Please help, I keep on spending all my money on home decor
( @happy.rugs / Instagram)
We all picked up hobbies during these seven months of quarantine. Some got into cooking, some picked up an instrument, and some got into making rugs.
Sure, making rugs is strange, but it’s actually so cool. So cool that TikTok has been bombarded with thousands of rug making videos.
Warning: the following videos are highly addictive.
TikTokers have been picking up rug-making left and right. Whether designs are glue gunned or woven by hand, these detailed rugs are all everyone is talking about. As of Friday, the hashtag “rugmaking” had about 21.4 million views.
But how does one even get into rug making?
Madeline Ronzoni, a senior marketing student at Bently University, is one of the many TikTokers who started making rugs after the trend took off on the app. Now, she has her very own rug business called Happy Rugs (@happy.rugs).
“In early August I was scrolling through the FYP when I came across a video of someone making a punch needle rug and I was immediately fascinated in making one myself,” Ronzoni said. “ I researched, watched YouTube videos, and read blogs for weeks about rug making until I finally found the courage to get the supplies, create a rug frame, and start making rugs. I became obsessed and after creating my first rug I knew I wanted to start a small rug shop and share my new passion with others.”
As of this month, Ronzoni’s first rug video has about 396.9k views and 82.6k likes. And it’s easy to understand why. After falling love with this rug myself, I found myself scrolling through the rug-making hashtag for an hour.
Ronzoni didn’t expect to gain the following she has, though. She’s always considered herself an artist and has dabbled in several different mediums, but rug-making’s a new passion. So when she went viral so quickly, she was shook, to say the least.
"I was hoping in the future with hard work and quality content a video of mine would one day go viral but I was definitely not expecting the first video I ever posted on my rug TikTok account @happy.rugs to be the first,” she said.
Ronzoni will be launching her website early this month so people can easily order their very own rug creation.
“Rugs are a piece of art that can be hung on the wall or placed traditionally on the floor to complement any space,” she said. It’s why she’s especially excited about opening custom orders. Custom rugs are a way for customers to express themselves within their own homes, she said.
Nineteen-year-old Marley, of MarzRugz on Etsy, also found herself with a new source of income after the trend circulated throughout TikTok. After scrolling through videos of aesthetically appealing stitches, she found decided to watch some tutorials on YouTube and learn how to make some rugs herself. Now, Marley makes a living off of her cool ass rugs.
Her rugs are usually about 2- or 3-feet, and can be in the design of anything from smiley faces to Takashi Murakami rugs.
Each of Marley’s rugs are handmade, so they can take anywhere from eight to 15 hours to make, depending on the size.
Like all art, though, rugs can be expensive. But, most TikTok rug makers try to keep their creations at different prices that may be able to accommodate a lot of people.
“I take custom orders through my Instagram DMs, and depending on the size and design I charge anywhere from $40 to $200,” Marley said. “There are a few designs up on my Etsy right now for less than that, though.”
Personally, I’m praying I never leave rug TikTok.
To check out the rugs for youself, find Madeline’s work at @happy.rugs and Marley’s work at @marzrugz on Instagram.
Hannah Engel is an Online Writer at Rowdy Magazine. Her simple pleasures include playing Animal Crossing, online shopping, and taking care of her plants. She’s passionate about fashion and travel. You can reach her at hannahengel2018@gmail.com