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Cowhide is distasteful IMO, looks like roadkill on your floor. Any kind of animal skin, fur is aweful.

I own an authentic Texas cowhide bought from the Houston Rodeo, although I've yet to figure out how to incorporate it into my current decor. It used to adorn my parent's bed on top of the comforter.

A thought I had was to tack it to a wall behind a large piece of furniture (TV armoire) since I live in an apartment where I am not allowed to paint the walls. Thus giving texture and color to the wall besides the oh so lovely creamy tan.

One thing I will say about the IKEA hides is that the actual cow hair is very flat, thus making for an ideal for a rug. The cow hide I have, has longer hair along the peak of the back, thus making it a little more textured. One might trip easily if I did decide to lay it out as a rug.

Cow hides don't always have to be associated with "country", "rustic" or "log cabin" looks. They can be a fun conversation piece. :) *signed - a Texan*

Is it just me, or is $250 not a "cheap" rug?

ok... here's the deal...cowhides are not like mink or ermine, or baby seal fur, or ivory tusks...cows are not killed or hunted to the brink of extinction for their hides. they are raised and slaughtered for their innards not the hides.

i think that if we are going to do the deed, we need to use it to it's fullest capacity. leave nothing to waste (that sort of ideal)

don't get me wrong, i love cows, i used to hang out in the fields of neighboring farms with them all year long when i lived on a farm (we didn't raise cows) as a kid. i wrote stories about em and some of my fondest memories have to do with the gentle lowing and sound of chewing cud emanating from these gentle animals.

is not buying these rugs going to stop the slaughterhouse, an emphatic no, because it is just a by-product of the meat trade. only a massive halt of meat purchases is going to do that, and we all know that is never going to happen. sad but true!

so i say go to town, if you like em, buy em. the animal didnt die so you could have a rug, it died so you could have that 99cent whopper jr.

I certainly do think $250 for a fairly large cowhide rug is considered a "cheap" rug. Now if the rug were some olefin piece of $%^^ you get from Target, then, no, it would not be worth $250.

In any event, as a vegetarian, this rug kind of grosses me out. Also, IKEA seems to have missed the curve on this one -cowhide rugs mixed with modern (bauhaus) furniture seemed to be the rage five years ago, but you just don't see it as much anymore. And if you do see someone do it recently, it does look kind of cliche'd.

ubertimmo make a good point.

that said,
I think they are kind of played out.. too popular right now.

In know cow hides can just be hosed down to clean (at least that's what I've been told), but does anyone know if they can be placed outside?

I have been drooling over Kyle Bunting's cowhide rugs for a while, but am waiting until I actually settle down somewhere to invest in one.

http://www.kylebunting.com/

Love em, and my cat loves them too.

Thank you ubertimmo, that was a well articulated point. I was excited about seeing these in my local IKEA, and seem to remember that they had a smaller version too. (I was thinking of picking up a few small ones and recovering my dining table chair cushions).

Speaking of hide - anyone have a good suggestion on how to clean? The broom works well, but my white spots are looking a little dirty (tried using a sponge with soapy water, but found that too much rubbing pulls the hair out)

If you have a good method I'd love to hear it!

Thanks!

I think having them sell at IKEA for $249 proves the point that they're time is over.

Ack! Their...

i really just have to say that those of you who think these hides are byproducts of the beef you buy are really misinformed. leather products generally do not come from the slaughterhouse. its certainly easier on the conscience to think that its a good thing because you're "using up the whole animal", in truth your not.
(and no im not a vegetarian or whatever, but i just get annoyed when people think that leather comes from the beef industry.)

Cleaning a cowhide rug....very easy! I've had one for about ten years. I take it outside and lay it on the concrete patio and hose it off. If it needs it I use a gentle shampoo that I mix in a bucket with water and pour over the whole rug. After rinsing, I just let it dry flat outside. You are going to have some hair loss over the life of the rug...just part of it.

i walked by these in ikea the other day. wow, what a stench.

i also grew up in the slaughterhouse district of toronto. i spent my childhood walking through the blood-puddled streets & seeing the lifeless hides & carcasses tossed asunder. i'm vegan, pro-animal rights, and an environmentalist.

that being said..
i think cow hides can be a good look in the right apartment, but i wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole,
and i'd probably think a little less of the person who decorates with them for using skin as a rug (creepy), and complete lack of consideration for the effects factory farming has on the earth. very UNenvironmentally conscious.

i 2nd what ova said, as well. you're not doing anyone any solids by using up the 'entire animal'. you're not Inuit.

Link to info to support that claim, please, Ova?

"i'd probably think a little less of the person who decorates with them for using skin as a rug (creepy), and complete lack of consideration for the effects factory farming has on the earth. very UNenvironmentally conscious."

Agreed. Skin as anything but skin is just gross.

Yes Ova, please let me know where the cows that are raised for leather and not meat are.

Know where your meat comes from and look for humanely raised and slaughtered food.

