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area rugs

area rug glossary

Background Color

This is the base color, or color behind the focal points, borders, and other designs on an area rug.

Backing (Area Rug)

The material that yarn is attached to when making an area rug.

Bamboo Rugs

Rugs made from fibers or strands of bamboo woven together or wipe strips of bamboo aligned to look similar to hardwood or bamboo floors.

Bessarabian

A type of detailed and sophisticated kilim that originated in Ukraine and generally features arched floral designs.

Bidjar

A type of rug design available in limited quantities that the Bidjar region of Iranian Azerbaijan became famous for. These rugs are guaranteed to last over 300 years and have therefore gained the title "Iron Rugs of Persia".

Bleeding (Area Rug)

When the color from area rug fiber dyes or from another fabric comes in contact with water and transfers its dye to other fibers.

Blend

A rug or carpet that is made of more than one type of fiber blended together.

Border Rug

An area rug that features an outside border that is a different design or type of carpet from the carpet in the center of the rug.

Boteh

The first style of paisley which is a common motif on many traditional oriental rugs. This motif features what is believed to resemble cypress trees, pine cones, or the flame of Zoroaster.

Boucle

A heavy pile made of loops.

Braided Area Rug

Braided area rugs can be made by hand or by machine. Long strands of natural or synthetic yarn are braided to make one or several long braids. These braids are then coiled around themselves or each other again and again. The more coils, the larger the rug becomes. The edges of the coils are then stitched to the adjoining coils in order to hold them in place.

Brocade

Area rug embellishments featured on some kilim rugs that are made using a floating horizontal weave.

Bukhara

aka: Bokhara, Bocarra

Bukhara is the capitol of Uzbekistan (a large trading central for tribal Turkish rugs). Rugs that are identified as Bukharas are often made in Pakistan and feature repeating rows of guls or motifs.

Burn Test

This test is often used to determine real silk from art silk. If you are suspicious about the authenticity of a silk rug, ask to have a small fiber from the fringe of the rug if possible. If you burn the fiber and it smells like burning hair, it is probably a real silk rug. If it smells like paper or anything else, it is probably an art silk rug.

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