High-priced luxury rugs have dominated the market for so long that new, more affordable ones are met with both curiosity and hesitation. Although quite unbelievable, style and luxury can now be bought at a budget-friendly price without the compromise on quality and value.
View our luxury rug collections, hand-picked from around the world.
Buyers Insight
High-priced luxury rugs have dominated the market for so long that new, more affordable ones are met with both curiosity and hesitation. Although quite unbelievable, style and luxury can now be bought at a budget-friendly price without the compromise on quality and value.
But before we dive into the affordable trendy rugs available for everybody to enjoy, it’s essential that we understand why rugs are priced as such. Here’s what you need to know.
It’s not a secret that hand-made, artisanal rugs cost more than your average mass-produced carpet. Essentially, these rugs were made by masters of their craft and were produced over longer periods of time—qualities that mass produced items don’t possess.
Carefully hand-woven, the imperfections evident on the luxury rugs are one of the more important factors that constitute their authenticity. There are, more or less, 260 knots per square inch—making the rug dense and firm to touch.
Moreover, the quality of material used also significantly affects the price. Natural fibers, high-quality wool, or silk will automatically inflate the price of the rug while ones made of synthetic fibers place it at a mid-price point.
Combining both labor of artisans and materials, styles of rugs distinguish them from each other and from lower-quality rugs. Persian and other Oriental rugs are more expensive than synthetic rugs mainly because of the intricate patterns and colors they possess.
Bottomline—labor of artisans, materials, and style of the rug largely influence the price point of luxury rugs.
While techniques and materials are superior, mass-produced items essentially compete with the patterns and colors they employ and the trends they bank on.
Granted, such items cannot beat the age and intricacy of antique, luxury rugs, but its ability to ride and adapt to trends gives it a different kind of leverage. Trends come and go and people are leaning towards constant changing in terms of style and ambiance for their homes.
The changes in the taste of consumers affect the demand of luxury rugs and it necessitates that the production of rugs become more flexible in meeting such changes. Therefore, it’s highly important that producers of such rugs are more flexible in design and color in order to meet the demands of customers.
Styles such as contemporary and transitional rugs easily meet this criteria while being more affordable. However, being more accessible, these rugs may employ synthetic materials that are subpar in comparison to wool, silk, and other natural fibers.
Nevertheless, with proper care and maintenance, these rugs may last longer and be worth the investment you initially put down.
Classics such as Persian and other Oriental rugs will always maintain their position at the top spot simply because they possess qualities that mass-produced items can never replicate.
However, with the ever-changing times and trends, more affordable rugs have the ability to fit in those trends and change accordingly. Being mass-produced, these rugs make luxury and style accessible and more affordable for the connoisseurs of all financial status.
View our luxury rug collections, hand-picked from around the world.
David Nourafshan
David Nourafshan