32 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
RUGS OF THE HEATHEN CHINEE — AND OTHERS 
A Glance at The NewRugs Being Offered For Fall 
F u r n i s h i n g—A merican Makes From Oriental Designs 
ELIZABETH LOUNSBERY 
open- 
Courtesy of B. Altman & Co. 
A domestic “Saxony ” reproducing a rare Chinese rug of an early period. This 
is made with a tan, dark blue, grey blue, rose or grey field with figures in 
harmonious contrast 
ITH the 
ing of the town 
house and the renova¬ 
tion of the apartment, 
the matter of rugs be¬ 
comes a most impor¬ 
tant factor. Floors 
that have been left 
bare or partially cov¬ 
ered with grass or reed 
rugs, during the sum¬ 
mer , must now be 
cleaned and polished, 
and, with the change 
of seasons, call for cov¬ 
erings warmer in tone 
as well as quality. 
In the grand rehabil¬ 
itation one finds, too, 
that worn and faded 
rugs must be replaced 
by new, and, when a 
house or apartment 
is to be furnished 
throughout, rugs sup¬ 
plied for each room. 
This might mean a 
very considerable ex¬ 
pense, if only the 
antique or even the modern Oriental rugs 
were bought. How to do this, then, effect¬ 
ively and without extravagant outlay would 
become a problem indeed, if it were not for 
the many varieties of American-made rugs 
now obtainable in the shops. 
Ancient and Modern Orientals 
Many of these comprise novelties in 
weave and texture; others are creditable 
copies of old Chinese and Persian designs 
worked out consistently in color and de¬ 
sign. The product of a modern loom, 
needless to say, will not have the tonal 
quality of an old rug—such as an antique 
Persian, for example, that has derived its 
mellow coloring not only from the char¬ 
acter of its vegetable dyes but from the 
fact that it has been trod upon by number¬ 
less bare feet on the earthen floor of the 
Persian house whence it was taken; the 
dust thus created, through years of wear, 
has produced a softness of coloring not to 
be duplicated in a modern weave. No ma¬ 
chine-made rug can assume the character 
of even a modern hand-woven Oriental 
product, but where one is obliged to con¬ 
sider the matter of cost, some very desir¬ 
able and really beautiful domestic rugs can 
be found that will harmonize with any 
period or scheme of decoration. 
Before taking up the matter of domestic 
rugs, a word should be said about the mod¬ 
ern Persian and Chinese rugs, distinguish¬ 
able from the stereotyped modern Oriental 
stock rug because they are woven on hand 
looms, to order, from designs uniformly 
classic and based on and developed from 
the most famous ones of old. In these, it 
is often surprising to find the luster as rich 
and deep as in the choicest ancient pieces, 
a fact, when an antique rug cannot be ob¬ 
tained, that is consoling. Indeed, it is dif¬ 
ficult to get fine antique rugs at all, to-day, 
much less secure them in size, color and 
design suitable for a certain room, or at a 
cost that is not prohibitive. Prices that 
were formerly asked for the better exam¬ 
ples have steadily advanced, since the re¬ 
stricted importations consequent to the war 
have increased their rarity. 
If, perchance, the colors are acceptable 
in an old rug the design is likely to be of 
an unsuitable character, and if the design 
and color are appropriate, then the shape is 
wrong. It is, therefore, not surprising that 
the modern Oriental rug has found the 
favor it has when one considers that it can 
be made in any desired size, perfect in 
weave and with colorings carefully selected 
and simplified so as cleverly to simulate 
age, without its wear and tear. Such rugs 
cost from $3.00 to $8.00 and upwards a 
square foot and take several months to 
make. They are thoroughly worth while. 
Good American Types 
Of the American-made rugs of moderate 
prices, perhaps the most desirable for use in 
formal rooms, such as the living-room, din¬ 
ing-room, library or hall, is the Wilton or 
the “Saxony” rug. These can be found in 
the seamless rug as large as 9' by 12', and 
are also made in four strips, so sewed to¬ 
gether as hardly to show the seams—es¬ 
pecially after some months of wear. In these 
rugs, which have almost the soft sheen of 
silk velvet, rather than of wool from which 
they are woven, antique Persian and Chinese 
patterns have been cleverly copied and ex¬ 
ecuted. They are excellent for many places. 
They are especially desirable when the 
draperies and coverings in the room are of 
a solid tone. When hangings express move¬ 
ment, such as in a flowered, figured or 
striped chintz or silk, the plain woolen or 
Wilton rug with merely a narrow border, in 
which, possibly, a Chinese motif is seen, or a 
self - toned or striped 
narrow black border, is 
preferable. In such a 
one the desired color 
note of a room can be 
more strongly sustained. 
Gray, old blue, dull 
gold or tan, green and 
rose are the colors in 
which they are made. 
For the room fur¬ 
nished in lacquer or in 
Chinese Chippendale, 
the “Saxony” rug, re¬ 
producing the coloring 
and design of a rare 
Chinese rug of an early 
period, will be found a 
consistent and desir¬ 
able floor covering. It 
may have a dark blue, 
tan, gray blue, rose or 
taupe field with figures 
and harmonious con¬ 
trasts, and is admirable 
in its consistency. 
Quite an unusual 
type of rug and one 
distinctly new in treat¬ 
ment is the large Wilton rug, composed of 
four strips showing a soft tan field with 
five small rugs of various sizes indicated 
in the woven design upon it. This tends 
to simulate the effect of a filling floor-cov¬ 
ering with rugs strewn upon it, and would 
be desirable if used in a small living-room, 
where a congestion of furniture would make 
the use of several separate rugs, that would 
constantly be disturbed, inconvenient. This 
rug presents the even surface of the usual 
Wilton, yet gives the impression of five dis¬ 
tinct rugs, each good in itself. 
The Excellent Japanese Fibre 
The design is a reproduction represent¬ 
ing the floor of the weaver’s room in the 
Orient — a covering for which is usually 
woven in five sections consisting of a cen¬ 
ter piece, one piece on either side of this, 
and one at each end. 
Still another rug, Oriental in character 
and essentially so in make, is the Japanese 
fibre rug. These have much to recommend 
them, if given the proper care, and will 
wear for an indefinite time. They are ex¬ 
ceedingly moderate in price, considering 
their size, and are made with tan grounds 
on which are shown Chinese motifs in deep 
blue, cream, old rose and soft green. While 
of Japanese make, the patterns are general¬ 
ly of Chinese origin, in which the familiar 
dragon motif often appears. The sizes in¬ 
clude not only the standard measurements 
of 3' by 6' to 8' by 10', but likewise those of 
hall runners. They are less expensive than 
the woolen rugs and lend themselves at¬ 
tractively to the inexpensively furnished 
apartment or country house, especially for 
the living- or dining-room. 
Carpets having given place to rugs in the 
bedroom as well as in the living-rooms, the 
selection of rugs for this use is quite as 
important. Here economy may be prac- 
