What a stunning rug! Yes - I think you should absolutely consider it, especially if it's priced nicely. I would not hesitate to use a 12' rug in a 13' space; in fact, I've come to prefer a rug that comes a bit closer to the wall. I've also reached a point where I'm not terribly "anal" (sorry - I hate that word) about a rug being the absolute exact size needed - a little leeway is given if the rug is amazing, and I think the Karastan you're considering most certainly is. I think your current rug doesn't really provide enough contrast from the floor, and the Karastan would be a big WOW in your space. Go see it. Hurry. :-)

Yes! I agree with Jen. Run out and get it right now before it is gone. Love your dining room and the new rug will look great in it.

It is a gorgeous rug, however I'm not sure if it's the angle of the photo, but it does look rather narrow especially compared to your 10' x 8'......just saying as we got our fingers burned on an eBay rug purchase a couple of years back. The seller said it was 12' x 9', but when it arrived was only 9' x 6' - smaller than the one we wanted to replace it with :(

I'd had my doubts as the photos didn't look right somehow, but as it was too far from us to view in person I took a chance. We got a partial refund but ended up selling it on as it was just too small.

Regarding a 12' rug in a 13' room, I agree with Jen that I would be happy with that.....

It comes in an 8'8" x 12'. I wonder if she was reading the label on the back side, and perhaps it's worn a bit and not clear? I have that rug in my tiny front entry and as a runner going up the stairs. Love it.

Thanks all, yes, the size is a mystery so I am going to see it for myself. I asked the seller to verify the size and he says it is 7'6" by 12. It does look a bit long and narrow in the photo. Wonder if Karastan ever made that size and then discontinued it? I'll find out this afternoon. The rug I have is a true 8x10 so this one would look longer and narrower. The listing only mentioned karastan briefly, but I'm reasonably sure it's the Agra pattern. Hope I'm right....

If it's truly 7'6", you'd only lose 3" on each side (not that you can't do math - but IMO that's not significant at all). Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.

Yes, I'll be seeing it this afternoon with my tape measure. I don't think I've ever seen a rug 7'6" x 12, but who knows, this could be a first!

Did you measure in your dining room where 12 ft will fall? The carpet (rug?) in the foreground already looks close to your 10 ft DR rug. It also looks like the other end is close to the floor vent? That may not be a problem as the Karastan is narrower. On the other hand, the 7.5 ft width might not allow each chair to remain on the rug when the table leaves are in and chairs are pulled out for seating.

Delilah, that makes it a little tricky if the rug is exactly as described. I'm hoping it's actually an 8'8" x 12, although it's hard to imagine how the seller could miss the dimensions by that much. The rug would just fit lengthwise with one edge sitting on the edge of the vents and the other leaving just a few inches from the opposite wall. I'm going to check the width too, as one of my pet peeves is a rug that doesn't allow chairs to be pulled out. Running into my DR now with my tape measure.....

Here is another photo from the listing. Seeing it this way it's hard to believe it's narrower than 8 ft, but it may be a very narrow table.

Well, it didn't work out. I was all set to buy it although I had misgivings because there was no Karastan label, and the size was odd, actually about 7'8" by 12. The owner said he didn't know why it was an odd size. But, the price was great and I thought it would still work. Then, when rolling i tup, I noticed a white thread running all the way through the center. Lo and behold, turns out the rug had been cut and seamed in the middle! When I had first asked about what looked a little like a crease in the middle, the owner said it must have been folded in half when stored, and that is why the crease was there. Well, he didn't pass the "liar, liar, pants on fire" test! I took out my phone and looked at the rug online and it was obvious then that the pattern had been altered slightly by the rug being made narrower. I told him I wasn't interested anymore. If he had disclosed the alteration I might still have bought it, but I didn't want to deal with someone who had misrepresented the rug. I love CL, but only when dealing with good people. I'll find another one someday.

Good catch!

Yes, yet I still feel bad about it; because the rug would have worked. But it's a good lesson; I just couldn't go any further with the deal knowing he had lied. I actually might have bought it knowing about the defect; as the price was very low. My husband and I talked about it last night and he told me that one of his employees was caught in a lie that seemed innocent enough; until they started looking into his work and realized that he had been falsifying his work records consistently. It's rarely an isolated occurrence. I'm kind of sad because I still love the rug, but I know something else will work out. I'll keep my eye out for the right one in the right circumstance.

So sorry it didn't work out! What a disappointment, but I'm glad you caught the "defect" that the seller was trying to pass off. It's too bad they couldn't have been up front about it though!

Does anyone have a link to which Karastan rug this is? this is the exact colors I want to do in my new house! I am sorry it did not work out. :(

There's a link to the rug at rugs-direct in the OPs first post boo.

