How To Shop For Vintage Rugs

My home is filled with vintage rugs, mainly from Turkey, and a few from Morocco as well. They are one of my collections that I am pretty sure I will love forever (along with vintage scarves, brass objects and mid-century ceramics).

I have learned a LOT from my rug shopping adventures! I’m excited to share some of my tips with you today!

Vintage Rugs are Unique

Similar to vintage clothing, there is an appeal to me that when I buy a vintage rug I probably will not see it in two of my friends’ homes as well. Maybe this kind of thing doesn’t bother you, and I am slightly embarrassed to say that it does bother me.

But when I spend so much time and energy on a room, I do want it to feel unique. Shopping vintage rugs helps a LOT with that because it’s pretty tough to find the exact same one twice.

Vintage Rugs Last

The thing I love most about my vintage rugs is that they LAST. Most of my rugs have some wear (some of them a LOT of wear) when they arrive to my home. I like that they are already worn in and I love the idea that they have lived in many homes before us, and that they will live in many homes after us, too.

If you’re curious, here’s how I clean my vintage rugs.

When I was younger and living in my first home with Jeremy, we would buy a new $60 rug from Urban Outfitters a couple times a year because they didn’t last (we had puppies, too—but they are just not made to last).

Eventually, I began to realize that with all the money I was spending on disposable rugs I could buy better quality rugs and learn to clean them (in my experience, I prefer to clean my own rugs over taking them in to a rug cleaner).

I still buy an occasional rug from Target or a big box store, but for the most part I choose rugs made with materials that are meant to last and be cleaned over and over. And as a result, our rugs are lasting for years and years.

Purchase Thoughtfully

I grew up loving vintage and buying most of my clothing and housewares from thrift shops. As I got older, I kept a place in my heart for vintage, but began to mix it with different styles. I also began to be more thoughtful with my purchases. I used to walk into a flea market and fill up a cart.

At one point, Jeremy pointed out to me that the joy of thrifting was getting “a haul,” but that I wasn’t using and appreciating the things I was buying. It was a light bulb moment for me (I didn’t even realize that about myself!).

After that, I took a couple years break from vintage shopping and when I got back into it I developed new habits.

These days, I usually leave with just one item—or nothing. Being more selective has helped me to stay true to my style and collect things I will use and cherish, rather than hoarding.

Bottom line, I think that learning to be really picky about the vintage you buy is absolutely KEY if you want to curate a strong style in your home (or closet).

Buy for Specific Rooms

This is pretty obvious. But don’t shop backwards. If you are browsing rugs on Etsy without considering the size and what room you are shopping for, you are not going to get as good a result as when you shop with a purpose

I have a lot of experience with this mistake, to be honest! I see a rug I can’t live without and I tell myself, “I’ll find a spot for it.” Well, that might work, but it might not. It’s much wiser to shop with a room in mind and measure in advance to know what size you need.

When I shop online, I always use search terms—first for size like “runner,” “area rug” or specific sizes like “2×3”. Then I also add color search terms because it’s VERY easy to stray from your color palette when shopping vintage.

Places I Shop for Vintage Rugs

If you happen to live in Nashville, my go-to store is Apple & Oak. I met Allison when we were working on Kacey Musgraves’ dining room.

The thing that is really special that she offers is that she will come to your home with a truck full of rugs and let you try them all in your space.

It’s a DREAM come true because it is so incredibly helpful to see them in your space. I purchased quite a few rugs from her (like my bathroom vanity runner) that I honestly wouldn’t have selected online, but they just looked really good IN my space.

Etsy has a great selection and I shop there often. I prefer Etsy over eBay just because the photography tends to be higher quality and seeing true color is really important when shopping for rugs.

You can see my favorite rugs on Etsy here.

I don’t have a favorite shop, I just use my search terms and pick a bunch of favorites, then narrow it down from there based on price and what is truly best for my room.

My office rug is from Coco Carpets, which is a great shop with a lot of larger options in really bright colors. If you haven’t shopped vintage rugs much, one of the tough things is finding rugs that are large enough. It’s easy to find bathmat size or runners, but larger area rugs can be tricky.

The Vintage Rug Shop is great if you are looking for more traditional style and more muted colors.

EBTH – I found an amazing rug at a steal on EBTH. It is bidding based, so if you get lucky and no one else bids you can get crazy low prices.

The main struggle is just remembering to check back because new auctions are listed every week and they can vary quite a bit. Since it’s estate sale-based, maybe one week there is someone’s things on there that really resonate with you and other weeks there isn’t.

eBay – I have definitely found some steals on eBay. Like I said above, the photography can be a little hit or miss, but I would say it’s the lowest prices I have found anywhere on the Internet.

When I was working on collecting runners for my hallway, I checked eBay quite a bit.

Thanks so much for reading! You can also check out 12 Budget-Friendly (and Cute) Area Rugs if you are on a budget for your room refresh. xx – Elsie