Graphite Vintage Overdyed Rug
This graphite vintage overdyed rug is a hand knotted Persian rug made in Iran from wool, measuring 387 x 290 cm, or about 11.2 square metres. The deep charcoal overdye covers the whole rug, and the pattern shows through as pale grey-blue lines and patches.
The design up close
Near-black charcoal with a brown cast covers the field and the border. A diamond-shaped medallion sits at the centre, drawn in pale grey-blue with scalloped edges, and its middle is left as dark as the ground. The light colour is broken and speckled, so the medallion reads as a soft shape rather than a sharp one.
Pale scrolled pieces mark each corner of the field, and a row of similar scrolls runs down the sides and along both ends. On this graphite vintage overdyed rug the pale colour fades back to charcoal in places, so the pattern comes and goes as you walk around the rug. In the light, the dark ground takes on a slate-blue tint.
The border is close to the same charcoal as the field, so the pale medallion and corner pieces carry the design. Light grey fringe finishes each end.
About Persian rugs
A Persian rug is hand knotted in Iran. Each knot is tied one at a time on a loom, usually in hand-spun wool, and a room-size piece can take a weaver many months. That is why no two are alike. The terms Persian rug and Persian carpet mean the same thing: a rug hand knotted in Iran.
How a graphite vintage overdyed rug is made
Weavers tie each knot by hand on a loom, row after row, and trim the pile level. Wool forms the pile. On this rug the colour was dyed over an older rug, which softens the old pattern into the charcoal and the tones you see now. Because the knots are hand tied, the rows carry small differences in spacing and tone that mark it as handwork.
Colour in your room
Charcoal suits white or pale grey walls, timber floors, and furniture in leather or black metal. A light sofa stands out clearly against this graphite vintage overdyed rug, and the pale pattern lifts the colour just enough that the rug does not look flat.
Sizing it for your room
At 387 x 290 cm, this graphite vintage overdyed rug covers about 11.2 square metres. A three-seat sofa of about 2.2 m leaves roughly 84 cm of rug showing past each end, and two armchairs can rest their front legs on it around a coffee table.
Under a dining table of about 240 x 100 cm, the rug leaves about 74 cm at each end and 95 cm along each side. That is enough room for chairs to slide back while staying on the rug.
Looking after your rug
Vacuum it on a suction-only setting, or with the beater bar switched off, so the brush does not pull at the knots. Turn it around every six to twelve months so sun and foot traffic wear it evenly. Blot spills with a clean white cloth and cold water rather than rubbing them in. When it needs a full clean, choose a cleaner who washes handmade rugs by hand.
Put a good underlay beneath it. It stops the rug sliding on timber or tiles, adds cushioning and takes some of the wear off the pile. Moths like wool in dark, quiet spots, such as the part of a rug under a sofa, so vacuum those areas often and lift the furniture now and then.
See it before you buy
Visit our showroom at 307 Penshurst St, North Willoughby, open every day from 10 am to 4:30 pm, to see this graphite vintage overdyed rug in person. If you would rather judge it in your own room, with your own light and furniture, book a home trial and we will bring a selection to you.
Browse more Traditional rugs, or ask about a custom made rug in your own size and colour. Read more about Persian carpets.
