You know what a shag rug is. It’s synthetic, sticky, yucky, and comes in green, orange and red. You know this because you’ve been in a van or a cheap motel about 30 some years ago and you’ll never forget. Beeep! You’re wrong! And to prove it I’m going to tell you about the coolest shaggy shag rugs, Zebra area rugs and Spaghetti leather items you didn’t know you always wanted.

A Super Shaggy Shag Rug

Super Shaggy is fluffy soft, toe cozy and ultra modern! Many of the new shag rugs are knotted by hand and made of the best New Zealand wool, Chinese silk, African cotton, and Spanish leather and crafted by artisan from around the world including Nepal and Tibet, of from Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. Some have a low pile and some have fibers or yarn (or even bits of tied fabric) that are left very long and sheep-like.

Shag Rug Shapes

The shapes are another thing that set the newer rugs apart from their vintage predecessors. They are not wall to wall or chunks of shag with frayed edges cut from a larger roll of carpet as they often were in the 60’s and 70’s. The new cotton, wool and leather shag rugs are specifically designed as area rugs not as carpet to be glued down, and therefore come in every shape.

There is a round shag rug from teeny tiny to huge living room size, edged professionally and finished so as to be easy to care for. There are square and oval shaped shag pile rugs, and long rectangular runners for hallways and lots of shaggy shapes to fit any area, even the bathroom. Bath rugs can be not only practical but, because they are so soft on bare feet, they are a wonderful place to step onto when you’re fresh out of the tub or shower.

Shaggy Shag Rug Colors

The colors of shag area rugs have also changed a lot. Not only are they more plush, but there are contemporary colors in yellow, beige and neutral tones. There is a black shag rug, also a black and white and zebra rug and a plain white item that is very fashionable. Don’t forget the super popular baby blue shag rug for kids.

There’s a brown and a chocolate shag rug that look good enough to eat, and recently I’ve also seen some metallic colors and some gray and even green, but not the sickly greens from before. There’s also a green brown color blend that’s earthy and for trendy decors, a shocking lime and orange shag. There is also the super hit in pink, and the wild purple shag rug, to say nothing of the new shaggy designs in red.

Shaggy Raggy Shag Rug

It’s just as the name suggests, shag plus rags tied together into one rug. Wool yarn or fibers are knotted together with soft bits of cotton jersey for different textures and patterns in shag. With bits of fabric, and not only yarn, these area rugs can be more absorbent, especially when used as entrance or even as bath rugs.

The Shaggy Raggy Shag Rug Collection from The Rug Market has solid and multi colored shag rugs, hand dyed then woven with strips of cotton jersey. Because they are handmade, there are no two shag rugs that are the quite the same. They have a 2 inch pile height so they’re fluffy to touch and walk on and don’t crunch down easily because the fabric is somewhat bouncy and resilient.

Although these creations may be of New Zealand wool yarn and enhanced with other modern textiles, they are hand woven in India and so retain the eastern quality that rugs are famed for. They come in small 22″ x 34″ sizes, or in a medium sized shag rug of 2’8” x 4’8” or a large 4’7” x 7’7”. There’s also a round shaggy raggy rug that is 4′ in diameter. They can be washed by hand in cold water and hung to dry. They can also be vacuumed from the backside so the fibers don´t get damaged and to avoid unnecessary shedding.

Shaggy Raggy Shag rugs come in cream, yellow, lavender, tangerine, and there is also a white, a blue and the ever popular pink shag rug for kids or all the pink loving ladies.

• Natural Sheepskins that come in two sizes and are really well priced at just under £39.
• Natural Double Sheepskin Rug that has two skins joined end to end to make a large shag rug for under £90.

• Black Sheepskin Rug, which is really rich black with lustrous natural wool sheen for under £45. And all the rest of the colors cost the same, just that you can select from all these fabulous colors.

• Chateau Rose Sheepskin
• Cobblestone Sheepskin Rug

• Deep Orchid Sheepskin Rug
• Insignia Blue Sheepskin Rug
• Rhododendron Sheepskin Rug
• Royal Purple Sheepskin Rug
• Sepia Sheepskin Rug

The Real Rug Company also has superb natural Flokati shag rugs in 8 different sizes, from large shag rugs to cover your living room or small area rugs for tossing about the house.

