Guide · For the trade
Oushak rug guide: what the construction is, vintage versus new and how to specify one
An Oushak rug is a hand-knotted wool rug in the tradition of Uşak in western Turkey: a large-scale floral or medallion design, a coarse symmetrical knot at roughly 30 to 80 knots per square inch, a lustrous, slightly thick wool pile of 1/4 to 1/2 inch and a palette of apricot, gold, ivory, soft blue, gray and sage that reads faded even when new. Antique and vintage Oushaks are one-of-a-kind pieces from the 19th and early 20th centuries; new Oushak rugs are woven to the same drawings in Turkey, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and a 9x12 is the size designers order most.
This guide is for the designer who has been asked for an Oushak, or an Oushak style rug and needs to know what they are specifying before the invoice. It covers the construction and what separates it from a Persian, the difference between antique, vintage and new production, the colors and sizes that drive the search, the rooms it suits and the questions clients ask.
What is an Oushak rug?
Uşak was an Ottoman court weaving center from the 15th century; the name now describes a type rather than a place of origin. Three things define it. The design is large in scale: a central medallion or an all-over field of palmettes, leaves and vines drawn big enough that a single motif can be 2 feet across, with wide borders. The knot is the Turkish, or symmetrical, knot, tied at a lower density than most Persian city rugs, which gives a heavier, softer handle and a pile that lies with a visible lustre. The color is restrained: natural-dyed or washed wool in warm neutrals with one or two accents rather than the saturated reds and navies of a Tabriz or a Kashan.
Oushak versus Persian: the differences on a spec sheet
| Attribute | Oushak (Turkish) | Persian city rug (Tabriz, Kashan, Isfahan) |
|---|---|---|
| Knot | Symmetrical (Turkish), 30 to 80 kpsi | Asymmetrical (Persian), 100 to 400 kpsi and up |
| Motif scale | Large; a palmette can span 12 to 24 in | Fine; motifs of 1 to 4 in, dense field |
| Pile | 1/4 to 1/2 in, lustrous wool, soft handle | 1/4 to 3/8 in, tighter and firmer |
| Palette | Apricot, gold, ivory, pale blue, gray, sage | Red, navy, ivory, saturated jewel tones |
| Read from across the room | A soft, washed field | A detailed, formal pattern |
| Best use | Living rooms, bedrooms, transitional and modern schemes | Formal rooms, traditional schemes, high knot-count showpieces |
The lower knot count is not a defect; a coarse knot holds a large motif with the soft edges that make an Oushak look old. The Persian style rugs guide covers the other side of this table and the hand-knotted rugs guide explains how to read a knot count on the back of any rug.
Antique, vintage and new Oushak rugs
Antique means woven before about 1920; vintage is the loose term for 1920 to 1980. Both are single pieces at a single size, priced by age, condition and color and sold through dealers and auction. For a project they bring three problems: one size, condition that needs a specialist's eye (reweaving, painted repairs, brittle foundation), and uneven wear. Many vintage Oushak rugs on the market have also been chemically washed or overdyed to produce the faded, muted palette and that treatment shortens the life of the wool.
New Oushak rugs solve all three. They are hand-knotted in wool, in Turkey still and in larger numbers in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, to the traditional drawings, at standard sizes from 5x8 to 12x15 and in custom sizes and colors. A good new piece uses hand-spun wool and a finishing wash that gives the lustre without stripping the fiber and wears for decades. Through the Design Studio an Oushak design can be recolored to a scheme, rendered, struck off in 4 to 6 weeks and woven in 18 to 20 weeks.
Colors clients ask for: blue, muted, neutral and green
Blue Oushaks lead the search after the general term and the blue is almost always a gray-blue or a washed indigo field with an ivory or apricot medallion, not a navy. A muted or neutral Oushak is an ivory, oatmeal or pale gray field with the pattern a half step darker and it is the piece to spec when the client wants pattern without color. Green Oushaks run sage to olive and sit well with warm woods. Pink reads as rose or blush over ivory. When a scheme needs an exact color, the custom route is the honest one; a vintage piece cannot be recolored and a machine-woven version comes in the mill's colorways.
Sizes and the rooms an Oushak suits
The 9x12 Oushak is the search leader because it is the living room size: under a 90 inch sofa and two chairs with the front legs on the rug, 18 inches of floor at the walls. An 8x10 is the bedroom and small living room size, 10x14 the great room. Runners 2.5 to 3 feet wide are woven for halls and stairs; the soft palette keeps an Oushak runner from reading as busy on a stair, on a 1/4 inch dense pad. Think twice about a dining room: the pile is soft, the color is light and chair legs and spills show. The area rug size guide covers the numbers by room.
Pad, placement and care to specify
Under a hand-knotted Oushak on a hard floor, a 1/4 inch felt-and-rubber pad cut 1 inch inside the edges. Rotate it twice a year, because the light palette shows sun fade at the window side first. Vacuum with the beater bar off. Professional washing every three to five years, by a rug washer, not a carpet cleaner. A vintage piece that keeps shedding is losing foundation; pass on it.
Questions designers ask
What is an Oushak rug?
A hand-knotted wool rug in the tradition of Uşak, Turkey: large-scale floral or medallion designs, a coarse symmetrical knot of 30 to 80 knots per square inch, a lustrous wool pile and a soft palette of apricot, gold, ivory, gray and blue. The name describes the type and new Oushak rugs are woven in Turkey, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Is a vintage Oushak rug durable enough for a living room?
A sound one is, but condition varies piece by piece and many have been washed or overdyed to get the faded look, which weakens the wool. For a living room with traffic, a new hand-knotted Oushak in the same drawing is the safer spec and comes in the size the plan needs.
Why are Oushak rugs so muted in color?
Three reasons: the Uşak tradition favored natural dyes in warm neutrals; antique pieces have faded over a century; and modern finishing washes imitate that fade. A new piece can be as bright or as muted as the rendering, so ask for the palette you need rather than accepting the default.
Can an Oushak rug be made in a custom size or color?
Yes. A hand-knotted Oushak design can be recolored, resized to any dimension including 10x14 and larger, or woven as a runner to a stair's length. Expect a rendering, a strike-off in 4 to 6 weeks and 18 to 20 weeks of production.
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