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When you put together a room, the design often includes basic furniture and lighting, maybe some pictures on the wall. But the final touch is an area rug. I never thought much of area rugs growing up because my first apartment was carpeted, but now that I’ve grown, I see (and feel) the value of the right rug.
There is nary a spot in my home without a rug, whether it’s the rug in the entryway, the one in front of the garage door, or the more stylish ones in the living room. So when it came time to grab a rug for the bedroom, I looked at Nourison and Safavieh side by side. Here is what I found out.
My Main Findings
So when should you consider Nourison over Safavieh or vice versa?
When to choose Nourison:
Nourison has U.S.-based manufacturing plants for some of its rugs. If you are looking for a company that supports local industry and, in particular, domestic production over Chinese production, this is a good option.
I also like that they have a lot of hand-tufted wool and silk blends as well as high-end options that don’t come with a high-end price tag.
Nourison also gives you more control over quality because of its vertical integration.
When to choose Safavieh:
Safavieh has a very large selection, and you can find them at a lot of major retailers. Though they are on average more expensive compared to Nourison, and more of them are manufactured overseas, this is in large part because they produce what are categorized as high-quality rugs without the high-quality price tag.
They also offer a range of natural fiber rugs like jute or seagrass, so if you want to prioritize something more natural, you might find better options here.
Now let’s dive deeper into how they compare.
Nourison vs. Safavieh: Background
Safavieh started in 1914 and, since then, has continued through four generations. Today, they partner with Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren to offer couture rugs and a range of outdoor and indoor rugs.
You can find Safavieh rugs from their website or through major names like Home Depot, Ashley Furniture, and Walmart.
Nourison was established in 1980, and for over forty years, they have worked on creating timeless rugs with environmentally responsible methods. You can purchase brands like DKNY, Calvin Klein, and Christopher Guy, and shop for indoor/outdoor and washable rugs.
You can find Nourison rugs on their website or at places like Home Depot, Amazon, and Target.
Nourison vs. Safavieh: UI
Safavieh has a website that I can only describe as clunky and too much. If you’ve ever looked at a website designed for international clients, you know the type of clunk to which I refer. There is a lot of information on the website because they have outdoor rugs and furniture as well as regular home furniture, lighting options, accessories, rugs, and access to retail stores.
Finding a rug on their website starts with a lot of search parameters. For example:
- I can choose to search by room type, whether I am looking for a rug for my living room, bedroom, entryway, or outdoor area.
- I can choose to search by style, such as novelty, traditional, or contemporary.
- I can search by color.
- I can search by materials, such as seagrass, cotton, silk, or other options.
- I can search by shape.
- I can search by construction, whether it is hand tufted, natural sheepskin, flat weave, and the like.
- I can search for oversized or custom broadloom rugs.
- I can search for custom area rugs.
- I can search for machine-washable rugs.
Did you get a little overwhelmed by the number of search parameters? Because I did. I also found it a little difficult because, with so many options, it is harder for me to search for a hallway runner made of cotton in a burgundy or black color, because I can’t just filter those things individually. I can, instead, look at hallway runners, or I can look at rugs made of cotton, or I can look at black or burgundy colors.
The Nourison UI was much softer. Visibly, there was better use of headers, pictures, and videos, so I didn’t get the same early 2000s feel as I got with Safavieh. Actually, Safavieh feels like it was coded in the 2000s and instead of going back and overhauling, they have simply added to outdated code.
Nourison feels new, modern, and sleek, just like their innovative rugs.
When I search for rugs here, I can choose to:
- Shop by brand.
- Shop by collection.
- Shop custom designs.
- Shop by character.
- Shop by style.
I can also select categories like new or discontinued items, but really, it’s a lot easier to shop these collections, especially if I know what it is I’m looking for.
