Want the luxurious feel of silk area rugs without the high price of traditional silk? Bamboo silk is an emerging material in the rug market and has many of the same qualities that you love about regular silk — smooth and soft to the touch with a subtle sheen and good drape — without the high price.
Though bamboo silk shares many qualities with traditional silk, it also shares some of the best traits with cotton. Bamboo silk naturally breathes well and remains cool to the touch. This combination of qualities also make the material hypoallergenic and antimicrobial — good news for those with allergies, sensitive skin or concerns about mold! Bamboo silk was developed in China, the natural habitat of this woody grass. To make yarn fibers from this material, large amounts of bamboo stalks are crushed. Then the natural enzymes are allowed to take over and continue to break it down. Once that is complete, the cellulose fibers are separated from the rest of the stalk. The process is actually very similar to how flax fibers are extracted. Why is bamboo silk cheaper than traditional silk? Primarily, it’s because bamboo is a very simple plant to grow and is considered a renewable resource. The stalks can grow up to 75 feet high in a year, and it doesn’t even need to be replanted once it’s cut! Have you ever tried to remove bamboo from a garden? This plant can easily take over the whole garden if you don’t contain it and will keep growing back even if you chop it down. Compare that to the several decades it takes a tree to mature on a commercial plantation. One of the other differences between bamboo and other crops is that it doesn’t need pesticides, so most bamboo is organically grown. plus, it’s biodegradable if it isn’t mixed with other types of fiber). Plus, bamboo silk is biodegradable if it isn’t mixed with other fiber types. Bamboo silk has been used to make a wide variety of items in many Asian countries, including clothing and yarn art. Most recently, rug experts have begun using the material to make beautiful, intricate area rugs that are more affordable than their traditional silk counterparts without sacrificing style or design. At Alyshaan Fine Rugs, bamboo silk area rugs have just started to come in. Come check out the luxurious feel of this new material at our store in Scottsdale!
