Laura Bohn

Darren Henault

As the movers and shakers of the handmade rug industry, the interior design trade plays a pivotal role in shaping the end consumers’ purchasing decisions. After focusing on the greenness of the handweaving process from the manufacturers’ standpoint (See “Special Green Report—Handmade Rugs—The Original Green Floor Coverings,” ARTES (Oct. 13, 2009), this article takes a hard look at what the country’s most reputed and green-attuned designers and other members of the design community are thinking. Do they view handmade rugs as an eco-friendly floor covering as compared to machine-made?

Clifford Tuttle

Mary Douglas Drysdale

For many members of the interior design trade, any interest in a handmade rug’s eco-friendly attributes is clouded by the challenge in finding the esthetically perfect rug for the project. Explains Carl D’Aquino of D’Aquino Monaco, a premier Manhattan-based and internationally reputed design firm: “It’s so hard to find the right texture, colors, and patterns that adding the green parameter makes it even more difficult.” Continues the award-winning Jamie Drake of Drake Design Associate: “I’m aware of handmade rugs as being greener relative to their machine-made alternatives. However, at the end of the day, the green aspect is more of a bonus in addition to a rug’s quality and esthetics.”

Jamie Drake

Why is the design trade’s awareness of the greenness of handmade rugs so limited? For one thing, green floor coverings are not yet the primary concern for a majority of clients. “If residential clients were educated, it might help,” states award-winning and LEED2-accredited professional (AP) designer Clifford Tuttle of ForrestPerkins with offices in Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Dallas. “However, in the hospitality sector, the demands and constraints are such that handmade rugs, however ecologically desirable, are not viable.”

Alejandra Dunphy

In residential projects, Washington, DC interior designer and environmental design consultant Alejandra Dunphy of A/D Studio, Atlanta, GA, who also manufactures handmade rugs in South America states that clients’ understanding of rugs’ greenness “depends on how much you educate your clientele on the eco-friendly attributes of the rug production process.” Ideally, adds Ms. Drysdale: “Good designers are thoughtful people who educate their clients on the consequences of their decisions.”

Michael Larocca

In many cases, allergies to machine-made rugs have triggered designer awareness of the greenness of their handmade counterparts. Ms. Drysdale’s pulmonary reaction to the “toxic” off-gasing in her wall-to-wall carpeting was such that she could not move into her new home until it was removed. “Thanks to my little health problem, I became aware of carpeting’s toxic load and what it can do to us which most of us don’t realize.” From this unfortunate physical reaction was born an avowed passion for handmade oriental and decorative rugs and for their eco-friendly benefits.

Thom Banks

Those lucky few designers who have had the opportunity of traveling to the countries of origin and observed the hand weaving process first hand have fully grasped handmade rugs’ sustainable attributes. When in Egypt, internationally acclaimed New York-based designer Michael LaRocca of Michael R. LaRocca, Inc. discovered the fascinating process of hand dyeing wool and concluded that handmade rugs were far more desirable from a green standpoint than their machine-made alternatives. Early exposure to weavers in her native Ireland and travel to looms in Armenia and Nepal have made Clodagh passionate about handmade rugs’ greenness. “Oriental rugs are produced using human energy which is renewable,” states the legendary internationally known designer who has made sustainability her mantra. The handmade rug production process—from the spinning to the actual weaving—is part of “an energy circle that creates a win-win situation for all” which has a positive and humanizing effect on the craftsmen. Indeed, she notes: “Despite their poverty, they were singing while they were working!”

Clodagh is among the few designers who have expressed a true avocation for things green before it became trendy. “I was green long before the term even existed!” she exclaims. However, for a vast majority of interior designers, education will be key to their awareness of handmade rugs’ greenness. Is the rug industry responding to this educational need? The designers interviewed for this article responded with a resounding “no” and voiced the need for immediate action. States Mr. LaRocca: “It’s the moral responsibility of the [rug] industry to take the bull by the horns and educate people on the handmade alternatives in floor coverings.” Advertising, public relations, direct mail campaigns, and educational seminars offered by handmade rug vendors are among the key measures designers endorse. Moreover, Mr. Tuttle suggests that the handmade rug industry develop a type of green certification program3 as has been done by the Carpet and Rug Institute for machine-made carpeting.

