What do you mean when you say quality? This store http://www.claremontrug.com/ , in the San Francisco area, has incredible inventory of original/antique rugs, with some dating back to the early 1800's. I enjoyed visiting their 2 locations when we visited SF and the rugs are even more amazing in person than in the online photos. We bought one of their newer rugs from the early 1900's!

For good quality handmade wool rugs, that are not antiques, I have bought from the 2 rug dealers below:

- http://www.michaelian.com/

- https://www.tufenkiancarpets.com/

By quality, I mean that I want to buy a rug that's going to wear well and look great for the next 20-30 years at least.

Macy's carries some very nice new branded rugs, such as the Karastan.

Deleted my first comment. I was thinking of Karastan! Not Safavieh. Thanks Sushi!

Safavieh also is known for Oriental rugs. That would be a good place to look in person if you are near them.

Hmmm..maybe I was thinking of Safavieh! Lol. Well, check them both, Karastan and Safavieh.

In my opinion, you can rarely get a good sense of color online. I really think you need to visit some stores. I recently bought from a local rug dealer and brought several rugs home to try. Many looked good in the store, but not in my room. I ended up very happy with the one I bought. It's an expensive purchase, one that warrants some scouting around.

Unfortunately, I can't find the color combination I want in stores near me, otherwise I'd try that.

This is my source. Incredible quality and reasonable prices.

.http://www.bedfordrugs.com/apps/webstore/

I bought a great Karastan rug at Macy's about 15 years ago. It has held up beautifully.

This place a good reputation but I can't personally vouch for them. http://www.jacobsenrugs.com/index.html

Our oriental rug is from esalerugs.com. One of those sites that always seems to have a 50% off sale. what I like about them is that they do free shipping and returns. Also they have about 10-15 pics for each rug so you can get a pretty good sense of the color.

Sharian in Atlanta has a range of rugs from good to fabulous, and runs periodic sales.

Yes, you do need to see color in person. (On a semi-related topic, I don't know how many online-ordered tile samples I went through, but I do have enough trivets for a lifetime now) but arrange to see up front and in person before deciding. Online color samples are not the same as in person!

My own Oriental rugs I inherited from my mother, and she'd gotten them from HER mother -- they are basically red/deep red as the main color tone. I sold the largest back to a local "collector" company for a good bit of money just over 10 years ago. Though this was old and authentic, I'm sure I got less than the proper value, but I'm still happy as that large piece is something I'd never use.

I have a mid-sized carpet of Mom's, and two really tiny Persian carpets for area splotches. They'll end up in my upcoming pet-free guest bedroom.

I will say there are a lot of shady dealers out there, operating at a high volume/high cost model. If you do want the authentic, deal with long-term dealers who have solid and lengthy bona fides to recommend them.

On a different note, I'm buying an inexpensive area rug for my 18' by 21' family room which has wall-to-wall carpet. This room serves as grand central station, it has many doors and hallways leading off of it to other parts of the house.

Am I better off buying a slightly smaller rug, say 7' by 10' for the sofa/chairs area or buying the next size up, 8' x 11' which would infringe along the walking paths that are criss-crossed frequently to get from one side of the house to the other.

I plan to buy an inexpensive Bokhara rug from esalerugs.com. I'm just wondering if the smaller rug will seem crowded with most of the furniture in the room anchored to it. The furniture will sit the same regardless of the rug size that we buy. In either case, most of the furniture will fit well along/on the rug but wondering about the visual impact. The 8' by 11' rug would have, say three feet at one end that will have nothing on it, whereas the other rug will have more like a foot and a half or two. Furniture includes two white loveseats and a black coffee table and their location is in relation to a fireplace. Thanks for your input. OP, sorry to hijack your thread!

Jewel, I ordered my rugs today from esalerugs.com (I ordered the 7 by 10') and noticed that there are a number of very expensive rugs. They have a 30 day unconditional return policy, and free returns. If you search their rugs, select price high to low, and then click on your size range. I believe that I saw a rug for $22K on eSaleRugs yesterday. From $9 to $22K, what a selection.

I bought a very inexpensive 5 x 7 rug from esale (under $200) and had to return it. I should have known that an Oriental pattern in that price range couldn't possibly look good. I would imagine their $1000 + rugs would be in a wholly different category. I have a Karastan Oriental-style rug which I've had for over 25 years and it looks very good except for one area (where my husband sits) where the edging has worn down. Otherwise it's still perfect. A hand-tied rug would of course be more costly but should last forever if there are at least 200 knots per square inch.

I'm sure by now the OP has already bought a rug, but I thought I'd add my own experiences.

>>I want to buy a rug that's going to wear well and look great for the next 20-30 years at least.>>

ANY good rug, whether machine-made or hand-made, will last you that long and more, with minimal care. Most people don't take care of their rugs properly, leading to premature wear.

1) Rug pads matter. Despite what flooring mfgs warn you, the new good quality latex rug pads are just fine with any flooring. I have HW floors, LVT, and sheet vinyl flooring. None have ever been damaged by rug pads (cheap ones, a different story!). I recently pulled up a Karastan Bokhara and rug pad that had lain untouched for 25 yrs and the flooring was fine, no problems. A good rug pad helps extend the life of your rug.

That machine-made wool Karastan, btw, is still in flawless shape. I bought it in 1973 and it has always been used in high-traffic areas.

2) Vacuum regularly. Every once in a while, especially in a high-dirt area, lift the rug up and vacuum the backside of it. Dirt is the enemy of floors and rugs, as it grinds like sandpaper under the weight of people's feet.

3) Once in a while, take the rug out to be cleaned. Anything over 3x4 is not a DIY job. Especially if it's a wool rug, unless you enjoy a smell like wet dogs for days on end while it dries, LOL.

4) Fading is an issue with many hand-made rugs. They tend to be made with natural dyes. If you are putting a rug in a high-UV environment, you should consider whether a machine-made, high quality rug might be better suited. There are rug damages than can be fixed, but fading is permanent.

We have a wide mix of rugs (actually, more rugs than we have rooms in our house, sadly). Most are hand-made Chinese. We like the patterns and colors more, in general. Most are wool, two are silk. We also have several smaller-sized repros (like the Karastan) of classic Orientals, purchased for specific color/room matching.

Some of those repros are wool, but most are synthetics. All very tight, plush weave. All still in original condition, no stains, after 10-20 yrs. Note that I do not expect any viscose (rayon) rugs to last as long. Rayon has a wonderful "hand" similar to silk, but it has very poor abrasion resistance, unlike wool or poly synthetics. That's why it's generally the least costly, when comparing similar sizes/patterns across rug types.

Treat your rugs well, and 20 yrs should be no problem at all. A good wool rug, machine- or hand-made, can outlive its owners. That's why so many rugs end up at estate sales.

I'm in the rug market and appreciate the resurrection of this topic.

If you're looking for hand knotted rugs, try to find a factory direct store. This way, you're not paying for a brand but you're still getting amazing quality.

http://www.rugknots.com/

Any opinions on Megerian?

jakkom, thank you for your detailed explanation of different rugs and their care. Very useful information indeed.

Good Question!

I think one of the best ways to refresh any dull room is by adding a Perfect rug. It REALLY brings everything together and boosts the palette and overall Design.

Probably the Best online rug shop is www.RugExpedition.com

They have over 100K rugs with free shipping and guaranteed lowest price on every rug. And above that they have a Free 30 Day In-home trial