Tips for buying the best Persian rug

Many cities in Iran are involved in carpet making industry and each and one of them have their own niche. Every region of the country has its own style in weaving and design creating, so style in Persian rugs is mainly depended on cities and usually has its own name as well. Cultural peculiarity, natural environment, raw materials - everything has an impact on the final product which is a Persian hand-knotted rug. As you can tell, there have to be a huge diversity on market and you can become easily overwhelmed with so many options, but there are a few tips you can use and make your task of finding the best product for yourself easier.

Handmade or machine made?

First things first you have to choose if you want hand-knotted rug or machine made. Machine made rugs are basically made of synthetic materials - polyester, polypropylene. If you are planning to use a rug for a small amount of time you could buy machine made but if you are willing to use it at home where you have kids it is not recommended. Machine made rugs contain the same matter as plastic so after some time it starts to release some organic compounds which are very dangerous for kids, pregnant woman and every person with weak immune system. Another disadvantage of mechanic rugs is synthetic fibers which are easily flammable. So our recommendation will be - if you want to enjoy your rug for a long time and take care of your family members' health, you should pay a bit more for a handmade, authentic rug and not worry about anything.

Rug shape and size

For size, all you have to do is measure your room and determine where you want to use a rug. If you are planning to buy a carpet to use it under the furniture, sofa, dining table, coffee table and etc. rectangular shape is the best choice. Round rug looks better to use under round table or under armchair. Persian runner is for halls, bathrooms it is up to you. When it comes to size you are the judge, you just have to have to have exact measures before you leave to buy a rug.

Color

There are few colors that can be received from natural materials and you should try to look for a rug which has these colors so you can purchase woolen rug with natural dyes. Red, blue, brown and etc are usually natural colors. Also consider colors of walls and furniture. You can check out our blog about colors and their meaning here and get more information that can hopefully help you.

Quality of handmade rug

You can determine the quality of rug without being an expert, just use these tips. Check the back of carpet, density of knots can tell you about many things. First, if it is handmade or not - if knots are uneven, one is bigger than another, distance between knots is changing. For machine made knots are even, pleasant for eye but don't let it trick you. Second, the closer the knots the better. In square inch 120 knots are very good, it means the rug is densely weaved and has the best quality.

Material

Natural materials are - wool, silk, and cotton for base, or as we call it warp. The quality of wool depends on the breed of sheep, climate and time of shearing. Wool carpets are matte when silk is shiny. If you see a woolen carpet which has a shine you should know that it probably contains polyester. As mentioned before wool does not shine, it should be completely matte. There are wool-silk rugs, in which silk acts as a warp and wool as a pile. Material is one of the most important aspects so you should take into account every detail.