I'm an omnivore, anti-cruelty, and an environmentalist.

i didnt mean that leather in general doesnt come from beef cows, it does, and it comes from all sorts of other animals too, but cowhide rugs come from cows specifically killed for the skin. reading it now i realize that i wasnt clear. at all. haha.

anyways, while there probably are small farms that do "use the whole cow", i grew up on a beef farm and i can assure you that the cows we ate never ended up as rugs on the floor. i also doubt that ikea buys from the small farms or that they really care where the hides come from.

and yes max, i fully agree re: knowing where your meat/food comes from.

I was wondering what the reaction would be after people compared the use of antlers and sheepskin in one small/cool apt to Hannibal Freaking Lecter. I'm surprised to see so much anti-animal on here.

Personally I love the look of them but I would worry that my one pee-happy cat would love them TOOO much.

(Also, those against cowhide -- how do you feel about leather sofas?)

These are $199 at my local IKEA (canton, MI). i bought one, hated it and returned it........alas

Their time has been and gone, imho.

I once saw a beautiful "winter" dairy cowhide.
Long fluffy hair in black and white.

I am not sure why I want to point this out, but to all the people that complain that "poor little veal calves live their whole lives in a 3 foot by 3 foot pen"

Veal calves are the male dairy calves. They are not needed to produce milk, they only need one bull for every 50 cows and they don't have the muscling to produce good meat. As veal, they bring a higher price and have a purpose. They are removed from their mamas because they can not drink all 30 gallons that she produces a day and can not fit with her in the milking chute. So they are put in in small pens and bottle fed. By the way they are only about 2 feet long and a foot wide. They are "processed" into veal at about 2 or 3 months and have each other for company.
So even if it WAS torture, it is a lot less time than many POWs spend in captivity. They have company, they are hand fed, well fed, and have plenty of room to move around, but not always room to run. There is a small dairy farm down the road and they have a large pen set up with little shelter for the calves. They will run and play in the sunshine and grass together until they are hauled off to be eaten.

There is always the right way to do things, and the wrong way. The wrong way often gets the most attention.

Cattle that are tense at time of death, produce chemicals (adrinialin) that makes their meat tough. If they are surprised and don't see it coming, the meat is better. So it is good business for the cattle to be calm at all times.


They do send the hides from beef cattle that are slaughtered to the leather processing plant. Hair on hides require more attention and are handled in smaller numbers from the plant of their choice.

The life travel of the IKEA rugs is probably from one farm with proper fencing to one slaughter house to one hide processor. Not lots of farms to one of many slaughter houses to one of many leather processors.

Side note. Here in the Midwest we get a lot of stupid commercials about buying California cheese. Dairy cows do produce a minimum of 20 gallons of milk a day and drink about 30 to 40 gallons of water to produce that milk.
While California is in a drought, they want us to support worsening that drought.

I like my Wisconsin cheese from just south of the land of 1,000 lakes and not suffering from a drought.

Really, I am not trying to start anything, just share info.

The California Dairy ads really do annoy me. They are dopey and are so amazingly hypocritical.

I am not a farmer and even I know that dairy cows use huge amounts of water.

Those of you who revile the rugs: Do you own any leather shoes, belts, bags, sofas, carseats, iPod cases, or jackets?

Look, the basic aspect boils down to the idea that these are a byproduct of the meat industry. It's true. That double whopper you had last tuesday used to be wrapped in Brattby. One cannot hate leather in this form, but accept it in another - and I'm sure you own at least ONE thing with leather on it.

I would not buy this rug. To me (like others) it looks like roadkill... or like a cartoon cow fell onto my livingroom floor from 50 stories. However I don't think people should be reviled if they purchase one. Freedom of choice means that people will make choices you don't like.

oh, and yes... $250? Kinda a rip-off IMHO. If you live in a city with a garment district (like LA or NY) just go there and buy one for $40. You can even call it FLÜRG if you want.

Since when did we advocate the way POW's are treated?

Also my husband is a strict vegetarian. He doesn't eat meat or fish or any animal by products. He also does not wear ANY animal products nor would he own a leather sofa OR a cowhide rug. It is wrong to assume all vegetarians are hypocritical.

Also fine leathers are not likely to come from cows bred for beef.

I am not a vegetarian. I am not offended by the use of the rug (though it wouldn't be allowed in my house ;) )
I simply do not like it! I don't think it'd be particularly comfy underfoot either!

Does anyone know how to keep the edges from curling up?

A common problem with these rugs, especially the cheap ones, is that after time the edges start to curl upwards.

Aren't there any creams, jams, salves, or jellies to prevent my new BRATTBY from becoming a hot trannie mess??

BTW I love the non-spotted version!!

www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com

kelsi,

If you and your husband live in the United States, I sincerely doubt he avoids the consumption of animal products (unless you've limited this discussion entirely to what he eats and/or wears). You'll find bits of animals in many:

cosmetics,
medicines/vitamins,
alcoholic beverages/non-alcoholic beverages,
plastics,
paints,
automobiles,
food/baked goods/candy/etc.

