Benefits of Rugs
Rugs have so many benefits for you and your home - from adding a pop of color to protecting your floors from scratches, this piece of home decor is an essential part of many spaces. Not only can a rug easily change the look of a room or enhance your decor, they offer a range of practical benefits, including:
- Comfort and warmth
- Floor protection
- Noise reduction
- Hide imperfections
- Easier cleaning
- And more!
Using Rugs In Your Home
There are many good reasons to incorporate rugs into your home design. This versatile home accent item can be used in almost any room of the house, adding comfort, color, and style. A rug can tie a room together and take a space’s design to the next level.
There are a variety of ways to use and decorate with rugs, including:
- To define areas and break up open floor plans
- To create a focal point
- As a statement piece or artwork
- To dress up a wall - yes, you can hang a rug instead!
- Quickly makeover a space
Artisan rugs from Cielo Azul bring an authentic look to your cozy home - and they feel good on your feet! But our rugs can be used on more than just your floor, they also look great hanging as wall art or as a decorative accent piece on your bed.
Material
Rugs can be made from a variety of materials - both synthetic and natural - including cotton, jute, silk, wool, polypropylene, and nylon.
Cielo Azul rugs are handmade with hand-spun sheep’s wool. Wool is the perfect material for rugs and has a number of benefits including:
- Durability - The natural crimp of the wool reduces the appearance of pile compression from furniture or footwear, making wool rugs perfect for a busy family home.
- Stain & water repellency - Water resistant from its waxy protective outer layer, wool repels moisture meaning spills are less likely to be absorbed and leave a stain.
- Hypoallergenic - An ideal fabric for allergy and asthma sufferers, wool is naturally hypoallergenic and can repel dust and dust mites.
- Eco-friendliness - Wool is an environmentally sustainable material that requires less processing and resources than synthetic materials. Plus it’s biodegradable and a renewable resource (sheep regrow their coats every year)!
Size & Shape
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An important consideration when choosing a rug is its size and shape. You’ll want to make sure the rug you select is proportionate to the room and furniture.
Since our rugs are all handmade on traditional footlooms, they are only available in square and rectangular shapes - we are not able to make circle rugs at this time.
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Most of our rugs are 100cm x 150cm (3.28ft x 4.92ft) - perfect for fitting in a range of rooms and spaces, however, we can custom create a square or rectangle rug according to your dimensions.
Colors & Patterns
Perhaps the most important - and fun - factor when deciding on a rug, is choosing the pattern and colors!
You’ll want to make sure the rug you select fits your color scheme and design style - whether that be boho, minimalist, or modern. You’ll need to decide if you are looking for a statement piece or a rug that blends seamlessly with your other furniture and accents.
Our first rug collection, inspired by Guatemala, uses a variety of patterns, including crosshatch, diamonds, and abstract shapes. Our second rug collection, Geometry, focuses on geometric shapes and trendy, pastel colors.
If you live in a trendy, modern loft and want something more subtle, you're going to love our Entre Volcanes rug. If you’re looking for something with a pop of color and texture, our El Atardecer rug is the right choice!
No matter which Cielo Azul rug you choose, all are naturally dyed with ingredients found in nature, like cinnamon, avocado, and flowers. Even years after using our rugs, the colors stay vibrant and are easy to clean.
Texture
Another important aspect in choosing a rug is texture - after all, it’s a critical component of making your space feel cozy and welcoming, and comfy under your feet!
Rugs come many textures, including:
- Flatweave - Flat, not tufted, made on a loom rather than knotted
- High Pile - Long fibers (over 3.5cm / 1.4in), shaggy, bouncy
- Low Pile - Shorter loops (under 3.5cm / 1.4in), denser, flatter
Pile height and thickness can make a huge difference in the way a rug looks and feels inside your home. With their fluffy texture, high pile rugs are most ideal in spaces where not many people enter, like a guest bedroom. Flatweave rugs on the other hand, can be easier to manage and clean, making them perfect for under your coffee table or in the kids’ playroom. You’ll also want to consider how the rug’s texture will interact with other elements of your space - think: door clearance and heavy furniture.
Our eco-friendly wool rugs are primarily available in flatweave, with several designs featuring partial high pile - meaning there are high pile sections of the rug, adding extra texture and design.
Why Choose A Rug From Cielo Azul?
Cielo Azul prides itself on our high-quality, sustainable home decor.
Our modern rugs are handmade with care by Guatemalan artisans who have been working in the field for many years. We pay these partners a fair, just wage that represents the years of experience and time they put into each work of art.
While we could easily produce our rugs in any commercial factory in the world, that’s not what our mission is. We want to maintain the traditional roots of Momostenango, a town in the Guatemalan highlands known for its handmade sheep wool rugs, blankets, and ponchos.
Our entire production chain is well thought out and as eco-friendly as possible - neither our rugs or our packaging use any chemicals, and for each product we sell, we plant a tree in Guatemala to offset our carbon footprint from international shipping.
When you buy a rug from Cielo Azul, you can be assured you are getting a quality, eco-friendly product and supporting Guatemalan artisans./pages/about