My Vintage Persian Rug Obsession Is Back! (Why Did It Ever Leave?)
Friends, we have a new Persian rug. Now, before I show you the whole thing, I’d like to give a personal TED talk on my love for these floor beauties and why I stopped using them. My “Gateway Rug” was this $50 blue Chinese Craigslist rug full of holes (that I would kill to have kept now for sentimental purposes and turned into an ottoman). I loved what it did for that kinda basic room – instant pattern, color, and soul. After that, I would snag cheap ones at flea markets or at antique malls (not from dealers, but by just looking down, and they are usually great but dirty). I didn’t start buying with Sheba from Blue Parakeet Rugs until years later, when I had more of a budget. But I think between the minimalism of the mountain house and our rug line (that was definitely not Persian-inspired), I just stopped buying them. To be fair, they are also very expensive at larger sizes online, and most of what I need for our house (or the River House) was huge. And if I’m being totally honest, they can make a room look much busier if they are high contrast (and while I like forgiving rugs, I don’t like busy rooms for me). I love our house when it feels airier and lighter, but for the guest cottage, I want vintage Persian rugs everywhere. So I’ve been back at it, shopping online, going to antique malls, collecting like the hoarder that you all met almost 17 years ago. And boy, is it inspiring.
