Rugs in Pop Culture
Even though area rugs can be masterful works of art they can still become a back drop rather than the feature in a room. An area rug can quietly provide a distinct ambiance in a room without overpowering everything else. Nowhere is there a better example of this than area rugs used in television and movies. TV and movie sets are designed to be a backdrop on which the actors carry a scene, yet every single prop is chosen with care and attention in order to convey a very specific atmosphere, this includes the floor coverings.
As someone who notices rugs everywhere, lately I have been noticing how ubiquitous traditional Persian area rugs are in the entertainment industry. It is an excellent demonstration on how a nice, traditional rug will never go out of style. I thought it would be fun to take a look at some of those "famous" pop culture rugs. Here are my 5 favorites (in no particular order):
1.) Persian Kashan on Shark Tank
If you haven't seen it, Shark Tank is a reality tv show on which ambitious entrepreneurs present their breakthrough business concepts in order to receive funding. The kashan has become famous for being the floor covering where the entrepreneurs stand while presenting their business ideas.
2.) Persian Kashan in The Big Lebowski
If you haven't seen the movie The Big Lebowksi then you are missing out on a late 90's cultural icon. In the movie, "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it. “That rug really tied the room together.” is a frequently quoted movie reference. That Kashan really did tie the room together....
3.) Persian Heriz on Friends
If you haven't heard of the television sitcom Friends you've probably been in a coma for the last two decades, but in case you are unfamiliar, it follows the personal and professional lives of six 20 to 30-something-year-old friends living in Manhattan. If you know the show, you'll remember their favorite coffee shop hangout, underneath their favorite orange, velvet couch is a beautiful old Heriz. You can see other great Persian rugs scattered about the coffee shop but the Heriz is the only one seen clearly enough to identify.
4.) Various Persian rugs on Elementary
This television show is a modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with the detective now living in New York City. My favorite part is that the character of Watson has been re-imagine as a female. Sherlock and Watson live in a run down old brown stone with some fabulous run down old Persian rugs. You never quite get a clear enough view of any of the rugs to identify them, but in general they all have the appearance of age and wear - which gives them some great character.
5.) Various Persian rugs on NCIS - New Orleans
A spin-off of the original NCIS, it is about the local field office of NCIS that investigates criminal cases involving military personnel in "The Big Easy" (New Orleans). The NCIS - NOLA team's office is full of great old Persian rugs. Again, you never quite get a clear enough view to see exactly what they are, but they all have some age to them. As a little extra aside, one of the characters - Sebastian (a quirky, brainy type) - also has some layered Turkish rugs in his house. They are all fun bright colors, they create a wonderfully eclectic feel.
Across genres, across decades traditional Persian rugs have held their decorative relevance. There isn't a better testament to the classic longevity of a great traditional area rug.
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