Why have floor rugs become so fashionable again

A.� The advent of cheap and affordable carpets saw a decline in the number of rugs in the average home. However, with the realisation that carpets can harbour all sorts of allergy-causing mites and prevent the house 'breathing'� there has been a massive shift towards uncovering floors.�Now the fashion is to strip back original floorboards or instal wooden floors in new homes or lay laminate flooring. Rugs are perfect for adding warmth and interest to wooden surfaces.

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A.� The oldest known rug was discovered in a Siberian grave dating back 2,500 years. Rugs first came to this country in the thirteenth century, but were originally used as bedcovers, tablecloths and wall hangings. They didn't end up on floors until the sixteenth century.

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A.� The undisputed king is the Persian rug. They are intricate, hand-made works of art and an antique one (as in over 100 years old) can fetch as much as a fine painting. The traditional centres of the rug making industry stretch from the Urals and Turkey as far as Afghanistan to Iran and Iraq and into China. Although many are now made on a commercial scale, some of the finest are individual rugs still woven by nomadic tribes.

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A.� If you haven't got thousands to spend don't worry. There are plenty of high quality rugs originating from these areas that cost a little over �100.

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If you want something more contemporary or plain, most of the high street shops have a wide range. You can have rugs with a pile, where the material has been knotted and cut, or a simple flat weave. These are given different names according to where they come from kilims, made of wool come from Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey whereas durries, usually of cotton, come from India.

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A.� Using rugs as wall hangings is highly fashionable again. Try hanging them by using a carpet gripper mounted on the wall and cut to the right size. Shake a wall hanging every six months to deter moths.

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A.� In times past poorer people used to weave rag rugs, made up of strips of discarded cloth, to brighten up bare rooms. It is a similar process to crochet and is becoming very popular again. You can buy whole kits with materials, hooks and patterns to follow. Try www.rugcraft.co.uk

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