Trend Watch: Over-Dyed Rugs

August 31, 2011 at 11:43 am , by Beth Roehrig

It sounds like sacrilege: taking an Oriental carpet or kilim rug, bleaching it, then dying the whole thing a bright, saturated hue. But surprisingly, it works, and totally transforms a traditional design into something new, fresh and modern. Of course, you wouldn’t do this with a pricey antique rug. But for old carpets that aren’t valuable or just plain worn-looking, this technique recycles them into something useful. Another technique takes pieces of multiple old rugs and sews them together before dyeing the resulting patchwork a single color, like the Patchwork Kilim from World Market at left. I first noticed this trend months back at ABC Carpet & Home, a high-end rug and home furnishings store, and am excited to see it finally showing up at more affordable prices. Check out a few more colorful options after the jump.

From top to bottom:

Astara Collection Colchester Teal rug, $729 at Rugs USA.

Reef Bed Rug, $348 at Anthropologie.

Reoriented in Lavender, $15 per tile at Flor.

What do you think of this trend? Would you try it in your home?

2 Responses to “Trend Watch: Over-Dyed Rugs”

1. Written on August 31, 2011 at 4:08 pm, by Lauren Piro

   I actually love those carpet tiles!

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2. Written on May 20, 2012 at 12:13 am, by rugshd

   The last rug is my favorite, the purple with the little decorative chairs, beautiful!

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