A layout in which a motif or pattern is spread across the whole field instead of being organized around a central medallion. The motif can be flowers joined by vines and leaves, angular geometric shapes, or units such as boteh and herati, and a barely noticeable center may remain. With no strong midpoint, an allover rug sits comfortably anywhere in a room, including odd-shaped ones; in floral versions the flowers are drawn larger, on thicker branches, than in a floral medallion rug.
A floral rug built around one central medallion, either a single large flower or a cluster of small blooms joined into one shape, often echoed by smaller medallions above, below and beside it. The medallion is traditionally said to stand for the sacred lotus. Because it takes up field space, the flowers and branches are smaller and thinner than in allover floral rugs. The design is typical of Tabriz, Kerman, Sarouk and Kashan, and its strong center makes it a natural focal point of a room.
Village rugs from the town of Malayer and neighboring villages between Arak and Hamadan, woven since about the 19th century on an old trade route that brought in outside designs. A cotton foundation, wool pile and symmetrical Turkish knot give a finer weave than most village rugs, with the pile clipped fairly low to show detail. The south-eastern, Sarouk-like style is double-wefted and thicker, with floral medallions or Tree of Life designs; the north-western, Hamadan-like style is single-wefted, geometric and lighter in color. Small rugs and runners predominate.
A large motif at the center of a rug's field, around which the rest of the design is organized. Floral medallions, typical of city rugs such as Tabriz, Kashan and Sarouk, are often read as a lotus blossom; geometric ones, often hexagonal or diamond-shaped, mark village and tribal rugs such as Heriz and Zanjan. A medallion may stand alone, pair with four corner pieces, be flanked by smaller medallions above and below, or repeat down a long field such as a runner. Rugs with a pattern repeating across the whole field and no central motif are called allover. In a well-made rug the medallion sits at the center and the corners mirror one another, as closely as handwork allows.
Persian rugs from the city of Qum (Qom), a comparatively young weaving center whose rugs are among the densest of any Persian type. Most are pure silk on a silk foundation, at roughly 600 to 1,000 knots per square inch (KPSI); those with kork wool or silk-and-wool piles run about 300 to 700 KPSI. Designs are floral medallions, hunting scenes and pictorials, mostly in soft pastel, ivory, gold and green tones on light or dark grounds, and newer rugs usually carry a workshop signature. The local water is said to soften and brighten silk, so silk rugs from across Iran are sent there for washing.