The braided cotton rug is one of three remaining types of cotton rug that is still used. However, apart from the two-strand ‘standard’ brand, the other designs are rarely used.
In this guide, we will explore all the braided cotton rugs that are still available and ones that have not been used for a while.
Standard Braided Cotton Rugs
Obviously, the most common type of braided cotton rug is the standard cotton rug. This rug is designed when the strands are brought to the centre of the braid. Currently, the majority of braided cotton rugs that are designed used a three stand braid (as opposed to a 4) because the strands carry the same appearance in a four strand, but a four strand can struggle to keep the consistency.
Flat Braids Cotton Rugs
The flat braid cotton rug is one of the ‘more complex’ designs. Every flat braid rug comes with 4-12 strands, and all the strands are ‘weaved’ either under or over the other braid to give the desired effect. This means that various patterns can be designed ‘into’ the rug.
Right/Left Hand Braids
A right or left handed braid consists of braids that are only ‘worked in’ from one direction. This is an extremely uncommon form of braided cotton rug; however, they are still created. Left or right handed braids work in the same way as a flat braid, because they are weaved into the centre of the rug until they are completed. Then these braids are re-woven ‘into’ one another.
False Braids
False braids have this name because they are generally machine made. They are most notable for their strong design. The rug has two ‘cores’, which have two fabric strips (wrapped in a figure of 8) around the core. This allows the rug to be durable and give the desired effect.
Round and Square Braids
Round and square braids are rarely used anymore in ‘household design’. In fact, the only time you will see this type of design is if you buy antique rugs, and even then, this design was considered uncommon.
Plaits
Plaits are quite an extravagant design, that are created by ‘working in’ 4-12 strands both over and under one another. Plaits are often patterned but are not a popular choice in today’s current cotton rug market because they are thin and ‘weak’. However, previous plait designs are extremely elegant, which is why you will often see these designs in museums.
Ladder Braids
A ladder braid consists of one strand, which does not move, based in the centre of the rug. Ladder braids are made of 4-8 strands and can be decorative when the centre strand compliments the others. However, once again you will probably not find too many of these retailed because they are not very durable.
As you can see from the above, braided cotton rugs have been an extremely popular design in the past, and are still recognised as one of the three ‘leading’ designs. However, it appears that it may not be long until they become just works of art rather than a necessity for the home. |
