Guide · For the trade
Vintage look rugs: how the look is made, and how to specify one that lasts
Vintage look rugs are new rugs made to read as if they were woven 80 to 100 years ago: a faded palette, a pattern that has worn through in places, a low pile of 1/4 to 3/8 inch and an edge that is not quite straight. The look is produced four ways, from a hand-knotted wool rug that is washed and sheared after weaving, to a power-loomed polyester or polypropylene rug with the wear printed or carved into it, and the four differ by a factor of ten in cost and by decades in life expectancy. Standard sizes run 5x8 to 12x15; most of what we ship in this style is 8x10 and 9x12.
This guide is for the designer or the junior who has a client asking for "something that looks old" without the budget or the lead time for an antique. It covers the four constructions behind the vintage style rug, how to tell them apart on a sample, which rooms each will survive, colors and sizes, and the questions clients ask. Pattern families are covered separately in the Oushak guide and the Persian style guide; this page is about the finish.
Four ways vintage look rugs are made
Every distressed rug in the catalog comes from one of these processes, and the process tells you how it will wear.
| Construction | How the age is made | Fiber | Pile | Life in a living room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand-knotted, antique washed | Woven at full color, then stone or tea washed and sheared low so the pattern softens and the high points lighten | Wool, sometimes wool and silk | 1/4 to 3/8 in | 30 years and more; the wash is permanent and the rug keeps aging well |
| Hand-loomed or hand-tufted, overdyed | A finished wool rug is bleached, then dyed a single color so the pattern shows as a ghost under it | Wool, viscose blends | 3/8 to 1/2 in | 10 to 20 years for wool; viscose blends belong in bedrooms |
| Power-loomed, high-low or erased pile | The loom weaves a lower pile where the design should look worn; a second pass may shear or carve it further | Polypropylene, polyester, wool blends | 1/4 to 1/2 in | 7 to 15 years; the worn areas are woven in, so they do not wear further |
| Printed | A plain polyester or nylon face is printed with a photograph of a worn rug | Polyester, nylon | 1/4 in or flat | 3 to 7 years; the print abrades at the traffic line and the rug then looks worn in the wrong way |
The first three are legitimate specifications. The fourth is for a staging job or a short lease, and the client should know which one they are getting.
How to tell a distressed rug's construction on a sample
Turn the sample over. A hand-knotted rug shows the pattern on the back knot by knot, slightly irregular; a power-loomed rug shows it in machine-even rows; a tufted or printed rug shows a plain backing. Then run a hand across the face: on a washed hand-knotted or a woven high-low the worn areas are lower pile and feel it, while on a printed rug the whole face is one height and the wear is only color. Hand-knotted fringe is the warp of the rug; sewn-on fringe is a finish. None of this makes the machine-made rug wrong, but it should match what the client thinks they are buying.
Vintage style rugs by fiber: wool, polypropylene and polyester
Wool is the fiber of the originals and the right choice for the main room of the house: it takes the wash and overdye without losing strength, hides soil in the faded tones, and is naturally flame resistant. Polypropylene is behind most power-loomed vintage rugs under 9x12: solution dyed, so the faded colors will not fade further in a sunny room, stain resistant and easy to clean, with a flatter hand and a slight sheen. Polyester weaves the brightest antique reds and blues but crushes in a traffic lane. Viscose appears in the overdyed and silky-look pieces; it stains with plain water, so keep it out of dining rooms, entries and any house with a dog. The wool filter and the polypropylene filter each return several hundred styles; the vintage look appears in both.
Where each kind of vintage look rug belongs
Living and family room: washed hand-knotted wool or a power-loomed high-low; both take traffic and a sofa. Dining room: the power-loomed polypropylene version at 3/8 inch pile or under, so chairs slide and crumbs vacuum out. Bedroom: anything, including the overdyed wool-viscose pieces too delicate for the rest of the house. Entry and hall: a low woven polypropylene runner, 27 to 36 inches wide, or an antique-washed wool runner if the client will have it cleaned. Kitchen: polypropylene only.
Colors clients ask for: faded blue, red, and "not too much"
Blue vintage look rugs are the most requested, in the washed indigo and slate range, followed by the rust and madder reds of a worn Heriz and the putty, oatmeal and grey neutrals that are really a faded everything. For a scheme with a lot of color elsewhere, the neutral or single-overdye version keeps the pattern as texture. For a scheme with linen, white oak and off-white walls, the blue or red version is doing the work and should be the strongest color in the room. A modern vintage rug, meaning a traditional pattern washed down and set under contemporary furniture, is the most common way the look is used now; the blue and red filters each list the options.
Sizes, and the oversize problem
Power-loomed vintage rugs come in the standard sizes, 5x8 through 12x15 plus 2x8 and 2x10 runners, consistent to within an inch or two. Hand-knotted and hand-loomed pieces are nominal: an 8x10 may measure 7 ft 10 in by 9 ft 9 in with ends not quite square, which is part of the look and should be in the client's expectations. Above 10x14 the choice narrows to hand-knotted, which can be ordered to size in 18 to 20 weeks after a strike-off, or a wool broadloom in a washed-pattern Wilton cut and bound to size in 3 to 5 weeks; the custom size guide covers that route.
Questions designers ask
Are vintage look rugs durable?
The washed hand-knotted wool and the woven high-low constructions are as durable as any rug of their fiber, because the wear is made at the loom or in the wash and does not continue. Printed rugs are not; the print wears off along the traffic lane in a few years. Specify by construction and the durability follows.
What is the difference between a vintage rug and a vintage look rug?
A vintage rug was woven 50 to 100 years ago and comes with the wear, the repairs and the size it happens to be. A vintage look rug is new, made to a standard size, in a repeatable colorway, and can be ordered again for the second house. Antiques are sourced one at a time; the vintage look is a line.
Can a vintage look rug go in a high traffic room?
Yes, if it is wool hand-knotted or a woven polypropylene with a pile at 3/8 inch or under. Keep the overdyed viscose blends and anything printed to bedrooms and low-use rooms.
Which sizes are easiest to get in a vintage style?
8x10 and 9x12 are made in every construction and ship fastest. 5x8 and 6x9 are plentiful in power-loomed. Above 10x14, plan on hand-knotted to order or a bound broadloom.
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