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Coir Uses: Rugs and Home Design

Coir rugs are not as commonly sold or talked about as other rug varieties, such as oriental rugs, but they can be a great decorative addition to any home or apartment. Rugs are both functional and decorative accessories in homes, and therefore are extremely popular. Rugs can help prevent excessive wear on carpet or the scratching of hardwood floors, give homes greater warmth and comfort, and add a decorative flair to a room. Some rugs are small and barely noticeable, while others are larger and tend to attract the attention of people as they enter the room. Rugs are made in all kinds of materials with a diverse variety of patterns and colors, and coir rugs are one of the simpler, yet still beautiful, options.

Description of Coir Rugs

Although many people may have seen coir rugs in stores or in friends’ homes, few may actually know them by name. Coir rugs are made from coir, which is a natural material made in India. To make coir rugs, coconut husks are spun into a fiber that has a very distinct, coarse, natural-looking texture. Texture can be an important element in home design, making coir rugs ideal for those interested in incorporating varied textures in their home décor. Because of the natural quality of the fibers, coir rugs are hand-woven. Although the natural color is a medium-toned brown shade, the coir can be bleached and lightened or dyed other colors to match the decorative color schemes of particular homes. However, if coir rugs are dyed, there is the possibility that the rug color will fade over time if exposed to much sunlight.

Coir rugs, because of their coarse texture, have an extremely high resistance to wear, retaining their appearance over time with little degradation. However, the same coarseness that protects the rug can also cause damage to the underlying surface, so coir rugs should always be placed on top of a mat of some kind. This under-protection is especially important when coir rugs are placed on hardwood floors to avoid scratching the floors.

Coir rugs can be a welcome addition to any decorative design because, when in their natural state, they are neutrally colored and simple. However, the inherent simplicity of their primary material does not mean that the rugs are mundane and ordinary by any means. Each coir rug has a distinct weaving pattern that can easily be noticed upon closer inspection. Some popular weaving patters are the boucle weave, the herringbone weave, and the panama weave. These rugs can be purchased in stores specializing in rugs sales or on the web.

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