Chinese Rugs

Cheeky monkey – Happy Chinese New Year

Monday February 8^th marks the beginning of Chinese New Year – this year it’s the year of the Monkey.

If you are born in the Year of the Monkey, you will be quick witted, curious and mischievous (like a cheeky monkey).  Other characteristics include intelligence, versatility and honesty, but on the negative side, monkeys could have a bit of a temper and be selfish.  Famous cheeky monkeys include Charles Dickens, Julius Caesar and Leonardo de Vinci.

Colours associated with this year include gold and blue and as the UK’s largest retailer of Oriental rugs and carpets you can be assured that you will find a rug to suit your home.

In Chinese culture blue is associated with healing exploration and immorality.  In the home, blue is chosen for its relaxing and calming properties and we think the subtle blue found in this rug (top) is perfect for a bedroom.  The luxurious cream background, blends beautifully with the detailed blue patterns.  

And for something complete different – how about this red and gold rug for a bit of bling?  The Chinese associate gold with God, consciousness, completeness and not surprisingly with wealth.  This rug would suit a large room with traditional features and should be the focal point of the space.  Red accessories will work well

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Whatever Chinese design you choose, you can be assured your Chinese rug will look stunning and bring an air of elegance to any room.   And here at FrithRugs most of our Chinese designs are available in range of shapes and sizes.

It’s no wonder that Chinese home interior design remains such a great British classic.  The designs offer a real versatility which makes them perfect for both modern and traditional properties.    

                                                

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Choosing rugs to complement your walls

Wallcoverings have come a long way since our grandparent’s time when woodchip and Artex were commonly found in homes up and down the land.  More and more customers are choosing their rug design to complement their wallcovering and so we’ve decided to look at some of the most unique offerings currently on the market.

Exposed brick looks great, but the real thing involves lot of work which which is why faux exposed brick walls were developed by wallcovering manufacturers.  A few years ago you could spot a paper brick wall a mile off – now, you really do have to touch it to see if its real or not.  Ideal for those who like the loft living look and a traditional Persian or Afghan rug would look great.

Love the feel of leather?  Well now you can have it on your walls.  Although this is quite a masculine look – it is not harsh and will give any room a unique, cosy feel.  Our Canyon rug designs offer an innovative collection of luxury hand-made rugs featuring a soft, dense and luminescent viscose pile, with deep canyons of suede leather.  Just gorgeous.

Now we have all heard of laminate and wood on the floor – but on walls?  Yes, you can now buy laminate or wood for the wall and it is really effective, particularly if you like the Scandinavian look. Rugs that would work well here would be a shaggy or something from our Aubusson collection.

Decorating with colour

Despite the wealth of information available to us online, on TV and in books and magazines – it’s amazing how many people still don’t have confidence when it comes to choosing a colour scheme.

A common question is how to decorate a large open space area.  You could unify the space with one colour, or different shades of the same colour.  For example, a lovely blue duck egg in one zone could lead into a darker blue in a different one.  You can also use rugs to accentuate the different zones.   This will keep the open plan feel but will demonstrate new areas within the room.

Another common misconception is that ceilings should always be white – or derivatives of white – but believe it or not that’s not the law!  There is one general piece of advice on this though, if your room is on the small side a non white ceiling will only make it feel smaller so make sure you only venture away from white in large rooms with lots of natural light.  If you feel bold, swap your ceiling for a rich colour and make your walls white – it can really make a statement and to reflect the shade on the ceiling – choose a rug in the same shade - the perfect complement for high and low.

Grey is a really fashionable colour but people can be scared of using it because they think their room could look dull.   But grey is the perfect neutral and can be quite warm and cosy.    There are numerous shades of grey to chose from, pale blue greys can look really sophisticated while darker tones will give your room a grown up feel.  Here are some of our favourite greys.