The blue eye that watches over a home

A ring of deep cobalt, then white, then light blue, with a dark pupil at the center: the evil eye charm is one of the oldest and most widespread symbols in the world. An evil eye rug brings that bold, beautiful design into a home: a single big nazar filling a round rug, a scatter of little blue eyes across a rectangle, a hamsa hand with an eye at its palm or a Mediterranean pattern of blue and white tiles. We ship from Turkey, where the blue nazar bead hangs in homes, cars, shop doorways and above babies' cribs, so this is a design close to home for us. Every rug is printed into soft velvet and goes in the washing machine.

Evil eye designs

Design	The look	Best in
Big nazar	Concentric blue, white and light blue rings on a round rug	Entryways, living rooms
Scattered eyes	Little evil eyes repeated across the rug	Bedrooms, kids' rooms
Hamsa hand	A protective hand with an eye at the palm	Entryways, meditation corners
Mediterranean tiles	Blue and white tiles with evil eye centers	Kitchens, sunrooms
Boho evil eye	Eyes with tassels, beads and warm tones	Boho bedrooms, dorms
Pastel eyes	Soft pink, mint and lavender evil eyes	Nurseries, teen rooms

What the evil eye means

The evil eye is the ancient belief that an envious or ill-wishing look can bring bad luck to the person who receives it. The idea appears across the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and Latin America, and it has been around for thousands of years. The blue eye charm is its answer: an eye that looks back, meant to deflect the bad glance and protect the wearer or the home. In Turkey it's called a nazar, in Greece a mati, and versions of it appear in countless cultures.

Evil eye charms around the world

The idea of protecting against a harmful glance takes many forms. In Greece, blue mati charms are worn on bracelets and pinned to baby clothes. In parts of Latin America, babies are often given a bracelet with a small black azabache charm to guard against mal de ojo. In India, some families hang a string of a lemon and green chilies above the door, a different charm with the same purpose. The blue eye of the Aegean has simply become the most recognizable of them all.

The nazar bead

The classic Turkish nazar boncuğu is made of handmade glass, a flat teardrop or circle in deep blue with rings of white and light blue around a dark center. Villages near İzmir, on Turkey's Aegean coast, have been known for making them by hand for generations, shaping molten glass over a flame. A big nazar on a round rug, from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across, captures that glowing blue in a bold, graphic way. Our round rugs page shows each size in a room.

By the front door

Traditionally, a nazar is hung near the entrance of a home, so that it's the first thing anyone sees as they walk in. An evil eye rug just inside the front door follows the same idea in a beautiful, practical way. Keep it indoors, out of the weather, and choose Standard, 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², which stays put on tile and wood as people come and go. A 2×3 or 2.6×3.9 ft rug, or a small round, suits most entries.

The hamsa

The hamsa, an open hand with fingers pointing down or up, is a protective symbol across the Middle East and North Africa, known in different traditions as the hand of Fatima or the hand of Miriam. It's often decorated with an evil eye at the center of the palm. A hamsa rug in blue and gold, or in terracotta and cream, is a striking design for an entryway or a meditation corner.

Mediterranean blue and white

Evil eyes and blue and white tiles go together in sunny Mediterranean homes, from Aegean villages to Greek islands. A tile-pattern rug with evil eye centers is a fresh, cheerful design for a kitchen, a sunroom or a coastal living room. Paired with white walls, whitewashed wood and terracotta pots, it brings a holiday feeling home. For more seaside designs, see our coastal rugs.

Babies and nurseries

In Turkey and many other places, it's a tradition to pin a tiny nazar to a newborn's clothes or hang one above the crib, since babies are thought to attract admiring, and sometimes envious, looks. A soft pastel evil eye rug in mint, blush and white is a sweet nursery design with that meaning behind it. Choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m², for tummy time; switch to Standard once your child is walking on a smooth floor. For more ideas, see our kids and nursery rugs.

