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.

Now imagine short strands of mohair or wool laid out flat, this would be the rug pile, and now place some yarn and twist it together so that the edges of the two strands will be at right angles from the core. It’s essentially a soft bottle brush or a pipe cleaner r a caterpillar, right? If the yarn is silk or soft wool or mohair, it will not be bristly but cozy and fuzzy and very soft.

Now imagine the right angle fibers that create the double pile effect are left long. That’s a chenille pile shag rug. Some f the newer chenille rugs are also made of fine acrylic or rayon, and even from olefin, although the best quality and softest rugs will be made of natural fibers. Although the best will also be hand twisted or tufted, there are machines that made chenille rugs too.

The biggest drawback to chenille rugs is that exactly what makes them so soft, namely the added fibers at right angles, is what makes the weave delicate and susceptible to shedding. This has somewhat been helped by a process of melting nylon to the tip of the yarn at the base so as to attach to the backing, but all chenille area rugs tend to shed a little or a lot depending on the quality.

If chenille shag rugs are what you want, be aware that after a time, if placed in high traffic areas, these fabulous shag rugs may get some bare spots.

The good thing about these rugs is that they can usually be hand washed and dried flat or tumble dried in a dryer on low heat. They shouldn’t be hung because they are prone to stretch.

There are great colors available in this type of shag and most rug manufacturers have a selection of chenille to choose from. For super soft shag there’s the Chenille Blue Shag Rug, hand-woven of natural chenille fibers, that is not only super shaggy but super soft and could be a good choice for a kids rug.

Really, Really Shaggy Goat or Sheepskin Shag Rugs

The ultimate shag rug is not woven but comes straight from sheep or goats. Some may be what you know as a sheepskin, with the leather hide as backing, and some may be woven or tied versions onto other backings. Some of the best and shaggiest area rugs are the flokati rugs that originated in Greece. But now there are many variations on the traditional Greek flokati goatskins and sheepskins that still use the same name.

The true flokati is very expensive (probably over $200 for a small to medium size), but there are good imitations in wild and fun colors and shapes for a lot less. For example consider the flokati round area rug for under $27. It comes in super funky pink shag rug, purple shag rug and black shag rug for the same price. The white shag rug version comes in sizes and shapes that start at $33.00. A medium white shag rug in flkati design is between $60 and $75. A Flokati white shag rug that’s quite large and will cover a good sized living room floor will cost between $290 and $390.

Many designers of contemporary apartments, lofts and even studios and dens, are using one or two simple animal motifs like the zebra rug to add a dash of difference to a crisp black and white and chrome minimalist area, or to add zing to a neutral living room space, such as a rug in front of a fireplace or under a footstool. They can also be used like an afghan throw on a leather sofa, be it a black modern design or a classic cream or beige. Since a zebra rug need not be a zebra skin it can be as soft as a blanket if woven or knotted in wool, especially in chenille or a plush shag design. There are also some very unusual creations in colors other than black and white.

Contemporary Purple Zebra rug

Want a purple zebra rug? You may be in luck. There’s a Purple and Black design made by Nejad Rugs in their African Safari Collection. The purple shag rug comes in a variety of sizes and starts at just over $200. Each rug is hand made in China or India from high quality wool. As a kids rug this zebra motif in purple is perfect, but there are other animal skin designs in other colors available too.

Zebra Shag Area Rugs Cost

Dalyn also makes a Super Shag Zebra Area Rug that is crazy cool and huge! It’s a 12 foot round shag rug with really long shaggy fibers in black and white, but it’s very expensive, over $2,000.

As you can see, unless you choose a very cheap area rug that is made of polyester and has the zebra design printed on it, a zebra rug is not cheap. For example one of the best rugs of this type, hand woven in India, with a 1.5″ thick pile, made from New Zealand wool and iridescent strands of polyester, that comes in brown, black, tan, and beige, and your choice of round shag rug or rectangle or as a long runner, costs about $900.

It is not machine or hand washable and must also be professionally cleaned, although it can be vacuumed using a wand – not with the upright rotary brush home vacuum. There are a few other acrylic, polyester or nylon printed zebra rugs that are $150 to $200, but although they look fantastic they are not as plush or shaggy as the more expensive rugs.

These are not what you think when you hear leather. They are not tanned animal hides, cow hide or sheepskin but a tied or woven item in the shag style.

A spaghetti leather shag rug is made of long, delicate strands of very soft leather or suede.

The most subtle, delicate and unique of all is the fine spaghetti shag rug made from Italian or Spanish calf or kid leather. These are shag rugs that employ slender strips of leather, like spaghetti, which are then hand tufted into a cotton backing. They are plush thick rugs, very different from the flat weave leather rugs that look like car seat protectors. They are fluffy not smooth. The great thing about these rugs is that they bring that wonderful leather smell to any room, even if they are a bizarre or none traditional color. They come in everything from tan or brown to neon bright funky modern pinks and purples.

Not Cheap Shag Rugs

Real leather area rugs are not cheap. Like all true leather home furnishings, be it a sofa a chair or a footstool, if made from leather they will cost a pretty penny. For a medium sized design expect to pay anywhere from $250 to more than $400. You may be able to find a small handmade rug that super soft suede for about $60, but it will be very small. Most can be spot cleaned with warm water and mild soap but otherwise, as with all leather products, they will require professional rug cleaning from time to time.

One 8 foot round leather Spaghetti shag rug in a rich brown color, which has been hand tied and has a leather and cotton blend, ultra soft and cozy is a great value for just under $220.

Leather Area Rugs and International Shipping

If you are hoping to order a leather shag rug from an online distributor, please be aware that many leather products cannot be shipped internationally. It is best to find an online rug merchant who is in your own country if possible and has already gone through the leather import process on your behalf.

Leather Shag Rugs and Fire Resistance

The other thing to be careful about is that some leather rugs are not fire resistant and may not be a good idea to have near the fireplace or in the kitchen. Please check the label for fire retarding protection before selecting a leather area rug or any kind of shag rug, be it a wool shag rug, a cotton shag rug, or a leather shag rug, especially if it is to be a kids rug or will be anywhere near a radiator, water heater, stove or open fire.

Leather Shag Color Variations

Another thing to be careful with when buying a leather area rug is the color. What you see on your screen (when shopping online) may not be exactly what you receive in the mail. Exact color matching is almost impossible. There are two ways to help: Order a swatch first. Visit a carpet retailer in your area and see the colors and then order online for better prices. However, even when you buy leather rugs in a shop you will note that no two leather products will take to the dye in the exact same way.

So, if you need two identical area rugs, buy them at the same time and from the same merchant. Even then there is no guarantee. Color variants in leather are not just a little different, but can be very noticeable. That however is part of the charm of natural shag rugs as a whole, they are natural and hand made and will not be manufactured mimicked copies of each other.