Thank you Emory - I swear I looked twice before asking. :(

What a bummer. Now that you mention it, you can actually see it on the listing pic of the rug.

Yeah, still kind of bummed about this because it would have looked great! I was already picturing Thanksgiving Dinner with the new rug! No one would have ever noticed the seam but me, yet once I realized he was telling me a bold faced lie, it was over. Such a shame.....if he had been honest about it from the beginning, I might have bought it anyway. Honesty is truly the best policy.......

Couldn't agree more. There'll be other rugs.

Playing devil's advocate - Did he say he bought the rug new? I wonder if he bought it from CL or similar and it came to him like that? Or do you feel that he had it altered himself to fit his room? It's obviously done professionally, and is still a great looking quality rug.

If you know that he did lie, I understand your feelings. I LOVE beautiful rugs, and this is one. Having several Karastans and enjoying their quality and colors, it would be in my home now, if there was a chance that he bought it that way himself.

You will find another. Thanks for cautionary tale and note to self: always ck underside.

I would think that splicing this rug would remove all of it's value. It would be no more valuable than a rug from Home Depot...right? Probably what happened is, someone had this valuable rug but couldn't stand to part with it but they needed a different size when they moved or maybe it was passed down, so they had it altered. Still though, it's not going to be valuable anymore like it would be in original condition.

On a positive note, I love the rug you have in there now with the wall color and drapes. (Also love the Karastan. Sorry it didn't work out.)

It was an odd conversation from the start. The seller (husband) said that he didn't really know the "back story" about the rug as soon as I met him. I thought that was strange; like, should there be a back story? I asked him about the size because I mentioned that it was unusual. He said nothing. I then asked if it had been around pets or smoke and he hesitated, then said, no. I thought that was odd too, no reason to hesitate if that were true. Then he added that his wife had steam cleaned it, but when I ran my hand across the pile, there was a tiny shard of glass that cut my finger slightly. Really? a rug that had been recently cleaned?? Even with that, I was going to buy it at the excellent price of $425; (he was asking $450) figuring that at that price I could have it cleaned myself.

But when I started to check the back, and I figured it out, I told him that the rug had been seamed together, and that changed the value for me, at least. I didn't accuse him of anything, just wanted to let him know that it had been done in case he had acquired it not knowing that. Then he said something about how it had been professionally done, and added kind of sarcastically that changing the pattern shouldn't be a big deal since they aren't exactly collectibles. His voice was a little sarcastic. So at that point, too many things were not right; no label, (there had been one originally as the adhesive markings were there), pets/smoke a possibility, a seam running the entire length of the rug in the middle; and a seller that seemed to change his story as needed.

I love a bargain, but don't really enjoy dealing with someone who isn't up front. That takes the fun out of it for me. The best deals are the ones where the buyer and seller are both happy, and that a transaction at a fair price is done.

Thanks indygo, that's what made it a little easier for me to walk away from this; I already have a rug so it wasn't a "must" have. CL is always a roll of the dice!

He does sound a bit shady but for me Craigslist is about the item, not the seller, If you get an awesome piece at an amazing price, who cares what kind of idiot sold it to you (assuming it's not stolen, the person isn't a murderer, etc.) ....I've met mostly awesome people through CL, but there have been a few "oddballs" as well. So what I might do in your shoes is send the guy an email saying you thought about it and you feel the rug in its current condition is worth $200 or $250 or $300 or whatever price will make you ok with dealing with him again. If he says yes, you go get your rug and never look at his face again. If he says no, you haven't lost anything and you're right back where you are now. On the other hand, if you decide the rug is just too sketchy and would give you a weird vibe if you brought it home, then there's no price that would make you happy and you've made the right decision. Good luck!

I agree with lkplatow. My home is furnished mainly with CL and eBay finds, and that makes it unique to me, and many here who have seen photos of it like it very much.

Please know that I am not arguing with jjam or trying to get her to change her mind. I'm just showing/saying what another person might do. I'd have that rug in my home now, if the size and color was what I wanted.

The rug has been seamed professionally/beautifully by a pro for someone who needed it a smaller size. It may or may not have been the man selling it. For someone in its history, that seaming made the rug more valuable as it was customized for the room. That seaming was done in addition to the price of the rug.

At the Rugs Direct site, the price of that rug, an 8'8" x 12, with 20% off, is $3,359.20. Then I'd contact Karastan to ask what it would cost to get it made narrower. (I really would! I research everything I buy for my home.)
From a Karastan website - "Custom Sizing

Many Karastan rugs can be custom sized to virtually any length and
width in our hand-seaming workshop by artisans especially trained to do
so. The result is an incredibly strong seam that lasts for decades and
carries the same 20-year warranty as the original rug.

