Overdyed Vintage Rugs

Posted on | September 9, 2011 | 14 Comments

Would you ever try dying a worn out vintage rug? Spotted on pinterest a few months ago a selection of overdyed rugs from Loom in Australia. At first, I thought the colors were too saturated. But the blue and pink could be really pretty tucked halfway under a bed or in a child’s room. So where would find such a rug to dye? I would search markets like Brimfield or ebay. And maybe try dying it with fabric dyes in a large tub outside. Could be really cool. Anyone tried it?

psst…here are more overdyed vintage rugs available at ABC (stateside) for inspiration: abccarpet.com.

Category: textiles

Comments

14 Responses to “Overdyed Vintage Rugs”

meesch
September 9th, 2011 @ 11:53 am
I would love to do something like this, but I think the rest of your decor would have to be SPOTLESS and very crisp and clean… my apartment tends to get a bit untidy, so I would be worried that this type of rug would make everything look even more untidy!

-Meesch
http://www.aperfectkindofday.com
0 likes
Zelda
September 9th, 2011 @ 1:55 pm
I saw something like this at ABC Carpet & Home in New York (http://www.abccarpet.com/store/store/pc/Color-Reform-b9.htm?IDBrand=9&iPageSize=21&withstock=-1&Brand=Color%20Reform). It looked really cool, perfect for injecting color in a minimalist interior. They were wicked expensive though. Never thought I might be able to do it myself.
0 likes
Jerith
September 9th, 2011 @ 2:19 pm
I don’t think that I would attempt this as a DIY project, but I can definitely see it working in a kids room, a family room, or even a breakfast nook – especially if the rug was the color of grass or eggplants or tomatoes.

I have an antique rug from the mid 1800s that lost most of the color. I had it vegetable dyed in several different shades that are more vibrant than the original pattern, but there is definitely a lot of contrast to the rug still.
0 likes
kbd
September 9th, 2011 @ 2:34 pm
how on earth would you do it yourself? Just thinking logistics…
0 likes
Katy Elliott
September 9th, 2011 @ 2:38 pm
I don’t think you could do a huge rug but how about a small rug and use a big tub and soak it in the dye. And then rinse. Of course you would have to do it outside.

I’ve never done it, so I’m just guessing and using my experience from dying garments and yarn.
0 likes
S@sha
September 9th, 2011 @ 5:25 pm
I actually bought a cheap faded runner on ebay to try this very thing. I washed it in a big tub outside to see how it would dry, but that’s as far as I got. Maybe I’ll research dye and give it a try. The main sticking point that I saw was not being able to use hot water outside.
0 likes
Megan
September 9th, 2011 @ 5:35 pm
That’s neat, but I’m thinking an industrial size container to dye the thing in would be expensive/hard to come by.
0 likes
Katy Elliott
September 9th, 2011 @ 5:41 pm
Yay Sasha! A test subject!

I bought a big galvanized container at a local Agway when i was in college to dye things.
0 likes
KJ@letsgoflyakite
September 9th, 2011 @ 6:43 pm
We have a version in Canada through ELTE it is called a Second Life Rug. I absolutely love them.

http://www.elte.com/Toronto/Rugs/3/9824/Turquoise_Second_Life_Rug/27
0 likes
mopar
September 11th, 2011 @ 11:04 pm
I saw these at ABC, wouldn’t do it myself, too trendy. But I do know a girl who’s going away to college and planning to DIY, and I think that’s very cool.
0 likes
Liz Noonan
September 12th, 2011 @ 11:29 am
I have an old rug my MIL picked up on the sidewalk on Brooklyn, just bought some dye and am going to give it a whirl in our tub. I’m fine with doing this in my tub bc we have a blue tub. What could go wrong, right? (fingers crossed fingers crossed fingers crossed) I’ll let you know how it goes!
0 likes
Katy Elliott
September 12th, 2011 @ 11:30 am
How exciting Liz! I really think it could be cool.

I know they are a bit trendy but I like the new take on a traditional style. Kinda different and fun.
0 likes
nellie
September 16th, 2011 @ 2:04 pm
I have one in my bedroom that I purchased at ABC last winter. Yes it was expensive, but it’s also one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. It’s at once bright and soft, and it’s a great way to give an otherwise simple room some color.

I will never tire of this rug. Mine is saturated with varying shades of purple–wisteria, plum, lilac, lavender–and looks different throughout the day, as the light changes. For me, these overdyed vintage rugs are art underfoot…
0 likes
Crystalyn Kae
September 16th, 2011 @ 2:30 pm
Oh, this post is genius. I was just given a huge wool rug that’s not my style, but dying it. . .now there’s an idea. I work with textiles for a living but there’s no way I would attempt to handle such a huge, wet, dye-filled heavy thing in my house. I know that my local dry-cleaner will dye things – perhaps they’ll do rugs? Anyone tried?
0 likes