Introduce Chinoiserie Chic for a harmonious home

Chinese New Year is a great opportunity to show off our fabulous range of Chinese rugs and it’s one of our favourite times of the year.  With one of the biggest selection of Oriental rug designs under one roof, you won’t need to go anywhere else for your floor. 

This Chinese New Year (February 19th) is the year of the sheep, a Yin energy which symbolises peace, harmony and tranquillity and with all of us looking to inject harmony into our homes - what better time to invest in a traditional Chinese rug design.

The West fell in love with  Chinoiserie in the 17th and 18th centuries.  This was a time for exploration, and as a result, a fascination with all things Asian took Europe by storm. From Oriental rugs to wallpaper designs, from lacquerware to furniture, the Chinese imagery of dragons, pagodas, exotic flowers and snakes fascinated Europeans who wanted to introduce this exciting new style into their homes.

 

Put a dragon on the floor

The dragon or serpent is synonymous with Chinese designs but how do you prefer yours - rectangular, circular, half-moon?  Or maybe you want a runner or even an octagonal rug? If one of these shapes doesn’t float your ‘junk’ then we can actually make a rug to your personal specification.  

This is one of our most popular rugs and is also available in a range of colours.  A rug is often a good starting point for introducing Chinoiserie chic into your room.  You can choose from some incredibly bold and colourful designs - but remember with such a statement rug, your other pieces should be more subtle. 

Understated

It’s no wonder that Oriental rugs are one of our best sellers and purchased by customers of all ages to dress a variety      of properties including modern homes as well as traditional    properties.  If you just want a hint of the Orient, these rugs      are unmistakably from the East but are a little more         understated, using blocks of colour with a traditional               Chinese design in the centre or around the border. 

Try introducing other items such as bamboo furniture and occasional pieces of porcelain to demonstrate your Eastern flair.

What will your choice say about you?

Red for example, symbolises luck and happiness, gold means wealth and happiness and blue reflects healing, relaxation and calmness. With rugs like these, the trick is to let the rug do the talking - everything else should be a subtle complement.

The fabulous colours in our traditional Chinese designs are waiting to be discovered.  If you want to opt for the full Chinoiserie experience we have some beautiful rugs for those who are not afraid to make a rug the focal point of their room.  What will your choice say about you?  

Perfect Pinks for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is traditionally associated with the colours pink and red which got us thinking about how we use pink in our interior design schemes.  It's not usually the first colour that springs to mind when planning a new look.  However, it’s actually quite a versatile colour and can be suitable for many tastes.

Girls rule

The most obvious pink colour schemes can be found in girls’ rooms up and down the land and our range of kids’ rugs includes quite a lot of pink - it’s one of those themes that are unlikely to fall out of popularity any time soon.

…and boys can too!

But Barbie and co. don’t get to have all the fun.  Pink can actually be masculine if you use it say with grey or black. You can opt for a traditional design, and we have several that feature pink, or select one of our modern rugs that include pink. These are really popular choices for a home office, a study or a dining room.  The trick is to use the colour sparingly - a rug and perhaps one or two cushions in a similar tone is enough.

Funky Pinks

Pink can also be quite bold and funky and these are ideal for people who really want to make a statement in any room in the house.  If this is more your style, how about some of these perfect pinks?

What's hot for Spring/Summer 2015?

If the fashion industry has ‘the little black dress’ as its eternal, never ageing piece, our little black dress equivalent has to be our traditional rug designs, which remain consistently popular in homes big and small, modern and traditional.

But interior design, just like the catwalk, does have its trends and so we have scoured the news to see what top interior designers are saying is going to be the next big thing for Spring/Summer 2015 in the home.

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, ‘painterly rugs’ are going to be big. Well that’s quite handy as our exclusive Ella Claire range includes a ‘floor paintings’ collection which feature visually fluid bold patterns. They are hand knotted in India and made from 80% wool and 20% silk which means they look and feel fabulous.  These rugs work particularly well in rectangular rooms and will break up your furniture into clearly defined zones. 

Many interior designers say that the colour blue is going to be very popular.  What shade of blue? Well think moody blue and dark blue.  If you choose a blue rug shade, accessorise with white  or even silver to create a sophisticated living room or bedroom.

Kelly Hoppen says that mixing your metals is now acceptable.  She believes mixing warm metals, such as copper and rose gold, with cool ones like silver is bang on trend.  So dressing a room using just bronze or silver looks too staged, now you can mix and match to your hearts content.  As always, even in a modern, industrial themed space, a well selected rug will pull the look together. We think our contemporary shaggy rugs will do the job perfectly!

