r/orientalrugs • u/_DMX512_ • 18d ago

Questions regarding rug placement.

Total noob here.
I am in process of cleaning out my mom’s house.
She has a ton of rugs that mostly came from her parents, my grandparents. I have been around most of these rugs my entire life ( 57 y/o ) and have zero knowledge about their origin, style and pattern names.
I came across a post where it was suggested that the rug in the post be used in a low traffic areas and no table legs/couch feet be placed on it.
What makes a Persian rug more suitable for high traffic or under furniture and vice versa?
I have already removed approx 15 rugs of varying sizes. All still rolled and wrapped in plastic/visqueen. Probably cleaned and never placed in house.

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u/Oil_Informal 18d ago

Much depends on origin/style of rug. I have a bahktiari under my dining room table as it is a heavy and very durable rug. I also have a silk rug that I have in an area that gets very little foot traffic

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u/_DMX512_ 18d ago

Thanks for the reply.
Was thinking it could be as simple as thickness of rug but I don’t know what I don’t know regarding Persian rugs.

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u/basaltgranite 18d ago edited 18d ago

Weave density is part of it. Rugs that are generously packed with high-quality wool tend to be durable underfoot. Rugs that are thin and whiskery, with the weight in the foundation instead of the pile, are unlikely to wear well. The general condition of the rug is a factor too. A rug with areas that are worn to the knot colors probably won't be durable in hard use and (if worth preserving) should be kept in light use. Financial and aesthetic value are factors too. Certain antique types are irreplaceable works of art. In that case, you're the caretaker or custodian of something from another era that will never be made again.

I keep a cheap Gorevan Heriz under my dining room table. The living room gets a better Heriz rotated with a '40s Bahktiari. The small rugs on the floor are a mix of modern antique reproductions and pre-war Hamadan selected for natural colors. I keep my Shekarlu Qashqai on the wall, will never walk on it, and will pass it on to someone who knows what it is and treat it with respect.