Frequently Asked Questions
We ❤️ talking rugs! If you don’t find your question and answer listed below, give us a shout at hello@nizamrugs.com. We do our best to respond within 2 business days.
Nizam
What’s the difference between your Collections?
Nizam vintage rugs are categorized into the following collections: Original Vintage, Overdyed, Distressed, or Antique Washed. Kilims are always kept as is, as are Revival Cushion Cases, which are made from vintage kilim rugs. Visit Our Rugs for an overview of the general aesthetic of each collection.
Depending on its natural state, every vintage rug is closely inspected to determine how best to categorize it, based on its color vibrancy, patterns, and style. Some rugs undergo a second dyeing process to give the colors added vibrancy.
For our Studio Nizam rugs, we’ve taken everything we’ve learned from sourcing thousands of vintage rugs and applied it to collaborating with trusted partners on new ones. This means you can expect the same high quality of our vintage rugs, made under ethical conditions using all-natural materials, dyed with lab-tested, eco-friendly, azo-free free dyes.
Our new rugs are woven with the same exacting artisanal standards of our vintage pieces. By operating in-country in India, Morocco and Turkey we are able to vet our weaving partners closely and visit them on a monthly basis to ensure they meet our ethical and eco-standards.
As a minimum requirement, the larger weaving houses we work with must be certified by one or more of the following internationally recognized organizations: GoodWeave India, Craft Mark, Fairtrade, and/or Social Accountability International.
Can I be sure that the color of the rug in photos will be the same in person?
We do our best to make sure rug colors are represented as accurately as possible. The photos that we take of our rugs are color corrected to match the actual color of the rug as seen in person in natural daylight. Keep in mind that if the lighting conditions in your home are different than natural daylight, the colors will appear slightly differently than on the website.
Also, be aware that for rugs with a higher pile, colors may seem more or less intense depending on which side the rug is viewed from. This is because knotted rugs are created upright on a vertical loom where the weaver pulls down on each knot before trimming the yarn. This positions the yarn to lean slightly to one direction and away from the other, so if you are viewing where the pile is angled towards you, the rug will appear lighter—and if you are viewing the rug from the other end where the pile is oriented away from you, the colors will appear slightly more saturated. The effect becomes more pronounced as the pile height increases.
Finally, there may be slight variations in what you see on your computer depending on the screen’s color, contrast, and brightness. Within the product descriptions, we will also note any inherent color variations.
If the color of your new rug is not what you were expecting, we are happy to work with you to get you the color you had envisioned. Email us with details at hello@nizamrug.com or fill out our contact form. We’d love to help you in selecting a new rug, and if you don’t find anything you love, we’re happy to process your return, or issue a store credit for a future rug. Please refer to our “Shipping & Returns” section of the FAQ for more details. Since our vintage rugs are all one-of-a-kind, we are constantly receiving new inventory. We’re confident you’ll find a rug you love!
How thick are Nizam Rugs?
Our rugs vary in thickness depending on their construction and processes.
Vintage Nizam Rugs in our Distressed, Overdyed, Antique Washed, and most of our Original Vintage Collections are all considered low pile rugs, which means they are less than ¼” thick.
We hand-shear our rugs as part of the Nizam process. All rugs naturally “fuzz” over time with use, and shearing reveals an even surface layer. The lower pile also reveals parts of the woven foundation which gives the rug a more muted, textured color palette and adds to its vintage appeal.
For our Nizam-Made knotted rugs and some of our Original Vintage rugs, the pile is maintained at its original height, making the rug quite plush and thick. Product descriptions will have notes on pile height as well as close up shots to help you understand texture.
Finally, Vintage Kilims are not sheared, since kilims are flatwoven and do not have a pile.
If you have questions about whether you think you need a rug pad or not, please see “Do I need a rug pad?” under the Rug Care section.
Is there a difference between natural and synthetic materials?
