The History & Style of Aubusson Rugs

Online, March 26, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Aubusson carpet has a long established history. It has now become extremely desirable in the UK as people strive for authentic, handmade, traditional decor in their homes.

Aubusson rugs are handwoven in the villages of Aubusson and Felletin, in the departement of Creuse in central France. Usually of considerable size, Aubusson style rugs reflect the court and republican fashions from the Renaissance period up to the modernistic painterly concepts of the 20th century.

The History of Aubusson Design

While the early Aubusson rugs took inspiration from Oriental designs - with some looking rather similar to the Ushak medallion carpet designs that date back to 16th century Ottoman Turkey - the Aubusson rug design soon changed to reflect the tastes of the Renaissance period in Europe, with floral and architectural patterns similar to those in use at the prestigious Savonnerie in Paris.

The History of the Aubusson Workshops

The workshops where Aubusson style rugs are manufactured were established in 1743. Their main customer was primarily the French nobility, to whom the prestigious Savonerie court production was out of reach. However, Aubusson carpets were also produced for the royal residences.

The rugs produced at Aubusson included those created using the pileless tapestry technique that was common in the region at the time. Although the workshop also employed other techniques, the flat-woven style has since become synonymous with Aubusson rugs, UK and worldwide.

For carpet inspiration and ideas, including styles like Aubusson rugs, UK based Simply Rugs website has a great deal of choice: www.simplyrugs.co.uk .