Lori Rugs
Lori rugs come from the Lur people of western and south-western Iran. This is tribal weaving, made on portable looms, and the designs are carried in memory rather than drawn on paper.
The result is strong geometry, deep reds and blues, and small variations that make each rug its own. Runners and area rugs dominate here. Every piece is vintage.
Lori: tribal weaving from the Zagros
Lori rugs are woven by the Lur, one of the old tribal peoples of western and south western Iran. This is genuine nomadic and semi nomadic weaving, made on portable horizontal looms that could be rolled up and moved with the flocks, and the designs were carried in memory rather than on paper.
That way of working shows in the finished rug. The geometry is strong and slightly loose, the wool is often lustrous because it comes from the tribe's own flocks, and the colors are deep because the dyeing was done in small batches.
What a Lori usually looks like
- Drawing: bold geometric medallions, latch hooks, stylized animals and plants, sometimes a plain field with a strong border.
- Color: deep madder red and indigo, with ivory, camel and occasional green.
- Construction: wool pile, often on a wool foundation, with a soft but substantial handle.
- Sizes: runners and area rugs dominate, with some accent pieces.
Where they earn their keep
A Lori brings warmth and personality to a plain room without needing to be large. In a modern interior the geometry reads as graphic rather than as traditional, which is why tribal rugs sit so easily against plain walls and simple furniture.
The wool is also worth noting underfoot. Tribal fleece tends to be springier than commercial wool, and the difference is noticeable in a bedroom or a sitting room.
Tribal, not village
It is worth being clear about the distinction. A village rug is woven in a fixed house on an upright loom, often to a familiar local pattern. A tribal rug is woven on a portable loom by a weaver working from memory, for the family rather than for a market. Lori weaving is the second kind, and the freedom in the drawing follows from that.
Lori rug questions, answered
Is Lori the same as Luri or Lur?
Yes. All three spellings refer to the same people of western Iran.
Is a Lori related to a Bakhtiari?
They are neighbors in the Zagros and the traditions have influenced each other, but they are separate groups with different design habits.
Why do the colors vary within one rug?
Small batch dyeing. When one pot of dyed wool ran out the next was rarely identical, and the resulting bands are characteristic of tribal weaving.
Choosing your Lori
Choose on the strength of the drawing and the depth of the ground color. Every rug here is a genuine vintage tribal piece and one of a kind.