Glossary of Rug Terms

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When it comes to getting comfortable, there’s no place like home. It doesn’t matter if your space is big or small, creating beautiful rooms to relax and unwind starts from the ground up. Whether hand-loomed, hemp, pure wool or printed, you’ll find what you’re looking for with our glossary of rug terms.

CHENILLE

Usually made from cotton, polyester and viscose, the thick pile of chenille makes it look luxurious and gives it a silky sheen that’s soft to touch. Durable and versatile, it’s crafted by sewing rows of surface yarns in a fur form (which looks like a caterpillar) through strong, plain-woven cotton backing. ‘Chenille’ is the French word for ‘caterpillar’.

COTTON

A soft, fluffy fibre that grows on a plant and is a staple textile in upholstery, cotton is primarily composed of cellulose, an insoluble organic compound. Cotton is spun into yarn that can be woven to create fabric that is soft and durable.

HAND-BLOCKED

This is when skilled artisans hand-carve designs into wood blocks that are then stamped individually onto a rug. Individual elements are lined up manually and decorated using handmade wooden stamps. The process is repeated again and again to create many small complex designs that look like a single large one.

HAND-LOOMED

Hand-loomed rugs are woven using centuries’ old techniques and manual hand looms. Highly experienced weavers manually apply their skills to a traditional loom to create a variety of weaves, from flat weave and loop weave to cut-pile weave.

HAND-STITCHED

No machines are used in the creation of hand-stitched rugs, they’re sewn together entirely by hand. Crafted from hand-coiled and hand-twisted jute that is meticulously hand sewn, the resulting patterns are dazzlingly intricate and lovely.

HAND-TUFTED

These rugs are crafted with the help of hand-held tufting tools. They can be made from almost any yarn or combination of yarns and the artist’s unique skill and eye ensure each piece is different and ‘perfectly imperfect’.

HAND-WOVEN

As the name suggests, these rugs are woven entirely by hand. A skilled artist touches every single thread, manually creating intricate patterns and designs. Since hand-woven rugs contain no pile and no knot, they are fully reversible.

HEMP

The fibre for hemp fabric is derived from the stalks of the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp fabric is a sustainable textile as it comes from very high-yielding crops that are naturally pest-resistant and pesticide-free. Hemp was traditionally used for rope and sails as it’s incredibly durable at eight times the strength of other natural fibres.

JUTE

One of the most eco-friendly materials for fabrics in the world, jute is a vegetable fibre that grows prolifically in the tropics. It thrives on rainwater, requires little fertiliser and no pesticides. It’s easy to produce, tough and biodegradable, which makes it perfect for rugs and outdoor cushions.

LOOP PILE

Crafted from uncut yarn that is woven into the loom in a consistent thread, loop pile differs from cut pile and has a lot of great benefits. It’s stronger, more wear-resistant and better able to bounce back from foot traffic, making it a great option for busy homes.

POLYESTER

A completely manmade synthetic fibre, polyester is very versatile. It can be made from melting down polyester pellets or recycling plastic bottles, which is a great for the environment. Polyester is incredibly durable, fast-drying, stain-resistant and wrinkle-resistant. In rugs, it’s sometimes blended with natural fibres.

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PRINTED

Using digital technology and ink, any colour or pattern can be created on a printed rug. Generally applied to low-pile, soft woven rugs, the printing method is gaining incredible popularity as it can be used to produce very bright colours and it’s more affordable than handmade rugs. (Also known as ‘block print’ and ‘digital print’.)

RUNNER

A runner is a long, narrow rug used on hard floors in thoroughfares, such as hallways, stairways and entryways. They are also used in high-traffic carpeted areas to prevent wear and soiling on the fixed carpet.

SHAG

A shag is a rug with a deep and plush pile. Shag comes from an Old English word, ‘sceacga’, or ‘skegg’ in Old Norse, which means beard. Our shag rugs are made from a polyester and cotton blend with a sumptuous pile to sink your toes into.

VISCOSE

A type of rayon fibre that is made from cellulose, the wood pulp of trees, viscose is not completely natural and not completely synthetic either. Soft like cotton, silky and completely non-flammable, viscose is often blended with other fabrics and dyed, as it lends itself well to bright colours.

WOOL

Wool is a natural fibre used for textile that is shorn from sheep. It’s pure, soft, strong, lightweight, water-repellent and fire resistant. The fibres have a crimp that gives wool the elasticity that makes rugs spring back into shape, year after year. The wool fibres are coated in a natural oil called lanolin, which makes it cool in summer and warm in winter.