Placing an antique Persian rug in a dining rooms drastically chances the space. Instead of a place to eat, an antique rug turns a dining room into a place to gather, to talk, to enjoy the company of family and friends. An antique Persian rug makes a dining room into another family room and a place to linger.

Selecting an antique rug for a dining room is different from choosing one for elsewhere in the home. Antique Persian rugs lend themselves well for dining room use as they have a high knot count, making them more durable than rugs with lower knot counts. Persian rugs have higher knot counts because of the way they are made, and also due to the intensity of the designs. The more design elements on a rug, the more knots are necessary to create the details. Even if a rug does not have a dense, intricate design, ask the antique rug dealer about the knot count and fiber content of any rug under consideration.

Fiber content is also very important for a rug that will undergo heavy use. The vast majority of antique Persian rugs, and new Persian rugs, are made of wool. Wool is a wonderful material for dining room rugs as wool is hearty. It cleans easily, withstands wear and tear, and hold shape and color beautifully. Wool rugs should be vacuumed regularly to remove dirt, sand, and other loose particles. If babies or children will be eating in the dining room, it is a good idea to put down a splat matt to protect the rug until the children are big enough to not make large messes when they eat.

Size is very important when selecting an antique Persian rug for the dining room. The rug should be large enough to accommodate the table and chairs, even when the chairs are pulled out with people sitting in them. A quick rule of thumb for finding the right size rug is that a table with 4 chairs needs a 6 foot by 9 foot rug to accommodate it. However, tables differ drastically in size, so it is a very good idea to measure the table and chairs and the size of the room, and have that information on hand at the antique rug dealer showroom.

While size and composition are the technical considerations of antique Persian rug shopping, color and design matter only in that they please the owner. Some rug shoppers prefer small, intricate designs and bright colors, while others prefer open designs in muted colors, or any combination thereof. Many antique rug dealers offer plans where rugs may be taken home on approval. Ask if the dealer offers this option, and know what the terms of return are. If a rug doesn't work out as well in the dining room as it seemed to have in the showroom, return it and try something different. Making note of what didn't work will help the antique rug dealer help the customer find a rug that will turn the dining room into a comfortable space to linger.