Nourison vs. Safavieh: Quality
In terms of quality, Nourison has a pretty comprehensive collection with lots of different styles. They make a lot of durable synthetic as well as more luxurious hand-knotted wool rugs. However, be aware of what the specs are for each rug you choose, especially the budget options; the pile may be a lot thinner than you think.
Safavieh has a pretty broad selection, ranging from more affordable options to high-end collections, but those high-end collections still have issues with shedding. Still, if name brand is important to you, they have partnered with some pretty impressive names, as I mentioned, like Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren.
Nourison vs. Safavieh: Material Options
When looking at materials, you get a lot of different options with Nourison, with things like silk, wool, and popular synthetics.
You won’t find the same synthetics with Safavieh, but you can get a better selection of natural fibers like seagrass, wool, or jute.
Nourison vs. Safavieh: Manufacturing
Nourison is very popular for its American-based manufacturing. They started with several manufacturing plants for broadloom carpets in Georgia, and though some of the rugs are still made in China and others in Turkey, you can certainly choose from the product lines that are made exclusively in the United States.
Safavieh is an international company. Their website lets you log in from U.S. locations, Canadian locations, European locations, and the United Kingdom to see what product lines are available in each area. Owing to the fact that they have such a broad customer base, it’s not surprising that India and China are their major rug-weaving operations, so you won’t find U.S.-based operations here.
Nourison vs. Safavieh: Price
Price points are somewhat difficult to compare, so I’m going to look at an otherwise comparable example.
Example: Machine Washable Arizona from Safavieh and New Concept Washables Red Navy from Nourison
The Machine Washable Arizona has a ¼ inch pile, made from polyester. It comes from China. You can only order it in a 5-foot by 8-foot design. It is $118.
The New Concept Washables are available in rectangular and runner sizes. But for the sake of comparison, I’ll check out the 5’3″ by 7’3 ” rectangle. This costs $175. It is crafted with a lightweight chenille and cotton blend, with a flat-woven design. The pile is about .28 inches made from a blend of cotton and polyester. Nourison manufactures rugs in the U.S., Turkey, and China, depending on the collections. The broad loom carpets, for example, are manufactured in Georgia, whereas the Quarry area rug collection is made in Turkey. I assume the manufacturing of the power loom for this rug is in China.
So, looking at the price point in this example, Safavieh is comparatively less money, but it’s also made entirely from polyester, unlike the Nourison rug, which is a blend of around 46% polyester, 43% cotton, 7% acrylic, and 4% other fibers, making it pet friendly, machine washable, and best for heavy foot traffic.
Important Note: I will say that looking at the Nourison website is not the most accurate price point. That is just a reference point, but if I go to purchase the same Nourison rug from a third-party seller like Home Depot, it’s only $75 as opposed to the $175 that is listed on the website.
This is a significant drop in price, and that seems to be the same with all other comparable items.
Nourison vs. Safavieh: How to Purchase
With Safavieh, you can purchase directly from their website if something is in stock; otherwise, you can purchase from third-party websites like Walmart or Home Depot.
With Nourison, when you go to buy some of their rugs online, you can certainly look at all the comparable sizes and types on their main website. When you click the purchase button, you get redirected to a pop-up screen where you have different third-party sellers.
For example, with the Nourison New Concept Washable rug from above, I get a redirection where I can see that it’s in stock at Amazon and Home Depot online, but it’s currently out of stock at Lowe’s and Walmart.
Once I click the button to buy, it gives me a link to the respective website, Like Home Depot, where I can find it for only $75, and I can choose to ship it to a local store or have it delivered to my house for an extra fee.
Summing Up
Both Nourison and Safavieh are established, well-regarded brands. You can find a lot of rugs for different styles, spaces, and budgets.
Nourison: This is best for people who prefer domestic manufacturing, a variety of materials like synthetics or silk, as well as affordable products that hold up to high traffic.
Safavieh: This is best for people who want premium handmade wool rugs as well as higher-end collections that might feel expensive without being as expensive, or an array of natural fibers like jute and seagrass.
