Every rug is a different job
Construction decides method. A hand-knotted Persian, a latex-backed tufted rug and a viscose contemporary are three unrelated problems that happen to be the same shape.
Types and constructions
Persian Rugs
Hand-knotted in Iran on a cotton foundation, usually with an asymmetric Persian knot that lets the weaver draw curves rather than steps.
Persian rug careOriental Rugs
A category rather than an origin — hand-knotted rugs from across Asia, covering Persian, Turkish, Caucasian, Chinese, Indian and central Asian weaving traditions.
Oriental rug careTurkish Rugs
Anatolian weaving, typically using the symmetric Turkish knot, which produces bolder, more geometric drawing than its Persian counterpart.
Turkish rug careAfghan Rugs
Heavy, densely woven tribal and workshop rugs, most recognisably the repeating octagonal gul patterns in deep madder reds.
Afghan rug careIndian Rugs
A very wide range, from finely hand-knotted Agra and Jaipur weaving to the hand-tufted rugs that make up much of today's retail market.
Indian rug careCaucasian Rugs
Rugs from the mountain regions between the Black and Caspian seas — Kazak, Shirvan, Kuba and related weaving, usually small, bold and high in contrast.
Caucasian rug careChinese Rugs
Open fields, generous negative space, and pile that is often sculpted or carved around the motifs to give physical relief.
Chinese rug careTribal Rugs
Woven by nomadic and village weavers for their own use rather than for sale — Qashqai, Baluch, Kurdish and many others, worked from memory rather than a cartoon.
Tribal rug careKilims & Flatweaves
Flatwoven rather than knotted — no pile at all, the pattern formed by the weft threads themselves, usually with slits where two colours meet.
Kilim rug careAntique Rugs
Generally taken to mean eighty years and older. Age is not a style — it is a set of material conditions that changes what can safely be done.
Antique rug careContemporary Rugs
Modern production in wool, viscose, polypropylene or a blend, from high-quality hand-knotted pieces through to machine-woven retail rugs.
Contemporary rug careSilk Rugs
Very fine knot counts, luminous colour that shifts as you walk past, and a fibre that is far less forgiving than wool at every stage.
Silk rug care