Gorgeous Creatures has a large selection of cowhide rugs to choose from. We will show you how to choose.

It might all seem overwhelming, but realistically there are only a few hides that will match your personal selection criteria.

You need to think about these things:-

1. Size: What size cowhide you need?
2. Price: What do you need/want to spend?
3. Colour: What colour suits your decor?
4. Love: Which hide makes your heart sing?

If you can't come into the Gorgeous Creatures showroom, we can sort through our current stock and find a cowhide rug that best matches your needs. Then we can email you all the details including good photos of our suggested cowhide rugs for your approval.

Step 1) Cowhide Size

 

 

 

A very small rug is under 1.6sqm 'square metres'

A small rug is from 1.8msq - 2.2msq 'square metres'

A small medium rug is from 2.3msq - 2.7msq 'square metres'

A medium rug is from 2.8msq - 3.3msq 'square metres'

A large medium rug is from 3.4msq - 3.80msq 'square metres'

A large rug is from 3.9msq - 4.2msq 'square metres'

An extra large rug can be over 4.3msq 'square metres'

Ask yourself these questions. How big is the room or space? How big is the coffee table that will rest on top of the hide? Do you mind if some of the hide is partly hidden underneath your furniture?

Straight away this will narrow down the field, to a much less daunting number of options.

Don't forget that it is perfectly OK for some of the rugs to go under furniture. This helps to anchor a room setting of furniture. Try to position a cowhide rug at a 45-degree angle to the furniture for the best visual effect. Cowhides are asymmetrical so don't line up with walls or furniture. 

Step 2) Cowhide Investment

Decide what your budget will be for a cowhide rug. We use square meters as the way of measuring and pricing our cowhides. So the size & price are proportional. A smaller cowhide rug costs much less than a larger cowhide rug.

Be wary of cheap cowhide sold online. These are likely to be low quality and will develop issues like "hair loss" and "edge curling" very quickly. And cheap hides often say they are large when they are small by our standards.

Step 3) Cowhide Colours

Decide what colours you like, and what you think will suit your interior décor.

Black & white hides or chocolate brown & white hides are popular, but maybe a light beige or dark brown exotic hide will add more impact or blend better with your home decor? Look for contrast rather than exact matches.

We can help you with this decision, and make great suggestions. Be open-minded, sometimes it is a colour that you have not considered that is actually perfect.

So many times people have come into our showroom wanting a black & white cowhide, but they go home with something they had never thought of before. Don't try to match natural colours like brown perfectly with wood furniture, floors or fabric colours. They simply don't need to be the same.

Now we are narrowing the options down. There will probably be about 2-3 rugs left to consider.

Step 4) Comparison & Elimination

Now you need to start a comparison and elimination system. Just ask yourself, do I like this skin better than that skin? Be honest. Does it bring you joy! Don't think about what your friends might like, this is for you!

Eliminate one of the pair, and do it again until you have one or two cowhide rugs left. Eventually, one cowhide will be the ultimate winner by default.

See which cowhide you mentally justify & defend the most! That's the one! Your subconscious knows, even if your conscious doesn't know yet.

If you are in New Zealand, take these animal skins home on approval, to see how they look in your home. Look at them in natural light, and at night under artificial light. Look at them at different times of the day.

Take a few days to consider these selected hides, and by default one of the cowhide rugs will become your favourite. Easy right!!!

If you live outside New Zealand, the only way to do approval, is to make a decision and buy a cowhide rug, knowing that you can return it if you are not happy (the cost of return freight is yours to cover - and the freight to get the hide to you is not reimbursed as it has been consumed already).

What to Look For in a Good Quality Cowhide Rug 

• The skins should have an even balanced and natural shape - all four legs should be intact
• Healthy glossy hair is critical on a good quality cow skin rug
• Aesthetically beautiful colour & markings - this is a personal preference, you need to LOVE it!
• No ugly scared brands (some nicer brands are acceptable). Generally, no visible brands are preferred
• No reinforcements or repairs visible from the top hair-covered side
• No bald patches or cuts are acceptable at all

Don't buy a cowhide rug until you have watched this video!

Visit Gorgeous Creatures while in the Hawkes Bay
8 Otatara Rd, Taradale, Napier 4112 (by appointment please call or text first) Kirsty Mason Ph 027 222 6230
showroom@gorgeouscreatures.co.nz
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