Pillows

Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City, we offer a variety of carpets, but also we offer some other products including pillows. These pillows are sometimes made from old carpets that can't be used anymore as a rug, so they're turned into great throw pillows. At our store we can make a pillow for you from your favorite rug that just got too run down to be used.

Year end sale

We are having our year end sale! Come by our store in Historic Ellicott City for fantastic deals! 10% off cleaning and 20% off repair.

Pillow Story

A customer came into the store with an old Dhuri carpet that had belonged to her grandmother.  The rug brought back many childhood memories of fun times at her grandmother’s house.  Unfortunately the rug suffered from one too many pet stains, cleaning was not successful, and repair was cost prohibitive and exceeded the value of the rug.  The customer was grateful for our attempts to save the rug and knew it was too far gone to save.  Imagine our surprise when a week later friends of the customer returned with the rug.  They had saved it from the trash and asked about what they could do to save the rug for their friend.  We suggested that we could salvage some parts of the rug and make a throw pillow at a reasonable cost.  Our rug repair experts made the pillow and it was given to our customer as a Christmas present by her friends.  Now she still has a piece of her Grandmother's rug to remind her of all her good memories.

History of Tibetan Rugs

Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City, we are very interested in the history of the rugs we bring into our store. Recently we've been looking into the history of Tibetan rugs and now we'll share what we've found. Tibetan rugs are usually made from local wool of Tibetan sheep and are hand spun into threads to be used for the rugs. The rugs were hand made for many of the aristocratic families in Tibet but also to monasteries where monks would use the rugs for comfort while performing religious service on large wooden platforms. Then, when Tibet became a tremulous country many of the families who owned the rug making facilities fled to India and the rug facilities went out of business. Though, recently, some Tibetan style rugs have begun to spring back up both in India and in Tibet. Here we have some examples of fine Tibetan rugs that we have here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City.

Before and After Repair

One of our recent projects was of a Persian Shiraz rug that was all torn up around the edges. We at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City made sure to fix it up well. We repaired the binding and the fringe to make sure it doesn't unravel again. Here are some pictures of before and after. As you can see the before pictures are all torn up and ripped but the after pictures look brand new.

Rug Washing

Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City, we offer a variety of different rug cleaning services. We offer surface washing for the less dirty rugs, super wash for those rugs that have seen many muddy days, and super deluxe wash for those that have been through many many years of wear and tear. We also offer pet stain removal and deep pile cleaning for those special rugs that need specific treatment. When people come in with rugs they often have never been cleaned before but people really should clean theirs more often because that dust piles up after a while and an really ruin a carpet. We never use chemicals to clean our rugs to make sure your family is as safe as possible.

  

Persian Karaje

Here at Main Street Rugs in Historic Ellicott City, our store is covered in beautiful hanging rugs. This particular rug is a Persian Karaje. These rugs come from the City of Karaj where the culture there is filled with beautiful designs and colors. Some collectors like Joel Miller can really appreciate the beauty of rugs like these and has many of them hanging in his house. The colors in these kinds of rugs are mostly red and beige but can sometimes even go on to colors like black and beige. 

Beautiful Turkeman Rug

This rug, though small, can really pull a room together. This rug is an excellent rug for a study or library as it is small enough to fit in a room like that but also gives a warmth to the room. The rug itself is a Persian Turkeman meaning it is made by the Turkeman tribes. These rugs reflect the motif of the coat of arms of Turkmenistan and the flags of the tribes.  

Beautiful Kashan rug

This beautiful Kashan rug has just entered our store and is truly one of our best rugs we have in stock. The detailing is superb and with the fantastic recent wash we did to it the color really pops out. This rug would be great for a living room piece and is sure to catch a few glances from guests.

Hanging Rugs

Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City, many people ask us if we can hang rugs and we answer with of course we can. We hang rugs expertly on a brass rod by folding a little bit of the trim over and sewing it very carefully back on to create a loop that the brass rod can go through.

Tufted Rugs

Tufted rugs are a different style of rug in which the rug is put into a base that is then glued onto a different base to provide stability. This kind of rug is the most common used in domestic carpeting for floor covering.

Before

Before

This same rug just recently came back and the results are incredible. The pet stains are gone, the rug doesn't smell, and the rug is so much cleaner. Another job well done but the Main Street Oriental Crew in Historic Ellicott City.

