Ziegler vs Oushak Area Rugs: How to Tell Them Apart

Arsh's Rug Library · Rug Styles

Blue and beige Oushak rug in a living room — Shown: Classic Oushak Augustin, 8'10" x 11'10"

Ziegler and Oushak rugs are the two styles people mix up most. Both are soft, muted and easy to live with, but they come from different places and read differently in a room.

The short answer

An Oushak is the Turkish style: big, loosely drawn medallions on an open field, with plenty of empty space. A Ziegler is the Persian style: large palmettes and vines that fill the field in an all-over pattern. If the rug feels airy with a strong center, think Oushak. If the pattern flows edge to edge, think Ziegler.

Side by side

Where the name comes from: Oushak rugs are named after Usak in western Turkey, a weaving center since the 1400s. Ziegler rugs are named after Ziegler & Co., a European firm that set up weaving in Sultanabad, Persia, in the late 1800s and adapted Persian designs for Western homes.
Layout: Oushaks usually have one large medallion or a few big, open motifs, with wide areas of plain field. Zieglers usually have an all-over pattern of palmettes, rosettes and curling vines, sometimes with a small medallion.
Scale of drawing: both use large-scale motifs, but Oushak drawing is looser and more relaxed; Ziegler drawing is more structured and repeats across the rug.
Color: Oushaks lean to soft blue, gray, ivory, saffron and terracotta. Zieglers lean to ivory, sand, gold, rust and muted red, often with visible abrash.
Feel in a room: an Oushak reads as calm and open; a Ziegler reads as warm and textured.
Where they're made today: both styles are woven in many countries now. Our Oushak-style and Ziegler-style rugs are hand knotted in wool.

Oushak rug in blue and rust with a large open medallion — Left: an Oushak with a big, open medallion. Right: a Ziegler with an all-over floral pattern.

Ziegler rug in beige and blue with an all-over floral pattern — Left: an Oushak with a big, open medallion. Right: a Ziegler with an all-over floral pattern.

Which one should you choose?

Choose an Oushak if you want a calm, open floor, if your furniture is busy or patterned, or if you love soft blues and grays. The open field lets a coffee table, sofa legs and the light all breathe. Oushaks suit coastal, Scandinavian, French country and modern traditional rooms.

Choose a Ziegler if you want warmth and texture underfoot, if your room is simple and needs pattern, or if you prefer sand, gold and rust tones. The all-over design hides wear in busy rooms and looks good from every side. Zieglers suit farmhouse, transitional, rustic modern and Japandi rooms.

Not sure? Look at what you'll put on top. A large furniture group covers the center of the rug, which hides an Oushak's medallion but still shows a Ziegler's all-over pattern. Our medallion vs all-over designs guide explains this in more detail.