Oriental and Tibetan Rugs

Gingko Border Wheat

While the term “Arts and Crafts” can be used for a broad variety of topics, we are using it to describe the decorative design and style that began as a movement in England during the late Victorian period.  At that time, the industrial revolution led to mass-market products produced by machine with man-made materials.  Unhappiness with this trend led to an increased value placed on handcraftsmanship, truth to natural materials, and simple folk styles of decoration.

This movement migrated from England to the rest of Europe, and across the pond to the United States.  In the US, this style was take up by American designers – most notably Gustav Stickley – and further developed to reflect natural materials and rectilinear designs (also known as the Mission style).  While the English movement continued to stress individual hand-crafted exquisite pieces that could be afforded only by the very wealthy, in the US, the movement migrated to aesthetic mass-produced pieces targeted to the middle-class. 

 No discussion about Arts and Crafts movement can be complete without a mention of Frank Lloyd Wright.  Wright took the Arts and Crafts movement to a new level and ushered in a style of architecture characterized by “organic” architecture that reflected the nature around it. 

Arts and Crafts designs continue to be popular to current times.  The marriage of Arts and Crafts designs with hand-knotted rugs is a natural fit.  Rugs made with organic cotton, natural wool, and silk – produced 100% by hand – truly reflect the values of the original Arts and Crafts ideals.  Today, there are several weaving centers in Tibet dedicated to keeping alive the Arts and Crafts design tradition!

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