Jute Rugs - An Adaptable Natural Floor Covering

Jute is another natural fiber, that has shown a resurgence in demand over recent years, and jute rugs are much in demand for contemporary homes. The course fiber comes from the jute plants, Corchorus olitorius (Tossa Jute Fibre) and Corchorus capsularis (White Jute Fibre). This family of plants was traditionally grown for the jute fiber in what is now Bangladesh, and West Bengal in India. Much of it was shipped by the British to Britain for processing in the mills, but with a growing use of synthetic fibers in the mid 20th century, jute temporarily disappeared as a major vegetable fiber for weaving.

(Please click on any image for more details, more choices of Jute and Sisal rugs from the Rugs USA range, or to buy your selected rug.)

However, jute was not dead and buried, and as increasing uses have been discovered for this fiber, and people have become more averse to the use of synthetic fibers in the home, jute has experienced a resurgence of usage.

One of the popular uses of jute now is in area rugs, and modern techniques applied to this traditional material has led to some of today's jute rugs appearing very different to those in the past.

The jute area rugs shown on this page illustrate that development, and a great variety of colored and patterned rugs are now available in jute. Those shown are all handmade in India. The top picture is of a garden rug called Bamboo, while the middle picture shows the bright Hibiscus area rug, a delightful combination of shades of green. The bottom natural jute rug shown is called Palm Leaf, for obvious reasons and appropriate for the tropical origins of the jute fiber.