in the pattern to that of the background. They were also woven to be fully reversible. Traditional damasks were always single colour, usually white on white.

The name ‘damask’ comes from Damascus (Syria), the city from where this style was imported from. The first damasks consisted of mainly animal and floral patterns. The floral or botanical pattern became the most common damask style over the years and is the most well recognised nowadays. This style of damask pattern has become very popular due to its bold neo-classical appearance and is used in a huge diverse range of interior products including curtains, wallpaper, chairs, table linens and rugs.

Recent years have seen a big revival in the popularity of this Damask style. However where as the Damask style of old was always single colour today you will find this style in a variety of fashionable colour combinations to match the interiors of today’s modern households.

Here at Modern Rugs you will currently find a selection of over 40 damask rugs. Sourced by Modern Rugs for their cutting edge contemporary style and superb quality the range is quite diverse with a large range of materials and sizes. Prices start from just £39 on some of our acrylic damask rugs, whilst our premium quality pure wool damasks start from £174 and feature a hand carved effect around the pattern to provide further emphasis on the design. Colour selections include blacks, whites, browns, greys, blues, greens, golds, reds, oranges and pink rugs, making these rugs very versatile for a variety of room settings.

As the popularity of the damask design seems to keep growing we’re sure that we’ll see these designs evolve further as manufacturers and designs look for new and exciting ways to keep this style fresh and up to date. We are sure that in the coming months we will continue to add more rugs of this type to our ranges.

This entry was posted on July 24, 2009 at 3:14 PM and has received 317 views. There are currently 0 comments.

We are so thrilled with the brand new designs in our acrylic rug ranges we wanted to give our customers an exclusive sneak peak of them. These new designs will be added to our existing Harlequin and Laya collections, along with the launch of a new range called Eden.

Back in January we posted an article on our blog discussing the first 16 new designs from the Harlequin rugs range. We also promised that there would be many more fresh new designs due to arrive in August.

Well true to our word 37 new Harlequin designs are on their way. The new designs are illustrated below and I’m sure you’ll agree that they are nothing short of spectacular. These very creative designs are brought to life using the latest fashionable colour combinations. A big selection of sizes will be on offer with some designs available in sizes up to 200 x 300cm and hall runners. We can’t wait to see them for real “in the flesh”!

The current range of Harlequin rugs from 2008 is gradually being phased out by the manufacturers to make way for the new 2009 designs. However we’ve stocked up on many of the most popular designs including the HA06-04 Cocoa Whirl, HA04-12 Terracotta Parquet, HA06-15 Chocolate Stripe, HA06-28 Coffee Fields, HA06-38 Berry Bloom and the HA06-34 Black Orchid. Because these designs have been so popular the existing stock will likely go fast, so get them while you can!

The current Laya range is also being phased out and replaced with fresh designs. Again the latest interior fashions have been considered when designing and colouring these rugs. Our personal favourite is the LA10-003 although we’re sure all the designs will be very popular. There will be a range of sizes with some designs going all the way up to 200 x 300cm. The acrylic pile will also feature faux suede inserts which have become a trademark of the Laya range.

Eden is a brand new range, featuring 3 designs in a variety of colourways (shown below). As the name suggests the design of these rugs are inspired by natural plants and flowers to create a beautiful contemporary look.

A great deal of time and effort has been spent in the development of all these new designs; the Harlequin range especially, as it is one of the biggest selling acrylic ranges in the UK so it was very important to get the new designs right. Extensive feedback was obtained from retailers and interior designers, whilst the rugs were also displayed at major national and international design exhibitions to gauge people’s reactions before finalising the designs that were to go into production.

All designs have now been finalised and manufacturing is currently underway. Stock is due to arrive here with us in late August and as always we will be quick to add them to our website (with detailed product videos) making them available for customers to purchase from our online rug shop. August / September is the beginning our busy period which runs all the way up to January / February. So these new contemporary rugs will be arriving at just the right time as many customers look to freshen up their floors with a new rug for the Autumn & Winter.

Although import prices have been rising in recent months we will be committed to keeping the price of these new rugs fixed at the same price as the current Harlequin and Laya ranges, whilst the Eden range will be even cheaper, meaning all of these rugs are still excellent value too.

This entry was posted on July 4, 2009 at 3:58 PM and has received 264 views. There are currently 0 comments.