Choosing Natural Fibre Rugs

A common occurrence in customers looking for new rugs is a tendency to shy away from synthetic fibres. Many people have an affinity for choosing natural and organic materials, but why?

Biophilia, is a psychological concept proposed by psychologist Erich Fromm. It describes that humans have an innate draw to nature and the natural world, and that we have an implicit desire to be close with nature in our choices and environments. It's not a far fetched theory, after all there is a near universal prevalence of incorporating nature into our societal spaces. Look to the practice of owning and maintaining lawns, or the importance of parks and green spaces in city planning. Even down to just the room scale, adding plants to a space is known to help with making otherwise cold and unfeeling rooms more lifelike and liveable. Even within the very office I type in there are several small potted plants we look after, and I personally can't help but feel a sense of happiness when we water them on their scheduled days.

Pictured: the plant at our reception desk.

But what choices are there for rugs and floor coverings for customers wanting these natural materials? Well, fortunately rug making is a practice that predates the invention of modern synthetics by a long way, and as such there is a plethora of choices for those more nature inclined amongst us.

For a majority of people, a wool rug is basically unbeatable, they're soft, anti-microbial, durable, and above all completely natural. One of my favourite wool rugs, from our wide range, would be our chunky wool rugs pictured below.

Though the most common natural material for the rugs we have, wool is just the tip of the iceberg. We stock a large range of leather/hide rugs, and many jute and hemp woven rugs. Particularly popular, the jute and hemp rugs are known for their durability and more rugged appearance, and can certainly give a more homely and organic feel to an otherwise lifeless space. Pictured here is a rather avant-garde, but otherwise visually pleasing leather and jute woven floor rug that can be found at our instore location!

Last, but not least, of our natural materials is the Jack-of-all trades, but master of none; cotton. Cotton is known for being relatively durable, fairly soft, and kind on the wallet. Unfortunately, our selection of cotton rugs is not as broad as many of our other materials. but that isn’t to say we don't have some choice pieces for sale. A simply designed rug with a good flair of colour is our flatweave chevron cotton rugs pictured below; these are available in several colours at our instore location. 

Although on the pricier end, many people can't help but be drawn to these beautiful organic rugs, and nor could we blame you for being drawn to them.  When considering rugs, know that Scattermats can help fulfil your needs, biophilic or otherwise. Feel free to stop in, give us a call, or send us an email with any questions or queries you may have.

As always thank you for reading!