Ideally you or your designer will choose the rug first and then
design your room around its colors and pattern. The rug is the anchor for the
rest of the room, influencing style, design, color and fabric selections made
throughout the space.  Of course it is
not always possible to work in this order and you might be purchasing a piece
to enhance existing décor or furniture!

Although the basic ‘ground’ or color of most Persian carpets
is beige, blue or red, there are frequently many other shades woven into the
designs of each rug.  If a neutral
‘faded’ background of blue or beige and cream is not what you are looking for,
you will have plenty of colors to choose from to offset your furniture or
fabrics. All rugs have a light and dark side as a result of the weaving
process. This is similar to the nap on velvet, and is important to bear in mind
when placing the rug in the room. View the rug from both sides in the showroom
to see how much difference there is – sometimes this can be very dramatic
especially if there is a high silk content in the rug.

When considering the overall design, think about any
furniture that might be placed on the rug. What will you see once your king
sized bed is in place? If the rug has a large central medallion will the
aesthetic effect be lost under an armchair? There are no hard and fast rules,
but begin to visualize each rug in relation to the furniture placement.

Solid color upholstery fabrics go well with practically any
design of rug. With bolder patterns and colors choose a more muted field and
design on the rug. Take fabric samples with you to the showroom as a guide and
bear in mind that at Mansour we will
bring the rug(s) to your home for final approval. There you can have the rug(s)
laid out and moved to change the orientation of the light and dark sides to
optimize the placement. If you are still having trouble deciding put the rugs
next to each other and eliminate the less appealing ones.

Of course budget can be a major concern when purchasing a
fine rug. Consider it like buying art – you must love it and consider it as an
investment piece. Letting your designer or Mansour
salesperson know your budget will help the selection process along – you won’t
be shown rugs that you will fall in love with but are out of your price range!

Prices are affected by the beauty of the rug, the quality,
the age and the condition.

Quality refers to the weave or the number of knots per
square inch and the quality of the wool. However, the number of knots per
square inch alone is not an indicator since different knots, yarns and
craftsmen yield different results.
Better quality wool gives the rug a more attractive appearance; the wool
quality is determined by the breed of sheep, nutrition, climate and height
above sea level.

Generally speaking older carpets are more valuable than new.
They are unique, rarer and have acquired a patina from years of use.

Buying a fine antique or reproduction rug can be daunting
but at Mansour we endeavor to make
the experience pleasurable and to build solid relationships with our client.