Braided jute rug

No wonder I think of these braided rugs as a truly American household staple: they've been popular since Native Americans came up with the idea (long before the settlers pinched it). Braided rug making is as much of a historic craft as quilt making for the U.S. - just less well known here. Like quilting, the idea was that you used up scrap fabric and remnants - braiding (or plaiting as we say here) the cloth into very strong lengths which are then sewn together to form a mat.

I can't think of any self respecting American household which doesn't have one of these very practical and lovely rugs. Whether you're style is 'Roseanne', 'Mad Men', or your Aunt's house somewhere on the East Coast you need one of these.

The Braided Rug Co. make these excellent oval braided rugs from jute meaning they're really very strong and long-lasting and you don't have to buy a plane ticket to the States to get one.