Guide · For the trade
Persian rugs and Persian style rugs: what the terms mean and how to specify each
Persian rugs are hand-knotted wool rugs woven in Iran, named for the city or region whose design they carry: Tabriz, Heriz, Kashan, Isfahan, Sarouk. Persian style rugs carry the same patterns but are made elsewhere, by hand in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey and Nepal at 60 to 200 knots per square inch, or on a Wilton loom in wool or polyester; since US sanctions on Iranian imports resumed in 2018, almost every new Persian rug a designer specifies is one of these.
This guide is for the designer who has a client asking for a Persian rug, or who wants the pattern without the antique price and the provenance questions. It covers what the words mean on a spec sheet, the patterns by name, the four ways the look is made today, how to judge quality, sizes and lead times, and where each sits in the catalog.
Persian, oriental, Persian style: three terms, one spec sheet
Oriental rug is the umbrella: a hand-knotted rug from the belt that runs from Turkey through Iran, the Caucasus, Central Asia, India, Pakistan, Nepal and China. Persian rug is the Iranian subset and, in the trade, implies a hand-knotted construction and a Persian knot (asymmetric). Persian style rug, or Persian pattern rug, describes the design only; it says nothing about where or how the rug was made, which is why the spec sheet needs the construction, fiber, origin and knot count written out. Antique Persian means an Iranian rug already in the country before the ban, sold one at a time through dealers, and is not what this guide covers.
Persian rug patterns by name
Most of what a client calls "a Persian rug" is one of five layouts. Medallion: a central lobed medallion on an open or filled field with spandrels at the corners, the Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan standard. Heriz: a geometric medallion with angular vines in rust, navy and ivory, the most-specified Persian pattern in American interiors. All-over Herati or Mina Khani: a repeating fish-and-leaf or flower lattice with no medallion, good under furniture because nothing is cut off. Boteh or paisley: a field of teardrop motifs, Kerman and Sarouk. Tree of life and garden: pictorial fields, usually in a wool and silk blend. Tribal Persian (Gabbeh, Bakhtiari, Qashqai) is coarser, more abstract, and overlaps with the tribal rugs guide.
Four ways the look is made now
| Construction | Where | Fiber | Knot count or pile | Lead time | Spec it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand-knotted Persian style | India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Nepal | Wool, wool and silk, wool and bamboo silk | 60 to 200 knots per sq in | In a line, 2 to 6 weeks; custom, 18 to 20 weeks | The rug is a 30-year piece, or the client wants a Persian rug in a custom size or color |
| Hand-knotted distressed or vintage look | India, Turkey | Wool, often sheared and overdyed | 60 to 100 knots per sq in, pile 1/4 in or less | 2 to 6 weeks | A worn antique look over a modern scheme |
| Wilton woven | Belgium, Turkey, Egypt, US | Wool, wool-nylon, polyester, polypropylene | Pile 1/4 to 1/2 in, up to 1 million points per sq m | 1 to 3 weeks; broadloom for stairs and halls | Stairs, halls, dining rooms, rentals, and any room where the budget is the brief |
| Hand-tufted | India, China | Wool, wool and viscose | Pile 3/8 to 1/2 in | 2 to 4 weeks | A soft Persian pattern for a bedroom at a mid price point |
Hand-knotted is the construction the term implies, and the hand-knotted rugs guide explains how to read the back of one. The others are honest substitutes when they are specified as what they are.
How to judge a Persian style rug before the client does
Turn it over. On a hand-knotted rug the pattern is as clear on the back as the front and the knots are slightly irregular; on a Wilton the back shows a regular grid and a stiff backing; on a hand-tufted rug the back is a glued cotton scrim. Count the knots along an inch in each direction and multiply; 100 knots per square inch is a good decorative Persian pattern, 150 and up is fine work, and under 60 is coarse and tribal by intent. Look at the fringe: on a hand-knotted rug it is the warp coming out of the rug, on a machine-made rug it is sewn on. Check the yarn: hand-spun wool with a lanolin feel wears for decades, and a wool and silk blend shows the highlights in a medallion that clients respond to. A vegetable-dyed rug shows abrash, slight bands of color variation in the field, which is a feature, not a defect, and worth explaining before delivery.
Sizes, custom sizes and color
Line rugs come in 6x9, 8x10, 9x12, 10x14 and 12x15, plus 2 ft 6 in and 3 ft runners to 12 feet. Most Persian designs are drawn for a 2:3 proportion, so a 9x12 or 10x14 shows the medallion whole; an 8x10 can crowd it. For a custom size, color or scale, the hand-knotted custom program applies: a rendering in your colors, a strike-off in 4 to 6 weeks, production 18 to 20 weeks. Traditional palettes are rust, navy, ivory and camel; the same designs come from several of our 38 mills and brands recolored in grey, slate, blush and sage for transitional rooms, and the Oushak and Persian pattern collection is sorted that way.
Where Persian patterns work in a scheme
A Persian medallion anchors a living room with a plain sofa; an all-over Herati sits under a dining table because the pattern reads with the chairs on it; a Wilton Persian runner is the classic stair and hall spec. Against very contemporary furniture a distressed or overdyed Persian in one color family reads as texture rather than pattern. Keep viscose-heavy versions in bedrooms and formal living rooms; wool and wool-silk go anywhere.
Questions designers ask
Why are Persian rugs so expensive?
A hand-knotted 9x12 at 120 knots per square inch holds roughly 1.8 million knots, each tied by hand, which is 6 to 12 months on the loom for a small team. Add hand-spun wool, natural dyes, washing and finishing, and the price follows the hours. Wilton and hand-tufted versions cut the hours, which is why they cost a fraction.
How do you tell a real Persian rug from a Persian style rug?
By the back, the fringe and the paperwork. A hand-knotted rug shows the pattern on the back and has a fringe that is the warp; an Iranian origin is documented by the dealer, since new imports are restricted. For a new rug, specify the origin and construction on the sheet and the question answers itself.
Do Persian rugs work in a modern interior?
Yes, and the pairing is a standard move: one patterned Persian under plain, low modern furniture, with the rug's secondary color picked up once elsewhere in the room. Distressed and overdyed versions make the transition easiest.
What size Persian rug for a living room?
9x12 in most rooms, 10x14 in a large one, with the front legs of all seating on the rug and the medallion centered on the coffee table rather than the room. The layouts and numbers are in the living room rug size guide.
How are Persian rugs cleaned and maintained?
Vacuum without a beater bar, rotate once a year, and send a hand-knotted wool rug out for a wash every 3 to 5 years. Wool is self-extinguishing and naturally stain resistant; a wool and silk rug needs a cleaner who handles silk. Specify a 1/4-inch felt-and-rubber pad under any hand-made rug on a hard floor.
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