Friday, April 6, 2018

Historic Carpet Collection In Axminster Or Wilton Weaves

By Andrew Roberts


For millennia humans have spun wool and used it to weave coverings for the floor. As machinery and technology got better, we have been able to make bigger and bigger coverings using a variety of designs and patterns. Early geometric designs were joined by themes from nature and became more complex. These historical designs can now be purchased from companies offering an historic carpet collection.

England is the home of the carpeting industry. For generations there have been companies producing the finest quality carpets for royalty and public offices as well as homes. Flying to the UK and bringing back a carpet in your suitcase is not really viable, but luckily there are companies in the USA which can do this for you.

The best known weavers in the UK have carpeted palaces, state houses and even the White House. The reputation for quality and range of designs is world famous. The major players have over the years meticulously reproduced classic designs from Elizabethan era up to the modern day.

Clients in the United States can work with a consultant to choose a design which best matches the surroundings where it is to be fitted. Choosing from catalogues containing reproductions from history or designing something bespoke they can get exactly the right carpeting for the project. The consultant will liaise with the UK manufacturer through the entire process.

Early designs are mostly geometric but as the centuries move on and tastes change there is an infusion of floral and leaf patterns. The range of colors is a vast as your imagination and a design consultant can assist in choosing the correct hue for the location. As the carpets are made to order, each design can be tailored to the colorway desired.

Wilton and axminster are the two oldest weaving methods for making fine wool carpets. Wilton is among the oldest of the machine techniques and produces a range of textures but with a limited number of colors in one pattern. Axminster gives better definition and so is used for the more complex patterns with many colors.

Woven carpets are incredibly strong and tend to be more hard wearing than tufted ones. Tufting uses a process of stitching fibers to a backing and is less time consuming than weaving. For that reason, a tufted product is not as expensive as a woven one.

The most elaborate patterns were usually created via the axminster method and this holds true today. The wilton method is preferred for runners which are less intricate but need to be hard wearing on stairs on hallways. Wilton also gives the option of loop or cut pile. A consultant who works with the manufacturers in the UK will be able to advise on which best suits your project, such consultants and companies who import British carpeting can be found on the internet.




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