Finally, we Brits will also continue our passion for merging our outdoor and indoor living space when we can.  Summer houses, log cabins and conservatories continue to be big business and in these spring and summer spaces themes that work well include rustic and natural so  use wooden furniture with slate or stone accessories.  

Or maybe you prefer a Mediterranean vibe – if so use colours that 

are traditionally sunny such as orange and yellow.  

Alternatively, you may prefer blurring the lines between the outside and the inside, in which case opt for accessories that reflect what’s happening in a well-tended garden, like this gorgeous floral rug from our Brink & Campman - Kaleidoscope range.

What do you think is hot for the coming year – we’d love to know.     
                                

Our Winter Sale Offers Great Deals on Persian Rugs

While news reports tell us we are out of recession, the vast majority of us are still watching the pennies.  This means keeping a careful eye on those sale bargain and right now, canny buyers should be browsing our website www.frithrugs.co.uk where our Winter Sale offers an amazing 70% of ALL Persian rugs.

This is no ordinary sale, we are not talking about saving a tenner - we are talking hundreds and in some cases, thousands of pounds.  Now do we have you attention?

Save thousands on this Bidjar carpet

It’s lovely to be able to fill our homes with quality furnishings - a Le Corbusier chair, Waterford crystal, Liberty soft furnishings and of course a Persian rug.  Investing in quality pieces for the home means looking for items that over time, will hold, if not actually increase their value - and of course, there is no doubt that surrounding yourself with beautiful things feels wonderful. Now thanks to our incredible Winter Rug Sale, at least some of those beautiful things are affordable.

Keshan Rug offers great savings

Persian rugs have been an essential part of Middle Eastern culture for centuries and remain popular all over the world.  It’s safe to say they are found in some of the best dressed homes across the globe.  Many offer an exceptionally fine quality and with over 3000 different rugs to choose from at www.frithrugs.co.uk you are sure to find something you love. 

The FrithRugs name is synonymous with traditional rugs which is why we offer the biggest selection in the UK.  The   majority of our Persian rugs are over 25 years old and have been handknotted in areas such as Iran, Turkey and  Afghanistan which means no two rugs are exactly the same.  Already, you are buying a product with a genuine history and of course a rug that is totally unique.

Abadeh design available in the sale

The rugs come in a range of sizes from 2’6 to over 18’ and many are also available as runners.  Featuring bright colours and stunning design and made from 100% wool this home accessory will sit well within both a modern and traditional setting. And, if you think your rug is too good for the floor, they also work as wall hangings. So whether on the floor or the wall they will be the focus of any room.

With over 3000 different rugs to view online alone you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a fine, stylish and truly elegant handknotted Persian rug.  So if you consider yourself a discerning buyer with a taste for the finer things in life - take advantage of our Winter Sale and invest in a Persian rug today.    

Interior design ideas for Chocoholics

It’s Chocolate Week so what better time to take a look at interior design using shades of chocolate - that’s the colour not the sweet of course.

Chocolate is a really versatile colour to use at home and there are several shades on the colour wheel - so whether you prefer dark or milk - it’s a shade that can make any room feel warm, welcoming and cosy.  Just the colour for autumn in fact.

Dark chocolate:

If you are looking for a very dark shade, black could be too much. However, using dark brown will give you the dramatic look you want but in a much more palatable and softer way.  We advise using a really dark shade sparingly and only in rooms that have a lot of natural light or that are quite big.  Remember dark colours will make any room look smaller and so it’s not a colour that you can use everywhere.

 You can of course introduce dark chocolate shades sparingly as accessories.  Dark brown rugs are perfect when you just want a hint of dark.  Team then with a few scatter cushions and some thick brown curtains.

Milk chocolate:

There are lots of lovely light brown shades available including tan, taupe, mocha and café au lait.  You can use light chocolate colours generously as they complement a similar number of neutral shades which makes them ideal for even the smallest rooms.  If you want to go for something bolder than neutral we love pale blue, coral or terracotta with milk chocolate shades.

As well as a mouth-watering choice of plain brown rugs we offer rugs featuring brown patterns and multi designs and if you opt for a heavily designed rug - keep the rest of your décor quite simple so that the rug is the focus of the room.

Open our box of chocolate rugs at www.frithrugs.co.uk and type ‘brown’ in the search box on the top right hand side of the page.

Everyone has a favourite chocolate - what’s yours?

