In the 14th and 15th centuries, the use of fine wool tapestries – or rugs – as wall hangings was considered the height of sophistication. Used to decorate palaces and castles all over Europe, the trend originated in Arras, a textile town in northern France. Although only a few of the original pieces survived the French Revolution, the word ‘Arras’ is still used to describe a rich wall hanging, no matter where it is woven.
At Topfloor we believe in using rugs to enhance the beauty of a sophisticated interior. In this blog we thought it would be useful to share our thoughts on why you should consider repurposing your favourite rug for use as a beautiful tapestry…
‘Patience’ from the SCRIPT collection
There are no distractions.
No matter how minimal your interior, when placed on the floor, you can often find your rug covered by a piece of furniture. To best showcase our pieces uninterrupted, we always display our rugs in the showroom, at trade shows, and at special events, by hanging them. This way they can be seen better without furniture blocking parts of the design; we don’t have to worry about the rugs getting grubby and they take up much less space. This also enables the viewer to envisage them vertically. This method of displaying your rug translates well to a home environment, adding an element of luxury to any interior and allowing you to show off your favourite rug without distraction.
They will add an extra dimension to your room.
Rugs act as a backdrop to an interior and give depth, texture and colour, whilst adding an extra dimension to your space. When hung, they can even serve as artworks, giving you something unique to decorate your home with and a less expensive option than commissioning a rug for your whole floor space.
‘Oh! Friend’ from the SCRIPT collection
They add warmth.
Rugs as wall hangings add warmth to an environment, as they can be made out of materials such as wool, mohair, pashmina etc. A use of rich colours will add instant personality to the room they adorn, no matter how minimal the surroundings. Rugs as wall hangings can also be used to easily add glamour if made using shiny fibres like silk or bamboo – or even man-made fibres, such as viscose. Equally, like textiles used on the walls in Japan, they can add a tranquil and calm feeling to the room. With so many colours and textures available, they truly are an excellent way to quickly change the atmosphere of an interior, with minimal effort.
Rugs are good for acoustics.
Rugs provide a good acoustic environment, especially in contract use. Think of the restaurants, hotel lobbies, living rooms you’ve had to shout in to be heard even by the person sitting right next to you. Rugs can help!
‘Water’ from the SCRIPT collection
Hanging a rug will extend its lifespan.
Keeping very expensive and fragile rugs away from the floor will prolong their lifespan significantly. Hanging them ensures they stay clean, and frees them of the friction that regular treading causes, keeping them away from unwanted damage. You can see patchy aging in many antique rugs used on the floor because of the traffic they get, the wear and tear showing more in the walked on parts of the piece. You can save your antique rugs, family heirlooms or simply new but expensive rugs from this wear and tear in one simple way – by hanging them.
We hope that these tips have convinced you that rugs make the most beautiful wall-hangings! We are always happy to offer advice and inspiration on finding the right rug to hang in your home. Do visit our showroom at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, or call us on 020 7795 3333 to see our collections and find out more.
