Where to buy good rugs?
October 10, 2015 9:15 PM   Subscribe

I want to buy a good rug for my living room.

Where is a good place to buy rugs and what brands are generally regarded as good quality? I am looking at something for my living room. I found one style that I like at World Market but I am unsure of the quality. I am located in Chicago if there is a recommendation of a place to shop for them.
posted by cycleback to Shopping (17 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
This has a lot of great information. I was going to say look for natural fibers like wool or silk, hand knotted, the higher the number of knots per inch the better the rug, natural dyes (or you end up with that bad rug smell), and adult labor (many rugs these days will indicate they don't use child labor).
posted by cecic at 9:27 PM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]


You don't say what your budget is, but for cheap rugs, I've had decent luck at Crate and Barrel. For nicer ones, I shop at a few local rug dealers and furniture shops (specifics are probably not helpful to you in Chicago, but I'm sure you have many options there).
posted by primethyme at 9:58 PM on October 10, 2015


Response by poster: My budget leans to the relatively inexpensive. I don't have a fixed number per se but I like a good value.
posted by cycleback at 10:02 PM on October 10, 2015


I spent a lot of time last year looking at rugs in stores and online, and eventually purchased a few from an online rug vendor. They offered rugs from many, many manufacturers at various price points and quality, and had tons of sales. Unfortunately, I had a problem with one rug I ordered and returning it was a pain and they gave me some rude pushback about it. So I won't order from them again nor will I give them free publicity here! However, if you like to look at rugs, online shopping is awesome because there is just so much choice beyond what is in the stores. Lowes/Home Depot sell rugs online, too, stuff that is nicer than what they have in the stores. Home goods stores (Crate and Barrel, etc) have "curated" choices but it's nice to have something a bit different if you want to spend the time looking.
posted by stowaway at 10:55 PM on October 10, 2015


If you have a HomeGoods near you, they often have nice rugs that are significantly marked down.

If you go to nfm.com (Nebraska Furniture Mart, owned by Warren Buffet/Berkshire Hathaway), they are having 10 percent off rugs this weekend. I've got a wool one from there and it is fantastic. They ship anywhere. I live a few hundred miles away from their nearest store and I just got a refrigerator from them because it was less expensive than the local stores.
posted by Ostara at 11:25 PM on October 10, 2015


Target has a huge selection in store and online. Wayfare, Overstock, and various online rug stores are going to be much more affordable and you might be able to get a coupon. I'd start with Overstock.
posted by k8t at 11:53 PM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]


I would check MyHabit. They have a pretty good selection, and it's great quality. Plus, it's discounted. Some are a little on the expensive side anyway.
posted by SkinsOfCoconut at 12:13 AM on October 11, 2015


I would definitely check out the selection at Ikea for inexpensive, yet decent quality rugs.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:32 AM on October 11, 2015


I get mine at Rugs USA. I've gotten a really nice, tasteful-looking 8'x10' shag rug for under $100 there during a sale. There's one on right now for Columbus Day!
posted by theraflu at 6:36 AM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]


I've been really into (looking at but not purchasing) the modular carpet tiles from FLOR which allow virtually endless color and pattern and textur combinations. (On my phone or Id link to them)
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:40 AM on October 11, 2015


How large do you need?

For anything up to a 5 by 7, Target, IKEA, and other standard stores will do fine. 8 by 10 and up, you'll do better looking at Home Goods (go regularly, their selection changes and sometimes they mis-price the rugs to your benefit) and maaaaaybe Home Depot.

Rugs are much cheaper at 5 by 8 or 5 by 7 or below. Above that size, you would be paying several hundred bucks for so-so quality at Home Goods. It's frustrating.

Your area may also have carpet remnant warehouses -- there is one near me that binds carpet remnants and sells them as area rugs. You can get some very nice wool rugs this way for much less. You can also choose a piece of carpet to have bound, but that really ups the price.
posted by pie ninja at 7:41 AM on October 11, 2015


The best rugs I have ever bought came from estate sales or estate auctions or Craigslist. You can get some high-quality, hand-made oriental rugs (if those are your style) for much, much less than a similar rug in the store. They will probably still cost more than modern rugs, but they will last essentially forever.
posted by procrastination at 7:46 AM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]


Seconding Overstock.com. I've ordered several rugs from there as I feel like they have the best intersection of quality/price. It IS online and you can't see or touch it in person, but they list information about fiber content, pile height, source, etc.. Colors on their website tend to be a little off (but maybe that's my calibration). The last rug I bought was made by Alliyah; an 8x10 for less than $300 which is a ridiculously low price for what it is: thick piled, 100% wool, no child labor - hand TUFTED not hand knotted, but that's one of the places I'm willing to trade off.
posted by lilnublet at 8:36 AM on October 11, 2015


If there is a dealer of the Momeni rug collection near you, it is worth finding them and checking the samples out in person. I've been burned twice by Overstock (quality was fine but the rugs didn't look at ALL like the pictures, there was no way to return something so cumbersome, they killed the whole look of the room.) Momeni recommendation goes double if you're looking for something contemporary (check out the New Wave collection.)

Momeni has re-done their website and it is a howling disaster of animations and click-throughs, I'm sorry to say, but if you google "where to buy Momeni rugs near me" you may come up with something useful. I found this for Chicago.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:47 AM on October 11, 2015


Because you're asking about a living room rug, which would likely get heavy use and be visually prominent, I would caution against buying online. I tried to do that when looking for my LR rug and the online pictures were so off, color-wise, and the return process so onerous, I realized that shopping locally is the only way to go. For one thing, most places will let you take rugs home to see them in your space. If they don't work, it's just a matter of driving back to the store. Also, no surprises with color since you're looking at the real thing.
posted by Gusaroo at 10:28 AM on October 11, 2015 [2 favorites]


I really love rugs. a lot. I have visited the stores that have beautiful handmade rugs, and it's a way to learn. Wool rugs last longer, stay cleaner. I bought a lovely Persian rug at a consignment store, and got a big discount because it had a pet stain. Cleaned with enzyme cleaner, and love the the rug.

Pottery Barn has nice wool rugs and okay sales. Home Decorators Collection has a huge selection and frequent sales.
posted by theora55 at 11:35 AM on October 11, 2015 [1 favorite]


I have found surprisingly nice rugs at Lowes and Home Depot. At about the $150-$200 price range, the size/materials/patterns are pretty respectable quality.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:37 AM on October 11, 2015


« Older Preschooler hates bedtime   |   KEEP CALM and PARTY ON is all I've got Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.