Sisal

Our homes need natural textures to transform them into living, breathing spaces. Sisal is an organic fibre that makes a beautiful, strong floorcovering.

Sisal is traditionally used in rope-making and the same qualities of strength make it ideal for floorcovering. Durable and hardwearing, it is also immensely versatile and can be woven into an extraordinary range of styles and patterns.

Grown in Brazil and East Africa, sisal is the leaf fibre of the plant Agave Sisalana. The fibres are extracted by crushing the pulpy leaves and are then washed, dried and graded before being spun into yarn.

Sisal also takes colour well and can be dyed. The quality of a sisal floorcovering depends on the origin of the sisal and the sophistication of manufacture. European-manufactured sisal floorcoverings are traditionally top of the range, using the best East African fibres; sisal grown and processed in Brazil is exceptionally strong.

Crucial Trading sisal includes top-quality boucle, herringbone and panama yarns. Classic shades range from deepest bronze through to palest silver and accent shades are more bold and adventurous, showing the immense versatility and beauty of this natural fibre.

---

Paper and Bamboo

Surprisingly strong and durable, paper floorcoverings are a practical and decorative option with a clean, crisp definition which works well in today's interiors.

Unlikely though it sounds, paper really is an extremely durable and very versatile floorcovering. Woven from spun paper, made from the pulp of coniferous softwoods, it is very strong and has resin added during the spinning process to increase the moisture-resistance of the fibre. This means that paper yarns are even less sensitive to moisture than other natural fibres. It can also be dyed and holds colour well without fading. The process of producing paper yarn from finished paper was first perfected by a Frenchman, Emil Claviez, around 1890. He took out patents for producing yarn from paper strips and for a spindle for twisting them. The development of paper yarns continued and up until the Second World War, it was still used for a variety of textiles including carpets. Crucial Trading's paper collection is woven from 100% twisted paper yarn. The collection comes in a variety of colours and weaves, available as rugs or as fully fitted floor-covering. It can be easily vacuumed and dry-cleaned.

---

Jute

Harvested by hand and dried in the sun, jute is an extraordinarily fine natural fibre with a silky soft lustre that transforms any interior.

With its silky soft lustre, jute is a finer natural fibre, best suited to areas of the house such as sitting rooms and bedrooms, rather than the more heavily used areas such as halls and passageways. A very versatile, adaptable yarn which weaves well, looks and feels good and comes in a wide range of natural tones.

Jute comes from a plant Genus Cochorous which grows in the hot damp regions of Asia, primarily in Bangladesh and India. These plants are herbaceous annuals which grow to a height of over three metres and the jute fibres are found in the inner bark of the stalks. Harvested usually by hand, these stalks are traditionally steeped in a sluggish stream until the fibres can easily be removed. Some two metres in length, the fibres are then washed and dried in the sun before being baled and sent to the spinning mills to be spun into yarn. From this very labour intensive, largely hand-crafted process comes a product which can be woven into a variety of designs. Crucial Trading's jute range encompasses tight boucle weaves, chunky tweeds and fine herringbones, lending additional depth to this exceptionally fine and versatile floorcovering.

---

Seagrass

Inherently strong and resistant, seagrass is a simple and natural alternative for beautiful floors throughout the home.

Crucial Trading pioneered the use of seagrass as a material for floorcovering and it is still one of the most popular, practical and widely used products in the company's range, suitable for use just about anywhere. It is strong, hardwearing, naturally stain-resistant and surprisingly impermeable to moisture.

As its name implies, seagrass is indeed a grass and sea water does play a part in its production. It is grown in China in paddy fields and at a certain point during the growing season, the fields are flooded with sea water. After harvesting and drying, the seagrass is spun into a strong yarn suitable for weaving. Its impermeability makes it hard to dye by conventional techniques so most products come in the original natural state. As withall plant-fibre floorcoverings, there are natural inconsistencies in colour and, occasionally, in the spinning and weaving but they tend to add rather than detract from its overall charm and effect - and Crucial Trading's strict quality control keeps it within a defined range. Crucial Trading seagrass is backed with a natural latex compound increasing its durability and making it easier to lay. As well as the original seagrass weave, the range also includes a chunky basketweave and a herringbone design using coloured sisal weft to accent the natural seagrass warp.

---

Coir

Coir is the natural solution for busy spaces, its strong fibres and highly textured finish are well able to withstand all the wear and tear of modern life.

Coir is probably the longest-standing of all the plant fibre floorcoverings and has been in use for many years as a particularly hardwearing and good value alternative to carpet.

Thanks to Crucial Trading's careful policy of sourcing the best fibres and the best techniques of manufacture, the coir range has been expanded and improved in recent years to produce a material of great strength and increased sophistication.

Coir comes from the fibres of the coconut husk that can be removed either by hand or machine. The former produces fibre of much better quality and is the only sort used by Crucial Trading. The husks are softened in sea water and then pounded with stones to remove the woody portion. The fibres are then combed and dried. Weaving is done on hand-operated looms.

Crucial Trading coir includes natural coconut and creamier bleached shades, as well as combinations of the two. The coir range comes in boucle, panama and herringbone weaves.

---

Wool

In tune with today's interiors, natural tones and natural weaves lend an exciting new dimension to this traditionally popular floorcovering.

The most familiar of all the natural fibres, wool has been used to make carpets for the best part of five thousand years. The only one of the Crucial Trading range to originate from animals rather than plants, it makes a superb natural floorcovering, being resilient, soft, warm and long-lasting. It is easily obtained, easy-to-weave and easy-to-care-for and is suitable for almost any location.

Unlike conventional carpet manufacture, Crucial Trading uses the natural qualities of wool to maximum advantage. Only natural shades are used, combined with traditional flat-weaving techniques to produce a range which is excitingly fresh, simple and texturally interesting.

The designs echo the plant fibre weaves in effect, sometimes in 100% wool, sometimes combined with sisal, linen or jute for additional texture. Tightly woven boucles contrast with softer, more cushiony weaves, to create a remarkable variety of effects suitable for any interior.

---