Housewarming gifts

An evil eye is one of the most traditional housewarming gifts in Turkey and Greece, a wish for good luck and protection in a new home. An evil eye rug makes a beautiful modern version: practical, meaningful and machine washable. A big blue nazar round rug is the most classic choice.

Boho evil eyes

In boho decor, evil eyes appear on tapestries, wall hangings and jewelry, often with tassels, beads and warm accents. A boho evil eye rug in cobalt, turquoise, mustard and cream pairs well with macramé, rattan and layered textiles. For more boho circles, see our mandala rugs.

Living rooms

In a living room, a large round nazar under a coffee table, or a scattered-eyes pattern on a 5×7 ft rug in front of the sofa, brings bold color and meaning. It looks especially good with white or natural linen upholstery and a few blue ceramics. Our living room rugs page has more layouts.

Bedrooms

A small evil eye rug beside the bed, or a pastel scattered-eyes design at its foot, adds a protective, personal touch to a bedroom. Pair it with white bedding and a few blue accents. Our bedroom rugs page has more layouts.

Teen rooms and dorms

Evil eye jewelry and decor have become hugely popular with teens and young adults, and an evil eye rug is a fun way to bring the trend into a dorm or a bedroom. On a hard dorm floor, choose Standard so the rug stays put.

Kitchens

A Mediterranean tile-pattern rug with evil eye centers is a cheerful choice in front of a kitchen sink or a stove, where it catches crumbs and splashes and goes straight in the washing machine. A custom runner up to 10 ft long fits a galley kitchen. Choose Standard for its grip on kitchen floors. Our kitchen rugs page has more ideas.

Hallways

Down a hallway, a runner with a row of evil eyes, or a single big nazar at each end, carries the protective idea through the home. Choose Standard, which stays put as people walk by.

Pairing with furniture

Evil eye designs look best with white walls, natural wood, linen and a few blue ceramics or glass pieces. A string of real glass nazar beads hung by the window catches the light and echoes the rug beautifully.

Belief and design

We love the evil eye as a cultural symbol and a beautiful design, but of course we can't promise that any rug will bring luck or keep bad things away. For many people, it's simply a reminder of family, travel and home, and that's reason enough to have one.

Colors

The classic evil eye palette is cobalt blue, white, light blue and black, often with a touch of gold. For a softer look, try pastel pink, mint and lavender; for a boho room, turquoise, mustard and terracotta; for a modern space, navy and white.

Related designs

For more protective and spiritual symbols, see our yin yang rugs, meditation rugs and celestial rugs, and the whole collection in our zen and spiritual rugs.

Your own design

Want an evil eye in your exact blue, a family name around a big nazar or a hamsa with your initials? Our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′, or as a round rug. Please only send artwork you're allowed to use. Custom rugs are made just for you and can't be returned.

Sizes, shipping and returns

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft, and round rugs from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders; custom rugs can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so the blues stay deep and bright, wash after wash.

Where the nazar is made

The classic blue nazar bead, with its rings of dark blue, white, light blue and a dark center, is traditionally made by hand from glass. Near İzmir, on Turkey's Aegean coast, the village of Nazarköy, which literally means evil-eye village, is known for its glassmakers, who melt colored glass in wood-fired furnaces and shape each bead on a metal rod, layer by layer, in front of visitors.

Our studio is in İzmir, so the nazar is part of the everyday landscape around us: hanging in taxis, pinned to babies' clothes, set above shop doors and woven into gifts for a new home. That familiarity shapes how we design evil eye rugs, with the bead's true colors and its layered, slightly irregular glass look rather than a flat clip-art eye.

A rug that echoes handmade glass, with soft highlights on each ring and the deep cobalt of fired glass, feels warmer and more authentic than a perfect graphic. It suits an entryway, where a nazar traditionally greets and protects visitors, a nursery for a new baby, or a living room with Mediterranean blue and white.

For a housewarming, a rug of a single large nazar surrounded by small ones, like a string of beads, is a gift with meaning in Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern homes, and a beautiful design anywhere else.

Visitors from İzmir often bring home glass beads; a rug brings home the colors.