I'm giving away this 8 ft. round wool flokati rug that I used in my Showhouse space this past spring. Premium quality, Greek, 3000 grams/m2, my cost was $765.00. Color: Natural. Shipping is free in the lower 48 states.

Flokati rugs have an interesting history, dating back to the 5th century AD. Originally from a village in Greece, where shepherds wove the wool from their sheep for blankets to keep them warm. The story goes that one day, the shepherds left a blanket in the waters of a stream and when they went back to get it, they found the backing had felted together and the wool had unraveled to create the pile. Word spread across Greece and the Flokati became a popular product, used in all kinds of ways.

Flokati rugs gained popularity in America in the 70's when shag rugs and carpets were in style. Now it has become popular again, bringing a luxurious, retro feel to modern interiors. To get more information on flokati rugs, see flokati.com.

It was so funny to see the reaction to the flokati in my Showhouse room. Some people had no idea what it was and then there were people who commented that their mother or grandmother or aunt had one years ago. One middle aged man commented that he took his mom's flokati to college with him for his dorm room/bachelor pad. He said that rug saw some great times!

Flokati rugs come in varying pile heights or weights. You may find an 8 ft. rd. flokati at a much cheaper price, but if you look at the weight, you will see the difference. There are also a lot of imitation wool rugs out there too, but a real flokati is 100% wool. It does not have a stiff backing, they are actually quite lightweight, and fold up like a bath mat.

Here's an example of the pile height/weight difference in quality levels.

1400

2000

3000 - (This rug is 3000!)

4000

You can't vaccuum them, you just shake them out. For a deeper cleaning, wash them in the tub and then hang to dry. You can even comb them with a dog brush to separate the fibers and fluff them up. More details on cleaning a flokati can be found here.