Kashan Rugs
Kashan, in central Persia, is the classic city rug: a formal medallion, curling floral vines and rich reds set against indigo and ivory.
The wool is dense and picks up a soft sheen as it ages. These are original vintage Kashans, cleaned and repaired by hand, with no two the same.
Kashan: the deep, floral heart of Persian city weaving
Kashan lies on the edge of the central Iranian desert, and its weavers have been producing some of the most sought after Persian carpets since the sixteenth century. If Tabriz is architectural, Kashan is lush. The classic Kashan is a dense floral field, usually on a rich madder red or deep indigo ground, with a tightly drawn central medallion and a full, layered border. There is very little empty space, and that is deliberate.
The wool is the other half of the story. Kashan traditionally used soft, high grade wool with a slight lustre, and after decades of use that lustre deepens rather than dulls. Running a hand across a good vintage Kashan, the pile changes tone as it lies one way and then the other.
What to look for
- Ground: most often deep red, sometimes navy, occasionally ivory.
- Drawing: dense curvilinear florals, palmettes and vine scrolls; a well resolved central medallion.
- Knotting: fine, on cotton, with a firm handle.
- Border: usually a wide main border with several guard stripes, drawn as carefully as the field.
Living with a Kashan
A Kashan is a room anchor, not a supporting piece. Because the field is so full, it works best where the furniture around it is relatively plain. Put a Kashan under a linen sofa and a simple wooden table and the rug does all the talking; put it under a floral sofa and the room becomes hard to read.
They are exceptional in bedrooms, where the density underfoot is a genuine pleasure and where the low light lets the red go warm rather than loud. In a hallway, a Kashan runner handles heavy footfall well and hides the reality of a busy house.
How a Kashan ages
Madder red in a Kashan does not fade evenly, and that is the point. Over decades it opens up into brick, oxblood and, in places where light has fallen hardest, a soft rose. Indigo grounds move towards a smoky blue grey. On older pieces the ivory of the drawing warms to bone. All of this reads as depth rather than wear, and it is impossible to reproduce quickly.
Kashan rug questions, answered
Is a deep red Kashan too dark for a small room?
Usually the opposite. A saturated ground gives a small room a floor to sit on and makes the walls feel further away. What makes a small room feel smaller is a rug that is too small for it, not one that is too dark.
Why do some Kashans feel heavier than other Persian rugs?
Density. A fine knot count on a firm cotton foundation with a full pile produces genuine weight. It is one of the more reliable signs that a carpet was made to last.
Will a Kashan work with modern furniture?
Very well, and it is one of the most common ways they are used now. The contrast between a highly worked antique floor and plain contemporary shapes is what makes both look considered. The mistake is putting a Kashan in a room where everything else is also ornate.
Choosing your Kashan
Decide the ground colour first, then the size, then how much of the field will actually be visible once furniture is in place. Every Kashan on this page is a single piece with its own wear, its own colour shift and its own history, and none of them will come through again.