Another home question (rugs)
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Sharon loves rugs of all kinds and spends a lot of time looking at them. Not the fancy kind; she likes the sort you find at TJ Maxx, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. Contemporary patterns. Some of them don’t last very long or she gets tired of them which gives her a chance to start looking at them again. Some work out, some don’t. The very thin ones can be pretty but the corners don’t stay down and the colors fade quickly.
I prefer more substantial rugs in simpler patterns that don’t get tiresome. The idea of owning a “good” Persian or Moroccan rug has appeal but not so much appeal that I want to spend what they cost or deal with the upkeep.
So a few ideas for you. The first is to search FB marketplace and estate sales to find high quality rugs at pennies on the dollar. Unless they’re badly stained (wine, blood) it’s pretty easy to clean them with a rented carpet shampooer or you can take them to a cleaners. Don’t be afraid to lowball your offer - used rugs are slow movers.
A designer trick is to pick a piece of carpet from a carpet place (1000s of patterns available) and have the edges bound. Advantages are a nearly infinite selection of colors/patterns, tough construction (commercial/hotel carpets are nearly indestructible) and a totally custom deal at a good price.
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I used to get my rugs at ABC Carpet & Home in NYC in their basement where all the deals are. If I'd had tens of thousands of dollars, I would have shopped upstairs. I bought my dinning room rug and living room rug there. 100% wool, it lasts; I still have them both. For a lighter rug, I'd look for something in natural fibers. I dislike artificial fibers in rugs, except in extremely high traffic areas, and I don't have any of those here.
My favorite type of rug is Kilim, but I don't have one right now. Used to have one (from ABC) and I honestly can't remember what happened to it. It was 8x10 so not easy to misplace. I think I ended up giving it away when I decided I wanted a knotted wool rug. But they are still my favorite.
I have a few other cheaper wool rugs. A number of my scatter rugs were made by me (Krokbragd woven or hand hooked), the others are antique hooked rugs (two of which I'm finishing--I bought them unfinished for cheap) and a hand woven rug from Oaxaca, dyed with all-natural dyes.
I consider rugs and carpets works of art, so materials, craftsmanship, and design are what I look for.
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We have on 10x12 Tufenkian Tibetan that was $5k 30 years ago. It’s still spectacular. Served as the palate for the whole house.
Just bought a couple pretty nice wool Tibetan styles from BBH Homes online for $200 a piece for the basement. They have some really nice colors and designs. You can get nice rugs for not a lot of money these days. They probably won't last 30 years, but that's not nearly as important as it once was.
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