And they start at just £50. I think they are the cheapest genuine wool Flokati shag rugs I’ve found yet. And what’s more? All their Flokatis are hand-woven and made from 100% New Zealand wool and they come in these great versatile colors:

• Burgundy Flokati
• Cocoa Flokati
• Beige Flokati

The burgundy one is especially great on any rich hardwood floor.

Their natural grey/ brown Flokati, which when you see it you’d swear it had been dyed, is totally natural made from undyed wool, just that the sheep weren’t white to begin with! This style of shag rug blends natural brown , grey and white/grey to create this exquisite totally natural shag area rug that can be as large as 150 cm in a round shag rug for £150; or over 300 cm in a square or rectangular shape, the largest square or rectangular being priced just over £300. What an amazing bargain and what a fabulous product hand-woven from New Zealand drysdale wool. And get this, their most expensive round Flokati rug is 200 cm around. Yes, it’s a round shag rug, and costs only £265. That is a 2 meters of round shag!

And here’s a new shag for me…an eyeball shag rug…that has nothing to do with some weird art deco or modern abstract art style nor with a contemporary area rug that had eyes painted all over it. This is a luxurious, top quality New Zealand wool area rug, actually a deep pile shag rug, that has some felted shag areas with a slightly darker shade in the center of each large strand of felted wool.

These are each called an eyeball and they are not one bit scary, in fact their chic and elegant. Take a look at the close-up view of the felted eyeball and then also see how great it is when spread on the floor. The black eyeball is scarcely visible except for giving a slightly darker hue on the border, but when you’re sitting on it with friends, the soft eyeball shag rug will be a talking piece for sure.

If that hasn’t been enough shag to make you want to order one, then how about the Spring Twists collection that starts at just £48. and is created by twisting and wrapping fibers around each other so that the shag rug is not only shaggy but also bouncy with a super textured look that keeps it’s springy shag shape. This style of area rug is available in a unique blend of colors of brown and purple together. These subtle purple shag rugs have a pile of about 3-4 cms in depth. They’re also made entirely from high quality New Zealand wool. I don’t see how anyone can go wrong choosing one of these rugs, especially since the largest versions that are over 300 cms in length cost less than £400.

And on the topic of very individual style, here’s one last little number that might just be the final touch of color you’ve been looking for: an orange highlander sheep deep pile shag rug, and when I say DEEP PILE…I mean it’s over 10cm deep, and uses two tones of orange to give it richer carroty-red-orange sass like you’ve never seen in modern shag!

Here’s just a little information about the Real Rug Company you might find interesting (I know I did). They are not some great big corporate conglomerate or rug manufacturer, but a rug company based in Mypashmina UK that has been doing business for about 5 years. They offer their personal services and believe quality is the foundation of their business. Their website tells about Paul King and Caroline Persson who have been impressed by the quality and selection of shag rugs and area rugs they saw in Greece. They offer free samples of their Flokati shag rugs, too, all you nee to do is ask. They offer personalized attention and provide a telephone number and email for contact and say you can actually talk to the boss, which is rare in the rug world. They also believe in being environmentally conscious and selecting only top grade wools, natural dyes and minimal packaging. They also offer free delivery of their gorgeous area rugs within the UK, but I see they have an office in Nottinghamshire UK and in Göteborg, Sweden so I don’t know if they ship abroad, but you can drop them an email to find out. They also raise funds for charity through namastebanepa, which allows Nepali children to receive education. It seems to me that buying your next shag rugs from a company like the Real Rug Company may be a very sound choice.

PS: If you are pondering buying a shag rug, or a sheepskin rug or a flokati but are concerned because you need washable shag rugs, then rest at ease. Sheepskins and flokati are a washable rug, and here’s how: Just shake out all the dust or vacuum without rollers or brushes to get the lose dust and dirt out, then wash with a mild wool soap in cool water, not hot water because that could cause it to shrink.

You can do this rug washing by hand or, if the shag rug is small enough, you can pop it into the machine on a gentle cycle and then shake, shake, shake and air dry in the sun – in the sun if it is a white shag rug or natural color, and in the shade if it is a vivid color (like an orange or purple shag rug) because you don’t want the sun to bleach the area rug if it has been dyed. That’s it. Caring for your flokati or shag rugs or sheepskins is really easy!