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Interior Trend: Antique Rugs

There is no question that antique rugs are having a moment right now – personally I think we can thank Becki Owens and Amber Lewis.  Both designers are known for adding antiques rugs to the spaces they design.  Probably one of the reasons they are two of my favorite designers.  I had the pleasure of hearing Amber speak earlier this year and her down to earth, SoCal vibe makes her all the more lovable. But I digress, I’m talking about antique rugs today, I’ll save girl crushes for another day 😉

In the expansive world of antique rugs, Turkish and Oriental are probably the most common.  They can be spotted by their intricate, symmetrical patterns, surrounded by equally intricate patterned borders. While I love those that are aged, worn and subdued in colour, you can find them in bold and vivid colours as well.  Turkey and the Orient don’t have a monopoly on antique rugs, other parts of the world produce beautiful rugs as well – Persian rugs are plush and luxurious, Afghanistan produces beautiful tribal rugs and of course gorgeous rugs come from India also.  What’s amazing about the time we live in is with a few simple key strokes you can have a rug from anywhere in the world.  You’re limited only by how big you’d like to go and how much you want to spend.

Antique rugs, like most antiques are investment pieces.  If kept well, you can have them for generations.  My favorite place to look for authentic vintage rugs is Etsy and Ebay, so many to choose from and sometimes, if you’re a lucky, you can score a deal.  But if investment and authenticity aren’t priorities, you can get the look for a fraction of the price from online retailers and home stores.

My love for antique rugs runs deep for many reasons – the history, colours and versatility – they work in traditional space to farmhouse chic and everything in between.  When working with antique rugs know that they don’t always run in sizes we’re accustomed too – 5 x 7, 8 x 10, etc.  They are often longer and narrower than we’re used to, which may mean the medallion is slightly off center in a room or you have to layer it over a simple jute rug or graphic black and white one, like in the image above, to fill the space.  Break the rules and think outside of the box, you’ll be glad you did!

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