 

www.frithrugs.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afghan or Persian Rugs - The perfect choice for the discerning home

If you are looking for a rug that embodies taste, style and elegance then look no further than our Afghan and Persian rug collections which offer the most comprehensive choice in the UK and so ensuring the FrithRugs brand is synonymous with traditional rugs.

Afghan Art

While some Afghan rugs draw heavily on Persian influences, others have a more Oriental style, but each rug is a work of art in its own right, representing the craftsmanship of the weavers who boast a diverse range of cultures and artistic sensibilities.  For example, Ziegler rugs have been designed with the western market in mind and fit perfectly into almost any home. Their muted colours use vegetable dyes and their simple but striking patterns complement modern neutral colour schemes.

The Kelim offers a flat tapestry and predominantly feature colours of blue, green, yellow, and red in geometric patterns. 

 

 

Meanwhile the Kundoz range have short piles which makes them very hardwearing and their strong red colour  represents some of the best of Afghan weaving today.

 

Perfect Persian

 For the more discerning homebuyer a Persian rug is the rug to have on the floor.  This area has always been renowned for its carpet and rug weaving and is a key part of the culture dating back thousands of years.   In modern Iran the tradition continues today with an estimated 1.2 million weavers still working to produce these much loved carpets.

These products are among the most expensive rugs on the market and this is due to the intricate hand woven designs which can take months to perfect.  Many are of exceptionally fine quality and made up of designs which generally include motifs native to the area the rug was woven.

 

FrithRugs stock 50 different styles of Persian rugs and our experts are happy to guide you through the buying process to ensure you select the rug that is right for you and your home.

Rug care

Although some of these rugs are expensive, look after them well and they could increase in value over time, making them an excellent investment.

In order to get the most from your rug, try to avoid laying it in direct sunlight as this will eventually fade the colour.   We recommend that you rotate your rug so that you even out any wear and when cleaning, use suction only vacuum cleaners (cylinder or pipes from upright) to avoid damage.

So don’t hide your Afghan or Persian rug away in a dark unused room.  Make sure you have it on display for your family and visitors to enjoy.  And remember, if you think your rug is too precious to put on the floor, you can hang it on the wall – they are works of art after all!
 

Celebrate Chinese New Year 2014 with up to 50% off all Chinese rugs!

Gong Hay Fat Choy! or Happy New Year - Chinese New Year of course.  This Chinese New Year falls on January 31 which luckily for you means it also fall within the FrithRugs Sale dates.  You can save up to 50% off all Chinese rugs - and so what better time to invest in one of these timeless classics?

Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and so he named a year after each and said that people born in that animal's year would share some of that animal's traits. 2014 is the year of the horse and those born in horse years are cheerful, perceptive, witty and talented.

As the UK’s largest retailer of Oriental rugs and carpets we can confirm that the great British love affair with Chinoiserie is as strong as ever.  You could say it’s the little black dress of the interior design world!

If you are new to this interior design style you may well be wondering where to begin.  Well a good starting point would be to make a bold Oriental rug as the focal point for the room. You can use any of the colours found in the rug to help you co-ordinate other accessories, but first you have to choose the rug itself.

The Chinese love striking, bold colours like red (which symbolises good fortune and joy), green (for health and harmony) and black (which correspond to water, and is a neutral colour). If you do opt for one of our bolder Chinese dragon rug designs, this will draw all eyes to the floor and so you need to ensure you don’t overdo it elsewhere. Maybe just use a piece of Chinese calligraphy wall art or a beautiful vase and then one or two scatter cushions in red.

Black and white together is used often as they represent yin and yang – the interconnection of opposites. There more subtle designs found on these rugs still have an obvious Chinese influence and can be used to blend and tone the rest of the room.  If you opt for the black and white Chinese rugs, you can be more adventurous elsewhere. We think bamboo works well with this style of rug.  For example, lamps made of wood or bamboo or perhaps a bamboo screen or divider made from rice paper will look fabulous.

For those who like their bling you will love our gold Chinese rugs.  Have a look at these rugs featuring elaborate gold patterns which would not look out of place in an Emperor’s palace. If this is your choice then go easy on the rest of the room’s pieces and stick to a few well selected under-stated items.
The great thing about our Oriental rugs is that we offer an amazing array of rug shapes. Circular Chinese rugs are particularly popular and the octagonal Chinese rugs designs are great for large spaces. If you are have small floor space why not try a half moon shaped rug?  And if you can’t find a rug to fit your room or your style then we also specialise in custom made rugs. 

So whether you want a Zen inspired relaxing space or a daring bold splash of colour – our Chinese rugs can transform your room – and don’t forget you can save up to 50% if you purchase before 2^nd Feb 2014.