Oriental rugs are becoming more popular in today's interiors. Tibetan rugs have been woven in Nepal for hundreds of years and have become widely accepted in the Western World only recently. Rugs woven in the Nepalese style are sought after by collectors, interior designers and consumers.

William Morris (1834-1896) is the recognized leader of the Arts & Crafts movement in design which began at the end of the 19th century. Morris was an interior designer who excelled in creating fabrics, wallpapers, tapestries, furniture and rugs. His work is being widely revived today especially in rugs. The Arts & Crafts rug styling has a looser construction than the Tibetan rugs and there is a knobby spin on the wool yarns. While Tibetan and Arts & Crafts styles were developed in different parts of the world and at different times in history, they are being combined together in today's interiors.

Also popular are rugs woven with an 'old' antique look. They are often purposely being made with variations in color throughout the background or 'abrush.' Rugs are also being created with a 'tea wash' aging finish to replicate historical pieces and with designs that are 'imperfect.'

Transforming Tomorrow

Today's message comes to us from my friend, Donna Gallagher Saiia, who wrote in response to one of our past email newsletter messages. She has some very important things to say about the art of handwriting.

“I recently wrote a letter to my father and realized that I have neither written nor received a handwritten letter in years. Lots of email, many faxes, but not much other than greeting cards with brief messages for a long time. And this from a woman who has kept a handwritten journal for over 30 years. Sinful, isn't it?

But, think - if the Declaration of Independence was emailed and the "signatures" were just typed names, would it have the historical impact that it does? And how about Grandma's recipies? I have one that is in my grandmother's hand (she passed away many years ago) - I am so glad she didn't type it - she is still tangible to me because I can run my hand over her written words.

What are we leaving our grandchildren and their children? Are we unconsciously depersonalizing ourselves? Will the next memorable document be entirely typed with a stamped icon for a signature? How Smithsonian worthy is that? Will someone 1000 years from now want to dig it up?

I have been in the craft industry for over 20 years and am still involved in designing and developing new products. Many of the things I do now are done with an eye to preserving tactile contact with what has gone before. I'm not sure where my thinking is going with this - I just know that we are in for a rude awakening many years from now when something precious is lost because of advancing technology.”

How do you feel about this?