Posted on May 9, 2020 by Behnam Rugs

What to do with Old and Unwanted Persian and Oriental Rugs

Over the years, what you need from a rug may change. Perhaps you have moved to a new home. Maybe you are changing the colors and décor in the home that you are already in. There are plenty of reasons why a fine rug you once loved in your home might no longer be the best rug for you. The question is, what do you do with such an expensive rug?

Ben Tavakolian, the founder of Behnam Rugs, suggests considering the generous route. You can gift your rug to family members, friends, co-workers, or colleagues as a valuable gift that they can enjoy for years to come.

Oriental and Persian rugs are excellent investments, not just value-wise, but because they are resilient and will last over the years when properly cared for. Do you know any young families or newlywed couples? They might really appreciate the gift! A great rug can turn a house into a home.

If you do not have anyone that you would like to gift your rug to, consider having it appraised before you donate, sell, or trash it. At Behnam Rugs, we offer free verbal appraisals. These are the types of appraisals you would use when you are simply curious about the value of your rug, or if you do not want to pay for a written appraisal without knowing if your rug is actually worth anything. For tax and insurance purposes, however, you will need a written appraisal. At Behnam Rugs, these generally cost about $100-$150 per appraisal. Written appraisals give both the market value and the replacement value.

Once you know the value of your rug, you can sell it or donate it. If you would like to sell your rug, read our in-depth blog post, Options for Selling a Persian/Oriental Rug. This post will detail your options for selling a rug and list the pros and cons of each option.

Donation is another route. Now, we don’t mean donating your rug to Goodwill or Salvation Army, although you can certainly do so if you wish. Many fine rug owners who donate their rugs actually donate them to universities or nonprofit organizations. We’re sure your favorite start-up restaurant or boutique would really appreciate a helping hand with decorating too! A huge perk of donating is that donating a rug will provide a nice end-of-the-year tax benefit for you.

You can also re-purpose your rug. You can resize or reshape your rug. Behnam Rugs offers custom resizing services in-house for those who want to downsize their rug. Our weavers carefully trim and rebind your rug to its new dimensions so that the work is unnoticeable. You can also turn it into a throw pillow, chair covers, a unique table covering, or even a handbag. There are a variety of options for rug re-purposing, and one can easily spend hours on sites like Pinterest browsing through the many options. If you love your rug but don’t love the purpose it currently serves, this might be just the option for you.

Whatever decision you make, Behnam Rugs is here to help you along the way. We welcome you to give us a call or email us if you need any rug advice. You can also visit our showroom at 18000 Preston Rd. Dallas, TX 75252.