The last article was devoted to clarifying the terms pile and pattern. Now it’s time to move onto some new terms.

Style

Another term that you will come across quite regularly when looking for rugs online is style. Style is more of an overview than pattern which refers to the shapes visible on the surface of rugs. Some styles include modern rugs, traditional rugs and natural rugs. Style essentially refers to the overall effect produced by a rug which makes it easier to determine whether it will fit into a contemporary, rustic, traditional or minimalist space.

Synthetic

All rugs obviously involve human activity in order to produce them. Synthetic does not refer to the way a rug is made. Instead it refers to the materials that are used to make the rug. A lot of rugs are made from natural materials like wool, sisal, bamboo, chenille, jute, pelts and hides. However, other rugs are made from man-made materials, often because these are very easy to maintain. It’s up to you whether you choose a natural or a synthetic material but read the product descriptions to see how the materials used affect the care instructions of each rug.