Decorating with sheepskin or alpaca products can be a simple way to bring character to your home. They make great throw pillows, rugs, and even bedspreads. When looking at which fur to choose it is important to think about where you plan to display your rug and how much contact you are going to have with it. It is also good to consider whether you are going to use it for mainly decorative or more functional purposes.

Decoration vs Function While both types of pelt can be used for decoration or functionality, they do have different characteristics that may make one type more beneficial than the other. For instance, alpaca rugs come in many stunning designs with very intricate stitch work. This makes alpaca perfect for display purposes because it is eye catching and visitors are going to want to touch it and feel its softness. While sheepskin is also beautiful, it generally does not have as intricate designs and may not stand out as much as alpaca. On the other hand, sheepskin wool is much thicker, denser, and requires less stitching compared to alpaca. What this boils down to is that sheepskin will have more cushion and therefore be a little more comfortable to stand or walk on. In instances where you are going to place your rug in a high traffic area, you may want your pelt to be more functional than decorative. This being said, Sheepskin would be great for placing right next to your bed. Just imagine having those fibers between your toes!

Couches Sheepskin is great to lay on which would make it ideal for couches or beds. The fur is very dense and is better able to support your body than alpaca. This is because sheepskin evenly distributes your body weight and will keep you comfortable for longer. It's perfect for Grandma! Not only that but it will keep her cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Wool circulates air with ease releasing moisture in warm conditions while the hollow fibers trap warmth when the air is cool. When it comes to couches, shortwool may be better to get as opposed to long because the texture is more even and it will do a better job of weight displacement. Again, while alpaca is softer and silkier than wool, it is not as dense. Also alpaca rugs use more stitching than sheepskin rugs and you may be able to feel the stitch work while lying on them. Also alpaca rugs have a cloth backing to them which could cause the pelt to slip off when draped over a couch.

Rugs Depending on the location of the rug it may make more sense to go with one pelt over another. For instance, sheepskin would work great for under the coffee table. It’s a nice little accent to the table and gives your feet a nice border of thick fur to sink into. Alpaca would work too but most of the design would be covered up. Also if people will be walking on the rug daily it may be better to buy sheepskin. Both types of pelts are easy to clean so it isn’t really an issue of durability as much as the stitching required with alpaca rugs. Some places, the stitching will not matter as much. For example, if you are placing the rug in front of your fireplace, it will most likely not have a lot of feet running across it on a daily basis. You could have either sheepskin or alpaca there and it would look great, but if there isn’t anything in that area that is very eye catching, you may want to use alpaca.

Either way you look at it sheepskin and alpaca pelts may have a few differences but it doesn’t make one worse than the other one, it’s all about personal preference. Even if there is more stitching in alpaca, it still makes a great rug and is extremely soft and silky. Sheepskin may not come in as many complex patterns but sometimes simple is better. In any of the above scenarios either pelt would work and be an excellent addition to your home.