I bought 3 black and cream rugs, all from this brand, and all 3 are nice.  This one looks exactly like the picture, the "fading" looks just like it does in the picture.  It doesn't look antique, vintage or worn, just has some areas that are lighter than others, my husband unpacked it and thought it was "damaged" -  but as I said it looks just like the picture.  It is nice and plush and feels good underfoot, I would probably give it 4.5 stars if that was a choice.