Now that you know what to look for when it comes to quality and you understand why some Oriental rugs are so expensive, it’s time to dig into the fun part -purchasing an Oriental rug for your home. We’ve put together a few important purchasing tips for you.
Look For All-Natural Materials And Hand-Woven Work
Genuine Oriental rugs are always hand-woven and made from all natural materials such as wool, silk, and cotton. If the rug you are looking at is machine-made or woven using synthetic materials, you know for sure that it is a fake. The dyes used in Oriental rugs are always sourced from natural ingredients such as plant parts.
Determine The Right Size And Style
Oriental rugs come in an assorted variety of styles and sizes, so you will have to take some time to figure out what will best suit the space where you will be placing it.
Do you want a large square or rectangular rug that takes center stage in a large room or are you looking for a smaller round rug to highlight just one area of the room?
Do you want the furniture on the rug, or will the furniture legs be off the rug but still surrounding the rug?
Would you prefer a circular rug, an oblong oval rug, a large rectangle or square rug, or are you looking for runners?
Perhaps you want to use your rug as an accent piece on a wall as a piece of artwork, rather than the more traditional rug.
Think about where you are going to place your rug and then choose the size and style to suit your needs.
Education Is Key
The best way to get ideas regarding Oriental rug styles and placements is to look through design magazines and books on how to use Oriental rugs in home décor.
Look through books with large color photographs if possible and check them out so you can really look at and get a feel for what some of these rugs or similar pieces might look like in your own home.
Take pictures of designs that you really love and want to recreate and take them with you when you go rug shopping to show salespeople. You may not be able to find that exact style or color, but the salesperson will be able to show you pieces that are closest in style to what you are looking for.
Remember – Oriental rugs are one of a kind so you will never find an exact copy of what you saw in the magazine. If there is, that means it may be a machine-produced synthetic.
Touch The Rug
Unless the Oriental rug is a fragile antique, you should be allowed and encouraged to touch and feel your potential rug.
Silk will warm up when it is rubbed and may even produce a slight luster. Wool may feel slightly scratchy, but it will be warm and softens up the more it is used. If the salesperson won’t let you touch the rug, walk away.
No matter what style or color you are looking for in your Oriental rug, or what your budget, you are sure to find one that suits your taste.