Annette Stelmack

Clodaugh

Meanwhile, there are opportunities through the design industry for educating its members and ultimately the end user. ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) Deputy Executive Director Thom Banks in Washington, DC has been involved in the creation of the Regreen Program (www.regreenprogram.org), a partnership between the ASID and the U.S. Green Building Council whose goal is to develop the best practice guidelines toward the implementation of sustainable building and design projects. While their guidelines do mention the desirability of area rugs versus wall-to-wall carpeting, Mr. Banks feels there is a vital need for an additional educational program delineating the attributes of the various handmade products versus the machine-made. Meanwhile, Ms. Stelmack mentions initiatives such as the architectural 2030 Challenge—the global undertaking designed to transform the U.S. and global building sectors into becoming carbon neutral by 2030—as being key to raising awareness of handmade rugs’ green properties. Most critical, she remarks, is the Council for Interior Design Accreditation’s recent policy change dictating that interior design schools’ curriculum will soon have to include courses on sustainable design in order to remain accredited. Hence, the new generation of interior designers entering the workforce will be all ears for the green attributes of oriental and decorative rugs. “Manufacturers in the handmade rug industry will need to properly educate interior designers-it’s a matter of survival!” insists Ms. Stelmack.

Carl D'Aquino

Judy Swann

However, many designers believe that no matter how educated clients may become, they will still resist waiting six months to a year for custom wall-to-wall handwoven goods. According to Mr. LaRocca, this creates a problem in Manhattan buildings for instance which dictate that most floors be covered for noise. Installing sisal while you wait is a solution this designer has resorted in these situations or with impatient clients. Other designers point out that not all clients have the budget—particularly in these lean times—for handmade rugs and opt for the cheaper and faster machine-made alternative. However, these obstacles do not deter Clodagh who is convinced that people will listen if properly educated. In effect: “It’s simply a question of good planning and organization. If you order the rugs at the beginning of the project, they will come in on time!”

While still in early days, consumer awareness of things green is growing. Judy Swann of Green Interior Consultants (ASID, LEED AP) of Westport, CT, who advises the interior design trade on implementing green design, has seen the tide shift in the sustainable direction. “Up until last year, most designers would say ‘go away’ to me,” she notes. “People are starting now to ask questions on what’s sustainable,” adds Mr. Tuttle. “Ten years from now, this new awareness should enhance the growth of the handmade rug industry.” Indeed, concludes Mr. Drake: “Many residential clients will be demanding these sustainable products.”

1 Foster, Kari, Stelmack, Annette, and Hindman, Debbie, Sustainable Residential Interiors. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley (2007).

2 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Green Building Rating System, a certification program and nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings.

3 The Oriental Rug Importers Association (ORIA) is currently developing a green certification program. Details will be announced in 2009.

Photography by Blaise Wayward

*Reprinted from the Fall 2008 issue of AREA Magazine, courtesy of the Oriental Rug Importers Association, Inc. http://www.orientalrugimportersassociation.org

With the explosion of the green movement affecting everything from automobiles to furniture, rug importers and manufacturers are taking a fresh look at their production methods only to discover that their industry has essentially been green all along. Others are developing ways to enhance the green credentials of their handmade rugs in terms of dyeing, washing, and recycling the waste generated during the production process. While significant strides have been made by the machine-made carpet industry towards making it more eco-friendly, carpeting is still mainly produced from non-renewable petroleum products which ultimately account for up to an estimated 5 billion tons of discarded product—up to 1% of U.S. landfills—most of which is non-biodegradable.

The Verde Collection, Design, Ve-06 OAT. Courtesy of Momeni, Inc.

While nylon can be recycled, the availability of such facilities is still limited. [2]Moreover, from a health standpoint, carpeting would appear to incur a greater incidence of ‘outgassing’ due to their higher chemical components and irritants namely dust and molds. Most offensive from the green standpoint are carpeting’s chemical treatments and synthetic backing. As for handtufted products, they are dismissed by most industry experts from being green despite their wool content because of their latex backing.    

Vegetable-dyeing Tibetan wool in Nepal. Courtesy of Tamarian Carpets.

