Rugs of Smothering were ordinary rugs would be woven with transmutation magic, becoming Animated Objects and often mistaken for Carpets of Flying. They were made to fit a variety of appearances, from finely woven carpets fit for royalty to coarse mats in peasant's hovels.
They were generally employed for home defense; they would magically follow the commands of their creators, and animate when those commands were violated. Often, would-be burglars or intruders would end up entangled and squeezed to death by a rug of smothering, though enough physical force could destroy the magic keeping the construct together.