Get ready to see "Living Coral" in your clothing, tech gadgets, home decor and more come 2019.

​The Pantone Color Institute recently announced its 2019 "Color of the Year," called Living Coral (16-1546).

​

Since 2000, the Institute has chosen a "Color of the Year." Experts look at trends in all facets of daily life, such as the entertainment industry, emerging artists, fashion, technology and more, to decide on the winner for the upcoming year.
What does this mean for you, though? Typically this color is utilized by brands, designers and other consumer-focused companies in their latest batch of products. Remember when everyone was head over heels for "millennial pink"? Well, you can thank Pantone's 2016 Color of The Year, Rose Quartz, for that.

Consumers who are looking for a finely crafted floor covering may want to consider buying a handknotted wool rug for their home. They are a superior product that will add warmth and texture to any room where they are placed. Buyers who choose them are getting a rug that will look good for several years and will improve in appearance over time.

Characteristics of hand-knotted wool rugs
Hand-knotted rugs were the norm until the introduction of machinery that could take over this function. The advantage to using machines to make wool rugs is that the process can be completed more quickly and at less cost than if each weave has to be knotted and tied by someone.
​
In a factory, looms are used to make rugs and the threads can be held together by glue or an acrylic. The consumer who is interested in buying a hand-knotted wool rug is getting a product that will be more durable than its machine made counterpart. The trade-off is that making a hand-knotted rug is very labour-intensive, and may cost more than a similar-sized, factory-made floor covering.

Buyers who are interested in owning a unique piece of art that they can place on their floor may want to consider hand-knotted rugs. Each one reflects the skill of the person who made it, and each individual rug will be unique as well. The rug may well include mistakes, which only add to its charm. A machine made rug will have a standard appearance and factories can produce multiple versions of the same pattern, whereas a hand-knotted rug is a one-of-a-kind item.

Durability of hand-knotted wool rugs
Hand-knotted wool rugs are made from highly durable, natural fibre. As the rug ages, its surface will take on a shiny appearance, which is considered very attractive. This characteristic is one that will actually increase the value of a hand-knotted rug. In contrast, the factory-made rug will deteriorate over time.

Deciding to buy a hand-knotted wool rug
A consumer who is interested in buying a hand-knotted wool rug will want to consider the decision very carefully. Even in a case where the initial cost is higher than buying a factory-made floor covering, the hand-knotted rugs may actually be a better long-term investment. The factory-made rug will need to be replaced much sooner than a hand-knotted one, which means that it may be the more expensive choice.
​
A hand-knotted wool rug also has the advantage of being easier to care for and repair than a machine-made one. Hand-knotted rugs can be cleaned from back to front and then put out to dry. Machine-made rugs also collect dirt on the bottom, and they can be very difficult to clean because of waterproof chemicals used on them.

Hand-knotted wool rugs offer a number of advantages to consumers. Buyers who are looking for natural fibers for their home that are easy to clean and maintain would do well to consider this option.

                 Fine Oriental rugs—benefit enormously from proper custodial care. Investors understand the importance of protecting their investments, both for themselves and for posterity.
The best 19th century carpets are disappearing into private ownership and becoming increasingly more difficult to find. Today’s buyers will likely be the last generation with access to Golden Age rugs in floor condition. Proper preservation is more important than ever.

Basic Care
A few simple practices will go a long way toward preserving your rugs for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Proper padding. We strongly recommend using high-quality pads under antique carpets. These will significantly extend the life of your rugs, preventing sliding, wrinkling and stretching, and guarding against punctures from furniture legs. Padded rugs also feel better underfoot and provide better sound absorption..contact us for all the options in rug pads

Furniture cups. Always use furniture cups for heavy furniture pieces like pianos placed on carpets to prevent crushing the carpet’s pile. When moving heavy furniture, lift or use sliders to prevent tearing.

UV protection. Given daily exposure to direct sunlight in areas where draperies are not desirable, we recommend screening your windows with a product that minimizes the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays. Using either Low-E glass or a spectrally selective applied window film effectively inhibits sun-fading of the rug’s naturally dyed colors.

Spills. Fine antique Persian carpets were woven using lanolin-rich wool, which is amazingly stain resistant. Blot up spills with a moist cloth, and then wipe the pile with a rinsed damp sponge. If the area remains moist, elevate it for quicker air drying. Avoid using home remedies for stain removal, as they can cause irreversible discoloration or dye-run.

Cleaning. A manual carpet sweeper is best. Avoid using electric vacuum cleaners (once in 3 months is fine); the rotary action is unnecessarily strong on any rugs. To protect the natural qualities of hand-spun wool, have your rugs hand-washed by a professional Oriental carpet cleaner like Rugport, in most cases every three to four years.

Long-term storage. After being professionally washed, rugs should be stored in a clean, dry environment. The ideal humidity is less than 60 percent. Cleaning rugs before storing makes them far less attractive to moths. Always wrap your carpets in paper, as plastic can lead to moisture condensation and mildew. Use cedar chips or a cedar-lined trunk for short-term storage. For storage over a period of months, have rugs professionally packed, contact us

Restoration. Annually inspecting the front and back of carpets will reveal any restoration needs while they are still minor. Necessary work should always be done by a specialist.

Decide the correct size of the Rug you will require for the room.
For the most part there is no damage in having the front legs of a seat or couch on the rug and the back legs off. (Furniture can definitely be fully on the rug too, and squared up)

​You in all likelihood will need to take into consideration a bit of hardwood floor or of covering (or tile or whatever your floor is made of) to appear on all sides of the rug. Along these lines, for example, if the space in which you might want a rug is 12 feet by 16 feet, you may choose a rug that is 9 by 12 feet, therefore considering one and a half or two feet of floor around the rug.
In any case, don’t be too rigid about the size you require. Many people make the process of finding a rug almost impossible by hitting on an exact size and insisting on it. If you can, come up with a range of sizes that are possible. You will vastly increase the number of rugs from which to choose. Consider, for instance, that ordinarily there is no harm in having the front legs of a chair on a carpet and the rear legs off. Being flexible about size may mean the difference between winding up with a carpet that “works,” and one that you really love.

The classic Oriental rug sizes are:

• 3 ft x 5 ft
• 4 ft x 6 ft
• 5 ft x 7 or 8 ft
• 6 ft x 9 ft
• 8 ft x 10 ft
• 9 ft x 12 ft
• 10 ft x 14 ft
• 12 ft x 15 ft
• 12 ft x 18 ft​

European size are way off, and now most rugs come a few inches less or more, most of the times smaller than the chart above.

Persian rugs do not follow the above standard, but sizes are pretty much close.