After

After

Portuguese Needle Point

One of the larger rugs we have here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in historic Ellicott City is this Portuguese needlepoint rug. Needlepoint rugs are rugs that are created on a large open canvas by a needle and thread. These rugs are painstakingly hard to create as the rug is very detailed. 

Rug Washing

Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City, we offer a variety of different rug cleaning services. We offer surface washing for the less dirty rugs, super wash for those rugs that have seen many muddy days, and super deluxe wash for those that have been through many many years of wear and tear. We also offer pet stain removal and deep pile cleaning for those special rugs that need specific treatment. When people come in with rugs they often have never been cleaned before but people really should clean theirs more often because that dust piles up after a while and an really ruin a carpet. We never use chemicals to clean our rugs to make sure your family is as safe as possible.

  

 

Hanging rugs

Occasionally, customers come to Main Street Rugs looking for a way to hang their rugs on the wall.  To reassure you, our process does not harm the rug in any way and will not appear on the front end of the rug.  To hang a rug, We sow a sleeve on to the back of the rug, thus creating an area where a pole can be attached to the rug.  Using this technique, Main Street Oriental Rugs has been able to successfully hang many rugs for its loving customers.  Please come by our store at 8290 Main Street, Ellicott City or visit us online at www.msorientalrugs.com.

Rug Pads

Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in Historic Ellicott City, we not only have a large variety of oriental rugs, we also have pads for those rugs. Rugs are used for many different reasons; they can be used to provide non-skid protection, they can make the rug feel softer, they can make the rug last longer, they can protect the floor from damage, and they can deaden sound. We sell two different types of pads here the thick pad that is made out of recycled material and a thinner pad. Come and swing by the store to pick up your pad to protect your investment. 

Women in the Rug Industry

Women have been a vital part to the rug making industry for hundreds of years. It takes 8-10 women to support one hand weaver and always has. Making hand spun rugs has remained almost the same for a thousand years and probably wont change in the future. The art of rug making has been primarily a woman's job for centuries in most countries that hand weave carpets. In countries such as Afghanistan, families will have all the women working on carpets while the men manage production and sales. This is a common occurrence there and is a large industry there. As internet has emerged, women have been able to become more of the decision makers and traders in the business.

Women hand weaving rugs

Modern Rugs - The Future of Interior Design

Rugs have come a far way from their pasts, and have now become a mainstay of households all over the world. These new style of rugs have become know as modern rugs and have been very popular for some of the best interior decorators. One popular style of modern rug is the transitional rug which is a mix of contemporary and traditional rugs.Whereas traditional rugs have traditional designs (such as flowers) there is no limit to a design of a transitional rug. With the limitless different designs of the transitional carpet, interior designers have taken a liking to this kind though they haven't lost touch with the traditional carpets either.

With the new variation of the modern rugs many interior designers use them in order to match the room better than a traditional carpet might. Where a lot of traditional carpets might fall short at the color range, the transitional is limitless in its color variation and design. Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs in historic Ellicott City we offer all types of carpets in order to best suit your home whether you need a modern or a traditional rug.

example of a modern rug

Oversize Oriental Rugs

Many of the rooms that could benefit the most from a rug are very large, and as a result, need bigger rugs. This is why Oversized rugs are very popular in our store. Their vast size allows over sized rugs a bit more freedom in their design, evident in the fact that the diversity in our over sized collection will suit any need for a large rug, whether it is to set the tone for a room or to fit into an existing design.

Over Dye Rugs

Main Street Rugs is receiving these new over-dye rugs soon. These rugs feature a single, bright color, which can be used in a variety of ways in the design of a room. Despite being excellent for use in design, these rugs are very durable and easy to clean. Please call, visit, or email us with any questions about these or other rugs or rug cleaning services that you might be interested in.

Main Street Oriental Rug Appraisals

One of the things that people ask us the most often is just how much their rugs are worth. Luckily, we offer an appraisal service, which has us take a look at your rug, and give an estimate on its value to the best of our knowledge. We look at current market values, the kind of rug you have, the condition of your rug, and lots of minutiae that decide the value of your rug. Got rugs that you're unsure of the value of? Main Street Oriental Rugs can help.

PersianRugs.com Purchased-- What a name!