Yes! There are a number of commonly used natural and synthetic materials. Natural materials for rugs typically include sheep wool, goat wool, cotton, jute, hemp, and silk. Synthetics include nylon, acrylic, viscose, polyester, and polypropylene.
We source handwoven vintage rugs with primarily natural materials. We especially love wool for its durability and texture. Having sourced thousands of vintage rugs and tested hundreds of swatches in developing our Studio Revival rugs, we found wool unmatched as a rug material. Wool also acts as a great noise insulator and is more stain-resistant than other types of materials, so it’s a solid choice for most places in your house or apartment. That being said, if you’re placing a rug in a location where you want moisture to be absorbed—for example, near your bathroom—cotton may actually be a preferred choice because it can better absorb the moisture. And if you’re looking for an outdoor rug, synthetics are worth a look, as they’re more rugged for all weather conditions.
What’s the difference between handwoven, hand-knotted, hand-loomed, hand-tufted, and machine-made?
Natural dyes are more expensive than synthetic dyes because of the time it takes to produce them. Apart from the dye itself, however, it’s really a matter of preference—both natural and synthetic dyes can be aesthetically pleasing. Synthetic dyes produce dyed fibers that are more evenly saturated, which results in a more monochrome appearance, whereas natural dyes produce slight variations of a single color tone due to a small-batch dyeing process that yields subtle variations of one shade with each dye bath.
All Nizam-sourced vintage rugs are originally dyed using traditional techniques. After cleaning the selected rugs, we inspect each rug’s natural state before deciding which rugs will undergo a second dyeing process. Kilim rugs are kept as is. Likewise, Original Vintage rugs that have retained their color vibrancy, patterns, and styles are also kept in their original state.
If a rug is not selected for our Original Vintage collection, the rug’s original color is first desaturated (which often produces interesting variations and shades) and then undergoes a second dyeing process where synthetic dyes are used. These styles of dyed rugs comprise our Overdyed, Distressed, and Antique Washed Collections.
For our Nizam-Made rugs, we use undyed, natural, and eco-friendly wool wherever possible as well as low-impact dyes for our designs which involve color. This means azo-free, no heavy metals, and higher absorption rates than conventional dyes, creating less gray water run-off and reduced water consumption.
If you have any concerns or allergies to synthetic dyes, we suggest our Kilim and Original Vintage Collections, which have not undergone further dyeing. Nizam Cushion Cases are made with vintage kilims, so have not been dyed using synthetics. If you have more specific questions, feel free to shoot us an email at hello@nizamrugs.com.
Can I be sure that the color of the rug in photos will be the same in person?
We do our best to make sure rug colors are represented as accurately as possible. The photos that we take of our rugs are color corrected to match the actual color of the rug as seen in person in natural daylight. Keep in mind that if the lighting conditions in your home are different than natural daylight, the colors will appear slightly differently than on the website.
Also, be aware that for rugs with a higher pile, colors may seem more or less intense depending on which side the rug is viewed from. This is because knotted rugs are created upright on a vertical loom where the weaver pulls down on each knot before trimming the yarn. This positions the yarn to lean slightly to one direction and away from the other, so if you are viewing where the pile is angled towards you, the rug will appear lighter—and if you are viewing the rug from the other end where the pile is oriented away from you, the colors will appear slightly more saturated. The effect becomes more pronounced as the pile height increases.
Finally, there may be slight variations in what you see on your computer depending on the screen’s color, contrast, and brightness. Within the product descriptions, we will also note any inherent color variations.
If the color of your new rug is not what you were expecting, we are happy to work with you to get you the color you had envisioned. Email us with details at hello@nizamrugs.com or fill out our contact form. We’d love to help you in selecting a new rug, and if you don’t find anything you love, we’re happy to process your return, or issue a store credit for a future rug. Please refer to our “Shipping & Returns” section of the FAQ for more details. Since our vintage rugs are all one-of-a-kind, we are constantly receiving new inventory. We’re confident you’ll find a rug you love!