Cowhide, sheepskin and patchwork hides
A cowhide rug is a whole tanned hide with the hair on, in natural brindle, black‑and‑white, brown or dyed and metallic finishes; patchwork hide rugs are squares of hide stitched to a backing. Sheepskins are tanned with the fleece on, single, double or sewn into large rugs, in natural ivory or dyed. Reindeer and goat hides are hollow‑haired and shed. All are in modern interiors in Huntington, Roslyn, Manhasset, Rockville Centre, Long Beach and the Hamptons, and sheepskins are in nurseries and on chairs everywhere.
- Material
- Tanned leather with hair or fleece
- Risks
- Stiffening, shrinkage, cracking, hair loss, odor if soaked or dried slowly
- Never
- Immersion, steam cleaning, hot water, machine washing large pieces
- Common on Long Island
- Cowhides in living rooms, sheepskins in nurseries and on furniture
- Our method
- Inspection → dusting and brushing → hand cleaning with leather‑safe solution → controlled extraction → flat dry → conditioning and brushing
