Rug No. has found its new home.
Every rug we sell is one of a kind, so that piece is gone. Here are others in the same spirit, or tell Rug Finder what you are looking for.
Ferdos Rugs
Ferdos, in the Khorasan region of eastern Persia, sits in sheep-rearing country known for hard-wearing, modestly patterned rugs. Ours are mostly on deep or faded madder red and burgundy, with restrained all-over designs. These are genuine vintage pieces, understated, durable and mellowed by decades of everyday life.
Ferdos: tribal weaving from the eastern Persian desert
Ferdos lies in the east of Persia, in the dry country between Mashhad and the Afghan border, and its weaving belongs to the broader eastern tribal family that includes Baluch work. The rugs lean toward warm madder reds, worked in hand-spun wool with a supple handle.
Expect deep and faded madder red grounds, small repeating geometry, and ivory used sparingly but decisively.
Ferdos traits
- Color: deep and faded madder red and burgundy, lifted with ivory.
- Drawing: small-scale repeating tribal geometry and medallion forms.
- Wool: hand-spun, with a supple handle.
- Sizes: mostly mid sizes and runners, with some small rugs and a few larger pieces.
After dark
Like other eastern weavings, a Ferdos is at its best in a room used in the evening, where lamplight brings the ivory forward against the deep red ground. Studies, bedrooms and layered arrangements all suit them.
With the years
The red grounds hold up well, softening gently rather than washing out, and some of ours have already eased to a faded red. The ivory warms toward cream, which increases the contrast in an appealing way.
On Ferdos rugs
Is Ferdos the same as Baluch?
They belong to the same eastern Persian family and share a great deal in palette and construction. Ferdos is a place name used in the trade for weaving from that district.
Why is it not spelled Ferdows?
Both spellings exist. We use Ferdos consistently across the site.
Daylight versus lamplight
Eastern weavings like these look completely different by lamplight than they do in a photograph taken in daylight, so think about when you actually use the room. In a study or a bedroom used mainly in the evening, the deep red ground soaks up the light and the ivory details come forward. In a bright room with a lot of glass, the deeper-colored pieces can look flat unless there is enough contrast in the drawing.
Keeping a Ferdos well
Give it a rug pad, vacuum gently with the brush roll switched off, and turn it end to end once a year. Red grounds hide everyday marks well, which makes these unusually practical rugs.
Worth a second look
Look at how the ivory is used, since that is what makes or breaks a piece in this tradition, and check the ends and fringe in the photographs. Every Ferdos here was professionally washed and inspected before it went online.
The deciding look
Judge it in daylight, where the drawing opens up, and look for confident use of ivory. Each one exists only once.