So this post is a little random for me but it’s going to address one of the most frequently asked questions I get on Instgagram lately, which is where all the vintage rugs are from in our house.
We have 2 rugs upstairs which are both from Rug and Weave. One is in the ensuite bathroom and the other is in our bedroom. They are not real vintage rugs but are printed and meant to look vintage. They are great, comfy and a good price point.
But aside from those, all the rugs we have on the main floor of our house are actual vintage Turkish rugs and all happen to be from Etsy.
Unfortunately, since they are authentic vintage, they are one of a kind and therefore I am unable to link them because one it’s sold, it’s sold. But what I can do is share some of my favourite Etsy stores to buy the rugs and some purchasing tips!
Tips to Buying Vintage Rugs on Etsy:
1/ Etsy Shops We Love
As I said, all of our vintage rugs are from Etsy. Before purchasing 2 of them, we went to a few stores in Toronto to look. Of course, I would love to shop and support local but due to Covid, our browsing and shopping has been kept to a minimum so we’ve been forced to look online for almost everything in the house.
From our brief experience of rug shopping in Toronto, vintage Turkish rugs are extremely expensive. The prices, even with taxes and shipping, were much better shopping directly from Turkey online.
Here are some stores we love and have purchased from:
2/ Number of Sales + Reviews
Next to the store name should be the number of sales the store has. You definitely want to make sure the store has a decent amount of sales so you know you are dealing with someone legit. Some of the stores we purchased from have thousands and thousands of sales.
Of course, reviews are important to look at as well. Although I always take what people write with a grain of salt because you never know the person or situation. Sales is more important to me!
3/ See the Rug in Daylight
If the photos online are mostly indoors with flash or bad lighting, ask the seller to take the rug outside for you and take a photo in daylight. They can look completely different and you want to get the best understanding of what it is going to look like when making such a big purchase.
4/ You Can Use Both Sides
So we ordered our family room rug and when it arrived, it was not at all what we thought it was going to be (see point below). But turns out, the underside of the rug was exactly what we wanted. It’s not as soft as the side you’re meant to use, but honestly if you’re going for vintage Turkish rugs, you’re going for the style over comfort. So we flipped the rug and use the “wrong” side of it and are so happy with how it looks.
5/ You Never Really Know What You’re Getting
It’s 10o%. a gamble buying a rug online. You never really know until it’s there what you’re going to get and you more than likely won’t be returning it because if you’re in North America as most of my readers are, shipping a giant rug back to Turkey will probably cost more than you already paid for the rug. But, if it’s really not what you were hoping for, you can always sell it in your hometown. It’s always a bit of a risk so just know what you’re getting yourself into.
6/ Act Fast!
It’s actually wild how fast these rugs sell. And since they are all one of a kind, it’s not like you can take your sweet time deciding. For example, we were about to make a purchase – went through the whole process of asking the seller to take the rug outside for us, etc., received the photos from the seller – and literally minutes later told them okay we were ready to purchase and it had been sold. So if you have your eye on something, go for it quickly!
So like I said, I know this post is so random but I hope it’s helpful in answering all your rug Q’s. Hopefully you find something you love and let me know if you have any questions!