Finding the right rug for your space can be like dating — there is a certain magic, chemistry, and emotional connection that either happens or it doesn't. We believe that people should feel confident to trust their instincts, but understand that shopping for a vintage rug or an antique rug is quite different from looking for a new rug. It requires a set of knowledge that's not always readily accessible.
If you’re afraid of not being able to discern whether a vintage or antique rug is authentic, whether you’re getting overcharged, whether it’s even in good condition, you’re certainly not alone. At abc carpet & home, you can trust our meticulous curation process. We’ve been in the rug business for over a century — yes, more than 100 years! — we only buy rugs we love, special pieces with a story that are in great condition. One of the benefits of shopping with us is that our decades of experience can help give you the confidence you need to buy antique rugs, all you have to do is look around and fall in love.
If you’re just getting started on your rug-buying journey, we’re happy to share a few pointers about how to buy an antique rug or a vintage rug, straight from our SVP of Product Development, Haynes Robinson (aka, a super enthusiastic rug collector!).
We’re so glad you asked — buying a rug that already exists is a more sustainable option for the earth and sometimes is a collectors’ item that can appreciate in value. Perhaps most importantly, however, they have distinct character and unpredictability that is hard to find in newly made rugs.
The best material ingredient in antique and vintage rugs is time. With time, colors fade and oxidize, piles wear down, and a certain lived-in harmony that only comes with time.
There are many qualities that make antique and vintage rugs so special. They personify the era they’re from, have been built to last, and have lived many lives. They carry an energy that can be felt, there’s something quite romantic in that! For example, Turkish Kilims are heritage rugs that were built to last.
We find that there are two different ways to look for the perfect antique rug. Some people prefer an emotional connection, others prefer finding it based on style preferences, others prefer both!
It’s possible to find a rug based on your feelings — often, seeing the right piece can send our hearts racing. A connection is there, even if we can’t explain it. That could be because of the way it looks, but it could be some kind of special connection to the rug’s past or how it was made. Either way, the feeling is undeniable, emotional, and strong!
The other way to shop for a vintage and antique rug is based in style — it’s rewarding to find the perfect complement to your space, knowing that it’s not mass produced (see our post that include vintage Khotans, one of our favorites). No one else will have a rug like your vintage find or antique treasure, and there’s something so satisfying about that. Below are our tips on everything to consider when buying a vintage or antique rug.
When you find a vintage or antique rug you like, you actually don’t want to be too perfect. In the words of Haynes, “If it’s too perfect, it becomes boring very quickly.” Those little random characteristics engage your eye and your spirit. At abc, we try to avoid the homogeneity of machine-made perfection in almost everything we do, which is why many of the objects we carry are made by hand. We embrace the variations and oddities that create the character of a rug.
Some antique pieces use lots of blue greens and have one spot with a red or orange color. When a dye is sharp and out of context, it’s often a bit undesirable, like a dissonant note in an otherwise beautiful musical chord. You want to see harmonious colors that all look and feel like they belong together, rather than a distracting splash of color here or there.
A "color adjustment" just means hues that have faded, been redyed, overwashed, or oxidized. As long as the aesthetic is what you’re looking for, it’s quite alright! With years of sunbathing, light wear, and time, a naturally dyed blue and red rug might be medium blue, five to ten shades lighter. Reds may come down to a soft terracotta.
Little known fact: antique or vintage rugs were often painted, because retailers would have existing inventory that didn’t fit current decorative conditions. For example, the Sarouk rugs we carry — typically from the 1920s — were woven with soft apricot and navy blue. But during that time, they painted all the apricot backgrounds red to make them more salable. These stories are fascinating to us, what we once found undesirable is now in vogue.
Oxidation is a different process, but we believe it is totally acceptable. Oxidation occurs when darker pigments contain metallic elements that change color over time. For example, black had iron filings, brown often contained copper that turned green. This is actually a beautiful time-worn effect that gets emulated in new rugs today.
It’s essential to have a sense of your budget before setting out to buy a vintage or antique rug. We have everything from fine antique pieces to rugs that are more affordable. Also, come prepared with a few adjectives to describe your aesthetic, lifestyle, and color palette — and then be open to deviating from that a little bit as you begin your search.
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If you’re buying a vintage or antique rug, it’s important to ask questions about it. A knowledgeable and trustworthy retailer will not only have most of the answers to these questions, but will be excited to discuss the rug’s life and origin with you. At abc, we enjoy a good antique or vintage find and there’s nothing we love more than to share everything we know about the rug and its life with its potential new owner. Here are some sample questions you can ask:
When buying any vintage or antique item, there are a few telltale signs that the object may be past its prime, or simply not worth the investment.
Spottiness can look like one large spot of wear — perhaps it’s a corner where people passed through, where a piece of furniture was frequently moved, or from a water stain. As mentioned above, irregularities in the carpet are completely normal, but you want to see something we call “balanced asymmetry.” In other words, the wear and tear or spottiness should be uniform rather than on one large spot.
If an old rug has fringe that looks fresh, it was probably tacked onto the rug to increase its sense of value or somehow compensate for a dull aesthetic. On authentic antique rugs, fringes will be short. To check on the fringe, flip it over and reveal whether it’s been sewn on recently. The edge shouldn’t be too perfect. If it is, you might want to pass on the rug with doctored fringe.
You can spot moth wear pretty easily — big chunks and holes in the carpet are usually from consistent moth eating. Unfortunately, it happens to some of the best rugs out there and with substantial damage, it’s probably not worth your investment.
Absolutely — the difference between antique and vintage rugs has to do with age. Antique rugs are typically 80 - 130 years old, and vintage are pieces that are 60 - 70 years old from the 1950s and 1960s.
One marker we use to differentiate vintage and antique rugs is World War II. If rugs were made during or before WWII, they are considered antiques. If they are made afterward, they fall under the vintage category. Prior to the war, rugs were primarily made in village and cottage communities, handwoven in traditional styles and techniques. Making rugs became a larger commercial enterprise after the war, as processes were industrialized and streamlined. At abc carpet & home, we source our rugs from as many village communities as possible — almost every single rug in our store has handmade origins.
We’re always in the market looking for the best antique and vintage rugs. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for, send us an email at online@abchome.com or use our live chat function abcConnect to connect with a Rug Client Specialist who can show you rugs from thousands of in-store options that aren’t available online.
