About Country Braid House
Located in central New Hampshire, Country Braid House has been handcrafting braided rugs for over 50 years now.
George and Marion Jurta were the founders of Country Braid House. George was a great admirer of his mother-in-law’s hand braided rugs. He was fascinated by the repetitive motion required to make the braid and decided to build a machine to make it easier. In 1968 he patented his braiding machine and Country Braid House was born.
George & Marion ran the Country Braid House for close to 20 years before their daughter-in-law Jan Jurta and son Wayne and came into the business.
With Jan and Wayne at the helm, the business greatly expanded to include braided rugs in many shapes and sizes. Actually, they made what they believe is the largest braided rug ever at 10 feet wide and 54 feet long. It weighed over 550 pounds and was so large that a crane was required to move it into the 15th floor apartment in New York City.
They also expanded the shop to include a large selection of vintage hand braided and hooked rugs as well as an online store to buy in-stock rugs, wool & braiding supplies. They even offer a service to repair hand braided rugs.
This now brings us to today where Sarah Jurta, the granddaughter of George & Marion and daughter of Jan & Wayne, now runs the business. This third generation of ownership is building on a strong foundation of experiences and best practices. Sarah looks to continue this family business with fresh ideas & thinking to the very traditional world of braided rugs.
Country Braid House rugs have been featured in multiple magazines including: Veranda, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, House & Garden, The New York Times Magazine and many more. They have also been featured on New Hampshire Chronicle several times. Such a wide range of publications shows that braided rugs have been re-interpreted in a variety of ways as they continue to keep their warmth and appeal.
The showroom typically has over 100 rugs (both new & used) ready to go at any time and workshop is open to the public. Come in for a visit and hear the history of braided rugs, and how they design and create these beautiful pieces today.