Most rugs from the following collections can be custom sized:
Original Karastan, Antique Legends, Ashara (which the one above is) and Samovar. Consultation and
quotes on custom work are best coordinated through your Karastan
retailer."

Ha! Guess what? Another karastan rug with this exact pattern, this time in an 8 x 10, showed up on CL today. It looks to be in fab condition and will fit my DR perfectly. But one problem, no time to go see it/pick it up until after Christmas, as I've already got company and it's an hour away. So I sent a small deposit and the seller agreed to hold it until after Christmas when I will have time to pick it up. Never done THAT before but to me this rug is worth the risk. I've always wondered if I should have bought the one I described in this thread.....but there was just some bad karma there. Now I think I made the right decision. Will check in after Christmas and update, hopefully with pics in my DR!

Sounds like it's meant to be! How exciting! I think it's going to look absolutely fantastic. Please post pictures once you get it!

Thanks prep. I'm going to see if I can find a way to get it tomorrow but will be tricky. Most of my family will probably think I'm completely nuts getting a new rug two days before Christmas, lol!

Not in my book, jjam! That's exactly what I'd probably do! I'd be too darn excited to wait & I'd want to have it for the holidays! I totally get it!

Well, I finally got the rug and it is in my DR! I think I like it but today is a rainy, gloomy day and part of me misses the lighter rug a little. I had to turn every light up all the way to even see it well today. When we have a day with the sun coming in the windows I think I'll be fine.....anyway, here it is:

Corgi seal of approval!

Very happy with the size and glad I didn't buy the one that was longer and narrower. This fits the room well. Already thinking of what lighter drapes might look like and maybe some prints flanking the big painting, behind the buffet lamps.

This thread sparked a lively discussion originally about CL; specifically, whether to purchase something that the seller isn't being completely truthful about, even if it's probably a good quality item. The responses were interesting and thought provoking for sure. In any case, the right size found its way to my home eventually, and it isn't seamed together. That is reason enough for me to be happy I waited.

Ready for a sunny day to take some better photos and decide about drapes, etc...!

That looks beautiful! I love your original rug as well. You have great taste!

Thanks shopping! I do love the other one too. If I don't find a home for that one in one of the bedrooms upstairs, not sure what I will do. My main reason for considering this one is that the gold chinese rug clashes a bit with the color of my hardwood floors. I've never liked the two colors together. This rug contrasts with the floor and generally compliments it better. I am anxious to try the chinese rug in one of my bedrooms upstairs because it will sit on carpet. Kind of a nice problem to have I guess but I'm always second guessing myself!

It looks lovely; you have such a classic room with extra nice art and I'm crazy about the black lampshades

It looks great!

I too love your art and lamps. Nicely done!

It looks wonderful! I'm glad it worked out in the end!

What a beautiful room. Do you mind if I ask what the wall color is?

Thanks all! The sun is supposed to come out today so I'm looking forward to seeing it in some good light, saypoint, the wall color is Benjamin Moore Quincy Tan. It's a great neutral with a slight green undertone.

I've already ordered some fabric samples from fabric guru; (great sale going on right now btw). May want to lighten up the drapes now that I've added some deeper shades to the rug. We'll see.

OK, the sun is out and now I'm happy! Thanks for indulging me in one more photo....but this is what I was hoping it would look like. Natural light makes such a difference.

Oh wow!! Thanks for following up with photos; it looks absolutely perfect in your space! I love it with your artwork and furniture especially. So glad your patience paid off :)

I've been bought (and sold) on Craigslist a lot and usually meet such nice people. You were right to listen to your gut when you sensed dishonesty from the start. I recently bought a rattan chair and ottoman from a seller that were listed as being in "like new" condition, and they were in her garage in the evening (so very dim lighting) when I bought them. I thought the price was great so didn't bother to negotiate, but when I got home and saw them in the light I was disappointed to see that they are kind of roughed up. Not horrible, but I felt tricked. I may have still purchased them even knowing their condition, but would most definitely have offered less. Lesson learned.

I agree with you, eastautumn. I have had nearly all great experiences with CL, and most of the people are so nice. This rug came from a single guy who had bought it at a yard sale, and was leaving the area to move to Boston, where he had found a girl who he said is "the one". It was fun hearing his story, and his pricing was very fair. He found a stain that he had not disclosed originally and right away offered to reduce the price. He liked the rug but at this time was more concerned about moving quickly and efficiently, so the less "stuff" the better, and was happy to see it go. This transaction benefitted both parties, and those are the best kind. I'm sorry you had to deal with a seller that was a little less than honest,....all of us have run into that at one time or another.

Thanks for your kind words about the rug. I really love it!!

The rug is amazing in your space. Love the colors in it. Wow, what a beautiful room.

Gorgeous. Love your taste!