Design Tips: Tufted Wool
Our Tufted Wool collection is gorgeous, and so much softer under foot than sisal or seagrass! Each weave is available in a range of standard sizes, or you can specify a custom size—or install wall-to-wall. Click or scroll down for some guidelines about the best places to use wool floor coverings, plus tips on selecting a weave and size.
Placement
Our tufted wool rugs should be used indoors, in dry areas only. We do not recommend placing any natural fiber floor covering where it will be exposed to moisture or the elements, or where there's a high risk of spills—so no porches, basements, kitchens or bathrooms. (For those areas, we recommend using one of our synthetic sisal weaves.)
In terms of overall durability and performance, wool offers a high level of strength and resilience—it's prized for its ability to maintain that “new carpet" look longer. It's inherently water repellant, making spills easier to clean up than on sisal. It also absorbs sound and helps to purify air quality by absorbing common contaminants and not re-emitting them into the environment—so it's a great choice for a kids' or family room.
(Read more about the benefits of wool here.)
Note about edge finish: Our tufted wool area rugs are machine-finished with a “serged to blend" overcast stitch, using a yarn that closely matches the yarn of the rug. A narrow fabric binding applied beneath the stitching adds strength and helps to keep yarns in place. We like the way a serged edge blends with the rest of the rug, but because the looped threads can be pulled by heels (and pets' paws), we don't recommend placing your rug in areas with heavy foot traffic, human or animal.
Rug Size
All of our tufted wool rugs can be custom made to your specifications (refer to our Custom Options page for more information). So how big should your rug be? It depends on the look you're after. If you want the look of wall-to-wall carpet without having to install it, measure carefully and choose a size that allows minimal space between the edge of the rug and your wall or baseboard. Careful measuring in this case is very important, because walls and floors can be slightly uneven, and natural fibers tend to fluctuate a bit with changes in humidity. When in doubt, you're better off going a little too short than too long.
Most people like to have a little bit of floor showing around their area rug. If you have beautifully finished wood floors, you don't want to hide them completely, do you? There's no standard recommended measurement, but a lot of designers swear by 2-3 feet—some people prefer less, some more, but that's a good place to start.
We've found that it often helps to use string or tape to outline the "border" of where the rug will be—it gives you a good idea of what that size rug will look like in the room, and you can play around with furniture placement and make adjustments when necessary. It takes a lot of the guesswork out.
Here are some more tips from the pros:
- If possible, buy the rug first and make it your focal point, then dress the area with furniture.
- If space permits, the furniture should sit on the outskirts of the rug, not on top of it.
- Rotate area rugs periodically to minimize the wear and tear to any one part.
- If furniture lies on the rug, try to occasionally move everything one or two inches in order to keep it from permanently crushing the carpet fibers and leaving depressions in the rug.
Wall-to-Wall Installation
Our tufted wool is available for installation as well. If you decide you want wall-to-wall wool, we suggest that you find a reputable installer and have him or her measure your space to determine exactly what quantity to order.
Important: If you order loose broadloom for wall-to-wall installation, be sure to inspect and measure the material before you (or your installer) cuts or alters it in any way. Once the material has been cut or installed, we cannot accept returns, claims or consider allowances.
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