Karastan Rugs: A Touch of Eden
Karastan Rugs: A Touch of Eden
TeaWash. Is it a holistic skin remedy? No. AntiqueWash. Is it an interior decorator’s wall treatment? No. LustreWash. Is it a hair conditioner? No.
TeaWash, AntiqueWash, and LustreWash are all patented carpet finishing processes belonging to the makers of Karastan rugs. And they are among the innovative processes which have, from their first appearance, set Karastan rugs apart in the world of carpeting.
The first Karastan rug rolled off, on April 8, 1928, a loom especially designed for Marshall Field & Company, owner of the venerable Chicago department store, in a North Carolina town with the unlikely name of Leaksville. Marshall Field had seen the wisdom--read business sense--of being able to produce high quality reproductions of Oriental rugs in commercially profitable numbers, and had spent significant resources in developing a power loom which could do so.
The Karastan Axminster loom, a refinement on the hand-operated Axminster loom designed in 1876, was the first power loom capable of producing Karastan rugs in which the woven fibers were visible through the cotton backing, giving them the appearance, and “feel”, of hand-tufted Persian and Oriental rugs.
The rug production process, in fact, was such a departure from established techniques that early Karastan rugs were labeled, by the interior designers of the day, “Mystery Rugs”, and Marshall Field, never one to let a PR opportunity slip away, took advantage of the buzz by having a large rug woven in Karastan Kirman pattern #791 and offered, not as a display item, but as an actual floor covering at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair Karastan rugs exhibit.
By the Fair’s end, the Karastan rug had been trod upon by an estimated five million pairs of feet, and disfigured with an inestimable number of spills and stains. Was it destined for the trash heap? Not on your life! Half of it was cleaned, and the other half left untouched; it remains, to this day, on display as a testament to the amazing durability of Karastan rugs.
Containing New Zealand wool, known for its exceptional whiteness, Karastan rugs have fibers which are neither too small to be inhaled by asthma sufferers, nor suitable habitats for dust mites and other allergen producers. Wool has also been shown to absorb air pollutants more effectively than synthetic carpet fibers.
Karastan rugs receive their unique colors and patinas from various finishing processes. Karastan TeaWash, introduced in 1997, adds a warm yellowish cast, and aged appearance, to the rug’s colors. It will also mimic the “abrash”-—the faint horizontal color changes--of rugs colored with vegetable dyes, which occur because vegetable-dyed yarns seldom result in exact color matches.
Karastan AntiqueWash uses chemicals to tone down the brightness of a rug’s colors, again giving them a muted and aged look.
Finally, Karastan rugs have, from their introduction, received a “LustreWash,” both to harmonize their colors, and to give them the amazing softness which is normally associated only with much older hand–woven rugs.
Leaksville, North Carolina, by the way, consolidated, in 1967, with two other towns, forming the city of Eden--a name which fits much better with the touch of middle-Eastern opulence and luxury which fine Karastan rugs add to any décor!
Author: Matt Garrett - © 2007 1stRugs.Com - Got the rug blues? Get "Rugucated" Today! 21 top tips for rug care to make sure your favorite rug remains your pride and joy for years to come.
TeaWash. Is it a holistic skin remedy? No. AntiqueWash. Is it an interior decorator’s wall treatment? No. LustreWash. Is it a hair conditioner? No.
TeaWash, AntiqueWash, and LustreWash are all patented carpet finishing processes belonging to the makers of Karastan rugs. And they are among the innovative processes which have, from their first appearance, set Karastan rugs apart in the world of carpeting.
The first Karastan rug rolled off, on April 8, 1928, a loom especially designed for Marshall Field & Company, owner of the venerable Chicago department store, in a North Carolina town with the unlikely name of Leaksville. Marshall Field had seen the wisdom--read business sense--of being able to produce high quality reproductions of Oriental rugs in commercially profitable numbers, and had spent significant resources in developing a power loom which could do so.
The Karastan Axminster loom, a refinement on the hand-operated Axminster loom designed in 1876, was the first power loom capable of producing Karastan rugs in which the woven fibers were visible through the cotton backing, giving them the appearance, and “feel”, of hand-tufted Persian and Oriental rugs.
The rug production process, in fact, was such a departure from established techniques that early Karastan rugs were labeled, by the interior designers of the day, “Mystery Rugs”, and Marshall Field, never one to let a PR opportunity slip away, took advantage of the buzz by having a large rug woven in Karastan Kirman pattern #791 and offered, not as a display item, but as an actual floor covering at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair Karastan rugs exhibit.
By the Fair’s end, the Karastan rug had been trod upon by an estimated five million pairs of feet, and disfigured with an inestimable number of spills and stains. Was it destined for the trash heap? Not on your life! Half of it was cleaned, and the other half left untouched; it remains, to this day, on display as a testament to the amazing durability of Karastan rugs.
Containing New Zealand wool, known for its exceptional whiteness, Karastan rugs have fibers which are neither too small to be inhaled by asthma sufferers, nor suitable habitats for dust mites and other allergen producers. Wool has also been shown to absorb air pollutants more effectively than synthetic carpet fibers.
Karastan rugs receive their unique colors and patinas from various finishing processes. Karastan TeaWash, introduced in 1997, adds a warm yellowish cast, and aged appearance, to the rug’s colors. It will also mimic the “abrash”-—the faint horizontal color changes--of rugs colored with vegetable dyes, which occur because vegetable-dyed yarns seldom result in exact color matches.
Karastan AntiqueWash uses chemicals to tone down the brightness of a rug’s colors, again giving them a muted and aged look.
Finally, Karastan rugs have, from their introduction, received a “LustreWash,” both to harmonize their colors, and to give them the amazing softness which is normally associated only with much older hand–woven rugs.
Leaksville, North Carolina, by the way, consolidated, in 1967, with two other towns, forming the city of Eden--a name which fits much better with the touch of middle-Eastern opulence and luxury which fine Karastan rugs add to any décor!
Author: Matt Garrett - © 2007 1stRugs.Com - Got the rug blues? Get "Rugucated" Today! 21 top tips for rug care to make sure your favorite rug remains your pride and joy for years to come.
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