Many people, even professional decorators, can be unfamiliar with alpaca and the options it provides for accessorizing and softening your living space. Yet alpaca is a versatile fur that can be found in many styles to match a range of decorative schemes. Alpaca fur rugs, comforters, pillows and wall-hangings are available in themes that are perfect for the place where you go to "get away from it all". Alpaca fur accessories are an excellent way to give your retreat a cozy and inviting feeling. Though you may be unfamiliar with alpaca, there are a lot of reasons to favor it when decorating your favorite spaces.

Alpaca fur is quite special. Most of it comes from alpaca herds high in the mountains of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. Grown in the frigid temperatures of the Andes, alpaca fur is lightweight, yet extremely warm and soft. The alpaca hairs that make up the fur are stronger and softer than even Merino wool. And tiny curls in the fibers create an unsurpassed silky sheen and softness. Alpaca bedspreads, area rugs and fireplace hearth rugs have a wonderfully smooth and cushy feel, without the prickliness associated with ordinary wool.

Alpaca fur rugs and other alpaca accessories are thick, luxurious and are available in both geometric as well as naturalistic themes to complement a wide array of decors. Alpaca fur grows naturally in a wider array of colors than almost any other animal. This warm color palette ranges from total black to grays, reds, browns, silvers, creams and white, providing a wide variety of decorating options with no danger of color fade.

Its easy to add alpaca accessories as key design elements of your loft, lodge, or country retreat. Native artisans use this wonderful variety to create designs that enhance any number of decorating schemes:

• Dramatic western and southwestern designs featuring wild horses, bears, buffalo, and howling wolves
• Safari designs with African animals such as gorillas, elephants, lions, and giraffes
• Cool geometrics and white-on-white patterns for contemporary and post-modern themes
• Custom designs to fit any decor

Alpaca is also nearly free of lanolin and other oils. This means that dust mites dont like to live in it, nor do the allergens associated with dust mites. Having no oils makes it harder for dirt to stick, so rugs, bedspreads, and anything else made from alpaca will stay cleaner. Its hypoallergenic qualities make it quite suitable for nurseries, playrooms and kids bedrooms.

Since alpaca is a remarkably light fur for its volume, it can easily be used as a wall decoration. Simply place your wall hanging where you want it on the wall, and affix it there using pushpins. The pins wont hurt the alpaca, and the thick fur hides the pinheads from sight. Here are a few design suggestions to let you see the possibilities:

• Soften up a hardwood floor or fireplace hearth with a fluffy all-white alpaca fur rug. Adding a soft underlay for additional padding can create a special dreaming space for you right in front of the fire
• Cover that less-than-exciting couch with an alpaca throw featuring a bold, geometric indian blanket” pattern
• Fill the space over the mantelpiece with an alpaca tapestry of galloping horses or playful brown bears
• Snuggle in bed on those chilly desert nights under your Kokapelli pattern alpaca bedspread or comforter (Kokapelli is a flute-playing Southwestern fertility deity)
• Warm up the area in front of the sofa with a soft, dense alpaca fur rug perfect for digging your toes in. Integrate a rustic style coffee table or matching alpaca pillows for a more finished look
• Accessorize the walls with alpaca tapestries in high-impact geometric patterns

Or for something completely different, put your own creativity to work! Alpaca rugs, bedspreads, pillows and wall hangings can be custom made to your personal specifications. Most people dont know how easy it can be to have a beautiful alpaca accessory created for their personal space. Through domestic-businesses, you can work with native craftsmen and craftswomen in Peru who will economically translate your original designs into a finished product.

Choose whatever shape, size and color scheme you need to fit your personal design objectives. Modify an existing pattern or supply one of your own. In just a few weeks you can have something to meet your exact decorating needs and in addition you will have the personal satisfaction of owning something made especially for you!

~ SoftRugs.com ~