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Where did the Soviet tradition of hanging carpets come from?
And why did they do it at all? Is it just because it was so fashionable?
Try to remember the house you lived in as a child. Have you presented? Surely in the imagination pops up the view of the walls, hung with painted carpets. Their presence was considered a sign of wealth and taste. Now, at the mention of the carpet on the wall, some smile nostalgically, others shake their heads disapprovingly, considering it tasteless, and still others rejoice at it to this day. You can relate to this decor in different ways, but let’s figure out where this tradition came from at all – to hang carpets on the wall.
The carpet in the interior had many useful functions. They were far from always reduced to aesthetics; the considerations were purely practical.
Thanks to carpets, the house was warmer and quieter: they increased sound and thermal insulation.
Carpets delimited the space: they were hung as partitions, behind which were hidden storage spaces such as pantries, closets.
The carpet was a matter of status and luxury! They were proud of him, and therefore hung in the most prominent place.
They hid wall defects, lack of repair, wallpaper.
In eastern countries, the patterns on carpets certainly symbolized something, so carpets served as a kind of talismans and amulets from evil and bad luck.
Who invented it
If we consider the history of the East, then we recall the nomads and conquerors: both of them were forced to move around a lot, which means to erect tents. So that they would not be blown through, the heat was retained, and at least some kind of comfort was created, the tents were hung with woolen cloths with ornaments protecting from evil spirits. Later, this habit spread to the houses of the eastern peoples. Sabers, guns, stuffed animals were hung on the carpets, in general, it was like a plaque of honor: carpets and attributes on it were proud and demonstrated to everyone.
If you remember the history of the West, then here, too, there were carpets. Back in the XNUMXth century, the walls of houses were decorated with animal skins and tapestries. The goal was to create coziness in the room and keep it warm. Later tapestries were painted for beauty. Well, with the advent of full-fledged carpets, the habit of hanging bright canvases on the walls has blossomed. To get hold of Persian, Iranian, Turkish carpets was a great achievement, they were considered a luxury item.
Old carpet can still look very stylish.
- Photo Shoot:
- Interior design studio “by Danilenko”
Carpets in Russia
In our country, acquaintance with carpets began at the time of Peter I. They fell in love with the Russian people for the same merits: for warmth and beauty. But the real carpet boom came in the XNUMXth century. At that time, people living in prosperity were sure to furnish at least one room in an oriental style: with carpets, sabers and other exotic attributes.
And so it happened that in the days of the USSR, the popularity of carpets did not disappear anywhere. True, it was difficult to get them, they cost a lot. It would seem, wasn’t it easier to buy wallpaper, building materials and make a decent home decoration? But in Soviet times, not only were finishing materials in short supply and expensive, but decent wallpaper was almost a luxury!
In addition, the paper wallpaper did not protect against extraneous sounds coming from neighboring apartments. But the carpets smoothed out the situation with poor noise insulation in high-rise buildings.
It was for this that the carpet was so fond of Soviet citizens. If it was possible to get it, then it was definitely not hidden in closets, but hung in the most prominent places – on the walls! And then passed on by inheritance as a value.