Shag is Back, Baby!

Wild Weave Collection by Orian

Back in the 1960s and 70s, shag rugs were all the rage. The soft, thick pile seduced the nation’s homeowners in their search for increased comfort and affordability. Unfortunately, what they found was that these carpets did not maintain their look and feel for very long. Continual traffic compressed the pile, and vacuuming alone didn’t restore the lush thickness.

If you’re old enough to remember those early shag rugs, you might remember inventions like the rug rake, which was supposed to restore the thick nap. It did, temporarily, but who wants to have to rake a rug? Nobody, as it turned out, and so shag quietly fell out of favor. In 2012 it made a big come back and in 2013 we saw sheepskins, and lush shags flooding Pinterest. 

Yes, shag is back — and in a big way. Made by companies such as Orian in Anderson, South Carolina, and Kas, headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, shag rugs now are more durable and colorful than any of the rugs that filled hip homes in the 60's. Modern production has allowed rug makers to add patterns and designs in their shag rugs never seen in the early years of the long-piled pieces. So whether you’re going for a retro look in your home design or just want to take advantage of the extraordinary selections now available, there are a number of good reasons why a shag rug may just be the right choice for you.

The way shag feels is one of its main draws. It is a lush, deep pile. Shag rugs usually are made from soft acrylic yarn or from an acrylic/rayon blend that makes you want to curl up on top of it and while away the hours. The pile is generally about a quarter to a half-inch thick, allowing you to sink into its lovely plush fibers.

With proper care, high-quality shag rugs, like the kind you find at Rug & Home, are durable as well as beautiful. They also tend to shed less than the hand-tufted rugs favored by homeowners who want deep, plush floor coverings.

Rizzy Home, Tutti Fruiti

While shag is a forgiving floor covering (crumbs tend to disappear into its deep pile), it is now much easier to maintain; simple vacuuming is usually enough. You must make adjustments, however, as your vacuum’s beater bar is not as friendly to long fibers and could pull out the fibers from your shag rug. Most vacuums will allow you to raise the height of the beater bar, thus preserving the integrity of your rug.

So if you want a rug that’s both luxurious and stylish, treat yourself to the blissfully soft texture of a rug from the Bliss collection from Kas or use an Orian shag rug to bring color and design to an otherwise dreary room. Shag combines the joyful patterns of the 21st century with the thick pile of the 20th century. Shag is back, baby, bringing with it the fun of a furry feel under your toes.