In contrast, states Reza Momeni of Momeni, Inc, Carlstadt, NJ: “Oriental and handmade decorative rugs are the greenest products ever made.” As remarks Teddy Sumner of Michaelian & Kolhberg, Summit,NJ, the handmades are generally produced with wool, a renewable fiber, and free from adhesives and petroleum- based products, the latter of which is “the biggest issue in 2008.”

Going back to the basics of handmade rugs, antiques are the most ecological of floor coverings, according to David Basalely of Eliko Oriental Rugs, New York, NY. Indeed, he comments: “They have an almost infinite lifespan as they are used until they’re worn out and still have some life to them…Antique rugs are as green as a handmade product can possibly be.” Their “greenness” is attributed to their being manufactured with ecologically sustainable components, primarily cotton and wool, natural dyes, and with minimal, if any, machinery involved. When questioned about the “greenness” of chemical dyes, including aniline, in antique pieces, Mr. Basalely comments that when used, they were generally applied sparingly particularly when compared to machine-made carpeting and fabrics.

Trimming a finished rug in Nepal. Courtesy of Tamarian Carpets.

Dyed wool drying in eastern Turkey. Courtesy of Woven Legends, Inc.

In addition, antique rugs can literally be recycled as Mr. Basalely observed: “Not only are you reusing the rugs but giving them new life.” Case in point: Eliko has developed a line of Turkish natural wool and hemp flatweaves, produced from recycled raw materials from 60- to 80-year-old grain bags. When assessing antique rugs, tribal pieces are generally the purest, he reports. The pioneers of the vegetable-dyed rug renaissance that began in 1980 with the DOBAG experiment in Turkey under the auspices of chemist Dr. Harald Böhmer are at the forefront of the greenrug movement although not by design. George Jevremovic of Woven Legends, Philadelphia, PA, was one such pioneer who started his vegetable-dyed production in western Turkey in 1982 and moved to eastern Turkey in 1985 where he employed thousands including spinners, dyers, and weavers.

A Folklife carpet woven with handcarded, handspun vegetable-dyed wool in eastern Turkey. Courtesy of Woven Legends, Inc.

In an effort to reverse the commercialization of the production process and recreate the esthetics of antiques, Woven Legends began using hand- or machine-carded handspun wool from eastern Turkey that is hand colored with natural dyes such as indigo, safflower root, and cochineal. “When we started doing these rugs, I was thinking more ‘art’ as opposed to ‘green,’” he comments. According to Mr. Jevremovic, the creation of a green rug depends on respecting the core principles of organic rug making namely handspun wool and natural dyes. However, when a specific look is desired, purism can only go so far. For instance, the wash can range from a neutral soap and water solution to a chlorine- based bleach. “Bleach in itself is not a bad thing,” he adds. “It’s a cleansing agent.

With the renaissance of handmade rug production of the 1980s in India, Pakistan, China, Armenia, Egypt, and Romania, the “greening” of rugs took place long before it was trendy. Indeed, art and green go hand in hand. Comments Mr. Sumner on Michaelian & Kohlberg’s introduction of vegetabledyed rugs from India in 1990: “When I revived natural dyes, I was primarily intent on using dyes native to India and on creating a complexity of color with abrash while paying homage to tradition.” The fact that these rugs happened to be thereby green is an “ancillary” advantage. Today, however, importers are much moreaware of the potential environmental impact of rug making processes. Steve Cibor of Tamarian Carpets, Baltimore, MD, is among those taking steps to production more environmentally friendly in Nepal. For instance, when washing rugs, the discarded water is collected and shipped in trucks and later reused by cement companies for mixing cement for buildings.

Among other interesting recent green initiatives is that of Megerian Brothers Oriental Rugs, Inc., New York, NY, in Armenia where the ecological aspects of production are taken into consideration not only with respect to the rugs themselves but also with the weavers who make them. All components of the rug-making process are local from the natural dyes extracted from roots, flowers, and plants (e.g., pomegranate for the tobacco hue and walnut skin for yellow and brown) to the extra virgin wool free from exposure to toxic materials. Equally important, according to John Megerian, the air at the weaving facilities “is always purified and harsh chemicals and solvents are never used.” Employees are offered milk and yogurt at the end of the day to purify their digestive system of any dust. Meanwhile, new at Michaelian & Kohlberg’s facility in China are adjoining fields whose plants generate all the dyes for their Hamadan Collection.

