When choosing a carpet, color will be one of the most important elements you should consider. It is the first impression a carpet gives you and it is the contrast of various colors that creates the different designs. This is just the same in all other art fields, where the same rule applies.

The colors of a carpet are mainly identified by the background color and the border color. The background color is dominant. It usually covers the entire carpet with the exception of the border and the most commonly used colors are various shades of red, beige and yellow. However, there are examples where the background and the border are so distinguishable as colorful designs will always outweigh the less vibrant color of the border.

To produce fibers of various colors to create beautifully colored carpets, we need the dyeing process. There are two types of dye - natural and synthetic. Natural dyes are still used today in many carpet-producing areas where sources are readily available. Compared with natural dyes, synthetic dyes are easily obtained, to use and less expensive. In addition, synthetic dyeing is colorfast and can produce an infinite variety of colors. Sometimes both types are used in conjunction to make a carpet so as to attain the best appearance and quality.

Color Symbolism

In China and many oriental countries colors as well as designs have symbolic meanings, especially in the past. Traditional culture and religious belief affected much in carpet-making. For more information please read style.

Red, the most widely used color has the meaning of happiness and great joy; yellow, gold and purple are the colors mostly used by Chinese Royal Family and they indicate wealth, power and majesty; dark colors symbolize solitude. In other oriental countries, colors are also symbolic. In recent years, color symbolism is less important, although it can still apply. This is because producers are meeting the requirements of an expanding export market and adapting to the needs of customers, especially of western customers.