The question is... how far are you willing to go so that your behavior/purchasing habits conform to your ethical beliefs? When during this process, exactly, do you become justified condemning others for their behavior/purchasing habits?

I'm not impressed with this category of argument on a web site devoted to conspicuous consumption.

My personal opinion is that it's simply tacky.

My parents had one of these when I was a kid. I always didn't really like to walk on it and found it sort of weird.

Personally, I am not crazy about them as rugs. I do however, love them as upoloustry fabric. In fact this item is not new at IKEA. I bought this rug from Ikea about over 2 years ago for about the same price. They are much cheaper on Ebay.
BTW, my Bratby is now cut up and sewn into seat covers.

I'll side with those who think that once something appears at IKEA, its time has been and gone. Which annoys the hell out of me, as I love my three vintage cowhide rugs.

cowhide rugs are truely in bad taste . You may consider leather shag rugs from a company like http://www.rugsusa.com. Rugs USA sells them at a lower price if you call them at 800 982 7210

I'm still hoping someone will answer bitterfoodie's question about how to keep the ends from curling up...or better yet, does anyone know how to get the edges uncurled after they have curled up? We were actually considering velcro on the bottom edges and to the floor. The showroom that we bought ours from had used some kind of duct tape.

Gaffer's tape may be what the showroom used. "The adhesive used is a high quality synthetic rubber which leaves little or no residue when removed." It's handy stuff.

Y recommend this great cowhides Store:
Fine collection of of cowhide rugs, decorative sofa pillow covers and cowhide blankets.
All products are handcrafted to comply with the highest exporting standards. !!!

Very late to the discussion above but firstly the answer to the curling rug problem is fat. So a little baby lotion, lanolin, (otherwise know is sheep fat from wool) rubbed into the back and front should soften the rug and keep it flat.

As for the vegan's of this world, its a perfectly valid human choice that should be respected but the facts simply don't work in any developed countryside. Cow farms (proper organic ones) provide the best environment for all natural wildlife in a pastureland area end of story.

Get rid of the cows, plant turnips, fertilize and pesticize and hey presto, 90% of local wildlife dies or moves if it can.

Obviously feed lots and indoor factory farms should be given the heave ho. And if that means meat goes up in price so be it.

PU leather (the vegans choice for leather) sterlises thousands of workers each year in factories, and causes loads of health issues with VOC's well before its waste stream pollutes the rivers and kills, yes you guessed it the animal life and the people who rely on the water. Oil is also not a renewable as is leather but that's another issue. Ask your supplier if the orkers wear the respirators required by law in China.

Tanneries using heavy metals such as those in IKEA's product also have serious problems with waste.

But the hide represents less than 6% of the animal value to the farmer so unless he/she is insane he/she is not rearing the animal for hide.

The questions for the rugs are very simple and someone should ask Ikea.

How was the cow reared and where under what Regulations.
How was it slaughtered
How was the hide processed
What happened to the waste.

These questions should be answered for all animal products so consumers have free choice and know if something is cheap or not and whether they wish to buy into that supply chain or not.

My guesses are as follows

These are Argentinian or Brazilian Cowhides

Farming is generally okay but getting worse and too much rainforrest is being cut down to make them really okay.

The Slaughtering system is generally un screened so the animal is unneccessarily stressed (no cost to remedy no current desire from consumers) and you get better meat as pointed out above, and Lairages leave a lot to be desired.

Transportation distances of live animals are questionable.

The Tannery is Chrominum based

Effluent controls are most likely up to local legal standards but BOC in waste water will be 300-400 range. IF there is a biological secondary treatment which there should be.

Waste goes to landfill, lasts 1 million years and normally leaks.

Hexavalent Chromium Six levels in the rug would need to be checked to ensure its below legal limits of 3ppm. Its a carsinogen and occurs if Chrome tanning is not done well.
But DO NOT burn this rug as its illegal and it WILL release carsinogens. Think Erin Brockovich

Overall Product Miles would also be seriously questionable as local American cattle also make beautiful rugs and natural tanneries exist in US.

Price is okay but nothing special for such an item.

But for the US market a Naturally raised free range Beef cow or better an USDA NOP certified organic beef cow, with a local brain,smoke or genuinely vegetable tannage, although higher in price and slightly firmer, represents a cheaper product for everyone and every species involved.

But everyone can make their own minds up. I would not buy this product, but IKEA are currently doing amazing and un sung great work with better cotton so hopefully they are also thinking about their leather sourcing.

The Surya Duke area rugs are similar to these
They are 7 feet wide and cost more but are very nice.

The ikea price of $249 is pretty reasonable for brick and mortar stores. west elm has a similar cowhide rug for $329. I have also seen cowhide rugs at arhaus for $600 . I'm not sure if there is a dramatic quality difference between the different price points, I'm sure that the stores price the hides based on their target market.