Shaggy Rugs- Not Just For the Hippies!

We all know of the stereotypical 70's "hippy shag" carpet. However, did you know that shaggy rugs have actually made a comeback in recent years? Although the horrid green, brown, and orange colors of the 70's didn't live on, shaggy rugs are still going strong!

Shaggy rugs are a certain form of fiber carpet composed of less dense plies and longer single strands than what is typically found in other forms of carpet. Made as a "deep pile" style of carpeting somewhere halfway through the last century, shaggy rugs were found on the floors of most homes during the 60's and early 70's. Although many may think shaggy rugs are a thing of the past, the long yarned, crazy design is still kicking into the 21st century.

There are two things that make shaggy rugs different from more common rug materials. First, is length and placement of the fibers used in the composition of the rug. While the yarn is longer, the fiber is also loosely twisted, as opposed to the super tight style of yarn such as what is found in short loop rugs. The shaggy rugs yarn has this relaxed twist along with a spacing pattern that places single strands farther apart from each other than a traditional weave. Therefore, shaggy rugs have an appearance that is quite different, appearing like grass. This is where the "mowing the carpet" phrase originated.

Obviously, shaggy rugs are not as popular as they once were , but they are still surprisingly popular, popular enough that rugs and full carpeting is still offered by many major carpet manufacturers. A consumer can expect to see many samples of shaggy rugs in home stores or can order direct from internet sites. As far as pricing goes, the cost tends to be about the same as any rug or carpet design.

Here in the modern century, shag can be found in three specific styles. There's long shag, short shag, and mini shag. Long shag is as old school as it gets, and it's what most people remember best from shag's heyday. Short shag is the same basic principle, but "mowed" down to around half the length.  As for mini shag, it's tough to tell much difference between it and a normal pile. As for coloring, there are many cool solid colors available, much better than the multi-colored vomit themes of yesteryear.

Shaggy rugs are great for all sorts of areas in the house due to the reason we fell in love with shag in the first place... the amazing feel. The modern colored and trimmed down shaggy rugs of today are not near as ridiculous as they once were, and can fit into any decor nicely with nothing more than a simple color match. If you'd like a rug to add that little extra bit of color to your overall decor, shaggy rugs are a great choice!