Beautiful and versatile braided rugs made to last a lifetime.
Outdoor rugs, such as shag and cotton rugs, are present in interiors as different as New England countryside farmhouses and sleek Rhode Island loft apartments. Braided rugs are incredibly versatile and practical. A beautifully designed indoor area rug with a neutral color, like a blue rug, or a multicolor palette offers a creative way to add a stylish accent and texture to a room. Braided rugs made in the USA offer the perfect blend of quality and sustainability, as they often have a lower carbon footprint. Available American-made products, whether from small companies like CICIL or Colonial Mills, vary from braided area rug designs with simple patterns to chair pads, rug pad and round rug designs, and machine washable rugs. Regardless of style, these outdoor rugs protect flooring and surfaces, create a welcoming space, and offer a soft and comfortable surface underfoot – all at the same time.
What is the best material for a braided rug?
Wool is the best material for braided rugs, as it’s incredibly durable and resilient, hard-wearing and stain resistant. Wool braided rugs are easy to clean and perfect for areas with more foot traffic – a hallway, entryway, stair treads, dining room, or living room, for example. Cotton area rugs suit quieter rooms like offices and bedrooms. Cotton rugs and reversible rugs made of other plant-based fibers also provide a convenient way to cover flooring in high-traffic areas and improve accessibility.
How durable are braided rugs?
Made with a sturdy core, braided rugs are more durable than traditional handwoven or machine-made woven rugs. A well-made wool braided rug with a quality core material should last decades or even a lifetime. These wool rugs come in different materials and can be made by hand or machines. They are also available for indoor or outdoor spaces.
To be fair, braided rugs never went out of style, because they come in all kinds of designs. The best selling ones, however, are minimalist and versatile to complement any home decor, from farmhouse to mid-century modern, coastal, and contemporary. A braided area rug easily adds texture and warmth to a room. Colors like beige and gray look great anywhere while brighter colors and bold, multicolor patterns easily create focal points.
Braided rugs are made out of a wide range of materials that include wool, cotton, jute, fabric, and polyester. These rugs all have a core fiber that provides support and stability to the outer material. The core material matters, as it determines how durable the rug is and how easy it is to clean and maintain.
The answer depends on where you want to use a braided area rug – at an entrance or in a quiet space. Wool braided rugs suit both uses and also provide the best blend of quality, durability, and easy maintenance. Cotton and fabric braided rugs suit bedrooms and areas with less foot traffic, while jute rugs are perfect for outdoor spaces. Reversible rugs are also a great choice. Brands like CICIL and Colonial Mills offer a range of designs.
Perhaps the most important advantage of a braided rug is its impressive durability. Well-made products, and especially wool braided rugs made in the USA by hand for example, should last a lifetime and for generations. A good braided area rug will also remain flat and won’t develop creases or bumps. Additionally, these thick and sturdy rugs feel soft and comfortable underfoot.
Are braided rugs back in style?
To be fair, these rugs never went out of style, because they come in all kinds of designs. The best selling ones, however, are minimalist and versatile to complement any home decor, from farmhouse to mid-century modern, coastal, and contemporary. A braided area rug easily adds texture and warmth to a room. Colors like beige and gray look great anywhere while brighter colors and bold, multicolor patterns easily create focal points.
What are braided rugs made of?
Braided rugs are made out of a wide range of materials that include wool, cotton, jute, fabric, and polyester. These rugs all have a core fiber that provides support and stability the outer material. The core material matters, as it determines how durable the rug is and how easy it is to clean and maintain.
What is the best type of braided rug for my home?
The answer depends on where you want to use a braided area rug – at an entrance or in a quiet space. Wool braided rugs suit both uses and also provide the best blend of quality, durability and easy maintenance. Cotton and fabric braided rugs suit bedrooms and areas with less foot traffic, while jute rugs are perfect for outdoor spaces. Reversible rugs are also a great choice. Brands like CICIL and Colonial Mills offer a range of designs.
What are the benefits of braided rugs?
Perhaps the most important advantage of a braided rug is its impressive durability. Well-made products, and especially wool braided rugs made in USA by hand for example, should last a lifetime and for generations. A good braided area rug will also remain flat and won’t develop creases or bumps. Additionally, these thick and sturdy rugs feel soft and comfortable underfoot.
Founded by Laura Tripp and Caroline Cockerham, two veterans in the textile industry who experienced the carbon-intensive, global textile industry as part of large companies first-hand, CICIL is a small brand that focuses on sustainability. The company designs and produces wool braided rugs made in USA. Crafted by hand with only natural, renewable, non-toxic materials and no synthetic dyes or polypropylene, the CICIL rugs are not only eco-friendly, but also made to last a lifetime.
Farmhouse wool braided rugs proudly made in the USA.
To produce its collection of rectangular, round and oval braided rug designs, CICIL collaborates with small family farms and farmer cooperatives on the North East Coast. The company sources wool from family farms around New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. All wool comes from Romney, Wensleydale, and Cotswold sheep with hues ranging from white and beige to gray, brown, and black. Darker wool has limited applications in commercial applications, which allows the brand to minimize waste and support its farm partners at the same time.
The high-quality wool fibers are soft but durable, turning different shades of gray when blended with lighter fibers. Wool is also a wonder natural material. Apart from its durability, resilience, and warmth, it has natural antimicrobial and stain-resisting properties. CICIL uses no synthetic dyes or petroleum based fibers in its products. Made with only natural wool and jute, these rugs last a lifetime. The company also plans to introduce rugs made from hemp and cotton in the near future.
A hands-on process to transform raw wool into gorgeous area rugs.
CICIL follows five core principles to create its sustainable rugs: use only all natural materials, ensure low impact manufacturing, create local partnerships to limit the products’ carbon footprint, provide transparency from start to final product, and make rugs that last a lifetime yet are biodegradable.
Everything starts with the wool. After the farmers shear the sheep, CICIL sends the wool to South Carolina for cleaning, or scouring. This process involves removing any foreign particles like hay or dirt, and washing the wool with only soap and water. The clean wool is then ready to go to North Carolina to transform into wool braided rugs made in USA. Before the actual crafting stage, however, the fiber needs to go through several different steps. The carding process combs and aligns the wool fibers. CICIL collaborates with local factories who use traditional wool carding machines to create a denser material. Then, comes the spinning which pulls and twists the fibers to transform them into thin and strong yarns.
These yarns go through a braiding machine that combines them with a natural Jute core material which strengthens them and makes them more durable. Finally, experienced workers sew every braid by hand with 100% cotton thread and a sturdy zig zag stitching pattern. These handmade rectangular, oval and round braided rugs are all made to order to avoid waste. CICIL can make every design in custom sizes to fit any space.
The CICIL wool braided rug collection.
CICIL produces wool braided rugs made in USA that look elegant and simple to fit into any home. The collection comprises rectangular, square, round and oval braided rugs as well as area rugs with arch shapes, multiple oval shapes, and asymmetric compositions. The range includes area rugs and runners along with entryway rugs, long hallway rugs, and wall hangings.
Colors range from soft gray with a smooth surface to marble gray with a more pronounced texture. As for sizes, CICIL offers the rugs in different dimensions, from small to extra large, with custom sizes also available. Discover the CICIL rug collection in the Gessato Design Store. Photography © CICIL.