Weaving a rug in Armenia. Courtesy of Megerian Brothers Oriental Rugs, Inc., New York, NY.

Washing a rug in Nepal. Courtesy of Tamarian Carpets

Moreover, in the countries of origin themselves, attitudes are gradually becoming more vigilant about the proper handling of by-products of dye residue to prevent their filtering into the ground. Experts report that even China, notorious for its environmental record, legislation regarding dyeing facilities is becoming more stringent with respect to the use of non-toxic elements and recycling. Experts also comment that the developing countries’ infrastructure, while improving, still needs more work. “It would help if the producing countries took some initiative,” notes Mr. Jevremovic. There is some controversy regarding the “greenness” of the more widely used chrome dyes. From a strictly purist standpoint, the most organic rugs are of undyed natural fibers, such as wool, nettle, and hemp. “However,” remarks Mr. Cibor, “these rugs are popular because of their look rather than their greenness.” While natural dyes are held in the highest esteem, the imperatives of continuity often dictate that they be combined with chrome dyes or that they be made of chrome only. Tamarian’s manufacturers in Nepal have recently converted to Swiss-made metalfree chrome dyes (Clairnet) which do not “out gas” as one walks over the rugs. “Regular chrome dyes have metal substance,” notes Mr. Cibor. “They are not bad but not great.”

Meanwhile, comments Mr. Momeni who has recently launched the handknotted 100% natural- dyed hemp Verde Collection from the “Naturally…Momeni” group of products: “Chrome dyes have been used for generations without any negative health impact. I think the big advantage of their being present in hand-knotted versus in machinemade rugs is that hand-knotted rugs are washed and sundried thereby limiting any negative chemical impact.” Adds another industry observer: “Having chrome dyes doesn’t make them not green.” Still, continues Mr. Cibor: “Research needs to be done on these to evaluate them more precisely.”

An antique Ferreghan Sarouk handknotted with natural dyes, 4.3×6.5 c. 1900. Courtesy of Eliko Oriental Rugs, Inc.

How aware is the end-buyer of the “greenness” of rugs? Members of the interior design industry – the prime ‘movers and shakers’ of retail sales and increasingly involved in the green building and design movement—see untapped opportunities in the oriental rug industry. “The handmade rug industry could be doing more to educate the public on how rugs are being manufactured,” states interior designer Annette Stelmack of Stelmack & Associates III, Denver, CO, and co-author of Residential Sustainable Interiors. Echoes Judy Swann of Green Interior Consultants, Westport, CT, an ASID interior designer who consults with the design trade on implementing green design: “It is atypical for designers to realize that handwoven rugs are green. This message has not yet reached the public.”

An example of Eliko’s all-natural wool and hemp kilimcollection handwoven in Turkey with recycled materials from 60- to80-year-old grain bags. Courtesy of Eliko Oriental Rugs, Inc.

Yet, despite her green background, this former Marketing/Business Development Manager at DuPont who was key in developing the company’s textile division’s recycling program in the 1990s, admits that esthetic considerations pre-empt green concerns, i.e., she might opt for a machinemade over a handmade product if esthetically it better suited the project. Like most members of the design trade, she is not yet fully aware of the “greener” attributes of handmade products; clearly, there is a need for the industry to better communicate the green advantages of handmade rugs. Adds Michael Mandapati of Warp & Weft, New York, NY, which primarily services the design community: “If clients don’t like a rug esthetically, they won’t buy it whether it’s deemed green or not.” Still, Ms. Stelmack comments that clients would veer toward green rugs adding: “The education level of designers on the green value of handmade rugs will evolve. However, it is really up to the manufacturers to educate them.”

by Alix Perrachon, Contributing Editor

Recommended reading: Foster, Kari, Stelmack, Annette, and Hindman, Debbie. Sustainable Residential Interiors. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007.  They note that Oriental and decorative rugs are unparalleled in their ‘green’ properties, when compared to their machinemade counterparts. Indeed, there is “a wider selection of styles and fibers to choose from that fit eco-friendly specifications in area rugs than with wall-to-wall carpet,”

1.Kari, Foster Stelmack, Annette and Hindman, Debbie, Sustainable Residential Interiors (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), p. 369.

2.Ibid, p. 223. Reprinted from the Fall 2008 of AREA Magazine courtesy of the Oriental Rug Importers Association, Inc.”