Welcome

Case Studies

Bringing in the feminine

Vera who works for a financial company contacted me wanting a contemporary rug (300 x 200 cm) for their reception area. The room had off-white walls, black leather seats and a sisal carpet that was getting dirty. Any rug chosen would of course have to comply with health and safety, they had a budget of up to £2,000 and wanted earthy colours. After an exploration as to what Vera liked we brought along 4 rugs to try out in situ. The one they chose is masculine but with a nod to the feminine in the small area of flowers and the rug was well within their budget.

A Reassessment

Jane wanted a rug to replace a worn rug in her room of mellow reds. Her preference was for a traditional soft red rug, not too dark, size 200 x 100 cm. The first search I did was for new rugs, none of which she liked as the colours were too strong. By increasing her budget I was able to seek out some antique rugs with mellow colours so blending in with the rest of the room.

Good things come to those who wait

Occasionally the client wants a rug that is not available in either the right size or colours. Other than rethink the requirements the alternative is to have the rug commissioned. An example is Noel who likes the contemporary Kashkulis which are made in Iran with high quality wool and natural dyes.

It needs a certain type of person to commission a rug. They need to be patient as Iranians have a different attitude to time; be flexible with slight changes in design and colours due to the inherent nature of hand weaving and using natural dyes. The results will be their own beautiful unique rug. Noel was very happy with the results and has since commissioned another Kashkuli.

New Products

My rug cleaner has had over 20 years in cleaning oriental rugs. He has now created for me his own oriental rug cleaning solution so that remove small blemishes from your rugs.

After many requests I now provide anti-slip super dual fleece underlay for all floor types. It is adhesive-free, needle punched, polyester fleece, 260g per sqm; impregnated with acrylic resin ensuring no residue is left on the floor; machine washable for easy cleaning and is sound absorbent. Included in the price of £15 per linear metre (width of 120 cm) I will cut it to the size of your rugs. All you need to do is send me an email with your rug size(s) and I will give you a quote.

Glossary - G

I like the letter "G" probably because I appreciate how the letter curls into itself like a comfy all-embracing chair.

Gabbeh

Gabbehs are thickly woven Tribal Iranian rugs that were originally made for domestic use so their styles are very varied. When removed from the loom the fringe ends are folded over and sewn in. The majority of Gabbehs seen in the western market are of contemporary designs, made with natural dyes and are very popular.

Geometric Design

These are designs that are rectilinear, stepped or angular and would be woven with a fairly coarsely knotted weave. To create smooth lines of a curvilinear design a fine weave using the asymmetrical knot is needed. The finest would be done in a silk where the knots can be as high as 600 per square inch.

Green

To create this Turkish vegetable green dye it is pre-dyed with indigo, an alum mordant is added for an hour followed by two year old weld for yellow. It creates a flecked appearance. Over time yellow will fade faster than indigo so a forest green becomes sea green.

A synthetic green usually appear as a solid, unvarying colour which will fade to a dull shade.

Gul

In Persian this means flower or rose. It is an angular motif using in Turkoman designs and is usually repeated in an allover design in the main part of the rug. Some specific guls are associated with certain tribes.