I never imagined that the question I’m probably asked most often is about how to buy rugs. It was not exactly my life’s work. But here we are. One reason I’m writing this is because it’s very painful to see bad rugs when there are so many beautiful ones available. The other reason is so I don’t have to answer it any more. A few general thoughts, which are true of a lot of things I write about. Know what you want. Know your budget. Know what you’re trying to accomplish. Know what’s out there. That’s true when you’re buying a suit, a case of wine and, yes, a rug. 

Know what you want. Are you looking for one great rug that’s the only one in your living room? Yes, the one that pulls the room together. That’s a big investment and something you’ll be looking at for a long time. I have a lot of smaller rugs and with that many none stand out on their own, and, honestly, none have to be that great. But of course then you have to layer them and that takes a shocking amount of energy and time. It looks wrong for about a year and then it just suddenly works. 

Know your budget. Be honest about it. If you’re living with something this central then you can take the long view. Then you can be patient and stalk your prey.  My rugs cost less than $100. But more elegant ones cost much, much more.

Know what’s out there. I’m not sure anything’s more variably priced than rugs. You’re at the mercy of a dealer who has something that’s completely singular. What’s true of dealers is also true of vintage and antiques mavens—they’re the ones out there seeking out good rugs (or tweed, or modernist furniture or whatever). 

There’s a premium to be paid for all the work they do. Just like there’s a markup at a bar. If you don’t like it then you go to Morocco and bring back a rug that’s really cheap. Or go to endless estate sales. Or you spend hours and hours on eBay. Some people like the hunt, some people, naturally, don’t have the time. And some people resent the high prices and then end up unhappy. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty then get in touch with my friend Mikael Kennedy, he’ll get you a rug. If money is truly no object then go to the John Derian furniture store (the middle of his three stores on E. Second Street). 

As far as the Bay goes, here’s what I learned when I went rug-insane about ten years ago. I went on eBay and looked for rugs that were Buy Now when they were from dealers. If they’re from a person casually selling one or two then I might get into an auction and those prices would generally be lower, but they would also be harder to find. 

I would use certain words “Caucasian” which were common in rugs I liked. And I would use a price limit, say $75. Then I would see what else they recommended for me. Usually that would be something more expensive, which eBay is tricky about. But then I would start finding rugs that were more and more similar to what I liked (eBay is good with its color algorithm). 

One thing that is very important is that the first photo is often…doctored in a way to make the rug look more flattering. Sometimes it’s washed out in a way that’s really nice. Sometimes the color is intensified. What I strongly recommend is to look at any closeup (there is a pretty standard way most dealers present photographs) and usually the fifth or sixth one is nice and tight. That color is the truest representation of the rug, and of the texture for that matter.

Did this work right away for me? Of course not! The first rug I bought was far too red. But there are remedies, keep it outside or, in my case, I loaned it to Freemans Sporting Club way back when I worked with them and the rug got totally beaten up and looked great. Who knows where it is now? Don’t be precious about it. I think of a rug like a tweed jacket, it’s not something to get too delicate about. In the end it’s a textile. It evolves, it has many lives and should get better and better. Hopefully when you get yours it’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship.  

Photos: Stephen Johnson for the Cup of Jo feature on my apartment. Stephen is, in addition to being one of the great interior photographers, the partner of John Derian, and knows a few things about textiles himself.