We're always on the lookout for interesting news regarding Oriental Rugs, and we just recently found out about the purchase of PersianRugs.com. Domain names are fiercely competitive in that they are often snatched up quickly, or squatted by mass-purchasing companies. We hope that the new owner of PersianRugs.com makes great use of the domian name.
http://thesaffronlife.com/persian-rugs-whats-in-a-name/

Removing Pet Stains: Harder than You'd Expect

Pets are great. Who doesn't like dogs and cats? Our animal companions keep us company and are there for us whenever we're feeling under the weather. Even so, owning a pet isn't always easy. Pets can be absolutely destructive when it comes to carpet, especially when you first bring them home.

Pet stains are not a serious problem in the slightest-- as long as you get them cleaned off of your rug properly. When you clean a stain off of your rug, you are only removing a small portion of what is trapped in your carpet fibers. Harmful and smelly bacteria will be left behind in your rug if the rug is not cleaned properly.

How are rugs cleaned properly? Well, that process is a lot more involved than you might expect it to be. Many rug cleaning services clean off stains how you'd expect them to be cleaned, by spot-cleaning stains from specific parts of the rugs. Unfortunately, spot cleaning can never completely remove a stain. Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs, we're firm believers in getting it done right the first time. Our cleaning service obliterates odors and stains the right way. All of the rugs that undergo our stain removal service are soaked. Soaked not once, but repetitively. This is the only way to insure that the stains are effectively removed. Otherwise, stray bacteria may remain in the rug, causing sickness or odors.

Oversized Rugs

Do people walk into your home and exclaim "What a mansion!"?
Joking aside, some houses have really really large rooms. Sometimes it's hard to keep them from feeling empty and cold. Luckily Oriental Rugs come in more than just the standard sizes. Here at Main Street Oriental Rugs, we have an entire section of our selection dedicated to oversized handmade carpets. They are available in nearly any design, from kashan to kazak.

If you already own an oversized oriental rug, you might find it difficult to keep your rug looking nice and clean. We're happy to offer our cleaning and repair services for any rug of any size. That way, even your largest rug is eligible for a professional cleaning and repair.

Vegetable Dyes: Traditional Coloring Methods for Traditional Rugs

Vegetable Dyes are just what you'd think they are: coloring products that originate from certain plants, and are devoid of synthetic materials and techniques. You might wonder why one would prefer to use vegetable based coloring products when there are also great synthetic ones that are more durable and cost effective. The answer to this question is an interesting one. The usage of synthetic dyes simply provides too many colors for the weaver to use. A traditional weaver was limited in color choice by the selection of plants that could be used to create different dyes at the time. This resulted in all classic rugs existing within the same general color palette. This palette is one of the things that makes up the identity of the oriental rug.

This Hamadan has been dyed with Vegetable Dyes

Vegetable dyes are collected from plants, such as from the roots of trees, sage, and walnuts. Chemical dyes are synthesized in a factory. That's not to say that chemical dyes are bad. In fact, that's far from the truth. Are there places for chemical dyes? Definitely. Chemical dyes are used in clothing, as well as in many more modern rug designs. Most people, however, agree that it is best for hand woven rugs to continue using vegetable dyes. The limitations and challenges associated with using natural materials are part of the art that is rug weaving. In the same way that one may prefer a hand painted version of a masterpiece to one that has been reproduced, vegetable dyed rugs are generally preferred.

The World's Finest Rug

Have you ever wondered what the world's most fine rug looks like?

Well, here it is.

This rug, named for the city Persepolis, happens to be the most finely hand-crafted oriental rug in existence. It has 4265 knots per square inch. To put this into perspective, 300 KPSI is considered fine. This masterpiece took 3 master-trained oriental rug weavers over 14 years to weave.

You won't find this rug in our collection, of course, but this rug signifies the kind of inspiration that is brought about by oriental rugs. Three weavers were dedicated enough to sit down and weave this over the course of 14 years. Now that's dedication.

Rex Ray Rugs

Today we're sharing a kind of rug that is a bit different than usual. These rugs feature designs that are not traditional. Rather than look to the past for inspiration and stick to the precedent set by past hand-woven rugs, these knotted rugs look ahead to the future. They have bold, often irregular patterns and shapes adorning their surfaces. While some might scoff at designs that break the mold, we believe that innovation and fresh designs fit well into the world of finely made rugs.

An example of a Rex Ray rug in a room that was color-coordinated with it.