A client (a couple) was desperately looking for a Nichols Chinese runner. A rug dealer in Santa Barbara, California sold such a piece to this couple for $7,500. The clients found out this runner was not what it was supposed to be and filed a lawsuit to receive their money back. I was asked to appear in court as an "Expert Witness" and present my opinion on the value of this rug to Judge Judy in her show with 10,000,000 viewers. The rug was cut and put together to make up a runner of 3' x 16' using 6 pieces from a bigger damaged worn out old Chinese carpet. I received the runner in my rug gallery and inspected it very carefully. I red-tapped all the pieces which were joined/put together to make this damaged crooked runner. The designs were missing or discontinued in several areas of the rug. It was worth maximum $500. Judge Judy trapped the rug dealer and told him that he was a liar, but at the end, the client lost the case as it was dismissed by the Judge. It was a big surprise to the client who happened to be a business lawyer himself. You want to know why? Then watch the video clip!
Shag and Flokati rugs are beautiful additions to your home as they have a charm on their own.
A shag rug has a deep pile, giving it a shaggy appearance. Shag carpeting is sometimes evoked as an example of the aesthetic from the culture of the 1970s in the United States. In recent years shag carpeting has seen a resurgence of popularity.
A flokati rug is a handmade shag wool rug. Making flokatis is a long-time tradition of the Vlachs in the Pindus mountains in Greece. The natural color of a flokati rug is off-white, but they may come different natural colors. The entire rug is wool, including the backing from which the tapered shag emerges. After the rug is woven, it is placed in the cold water of a river to fluff the shag. They continue to be handmade in the mountains of Greece and are regarded as desirable in American modern decor and children's rooms.
Shag and Flokati rugs, however, can be tougher to clean than ordinary rugs because of their high pile. That is where we come into action! Traditional companies may use steam cleaners to try and clean shag/flokati rugs but this process is not recommended as the high pile of these carpets prevent those machines from being effective. Our process involves first dusting the rugs to make sure loose dirt and debris are extracted. Dirt turns to mud when water hits it and debris acts like sandpaper so this step is extremely important before the carpet goes to cleaning. We then shampoo the rugs which penetrates the high pile and gets the whole rug clean. A thorough rinsing process follows to make sure all cleansers have been washed out. The final step is drying to ensure a wet rug doesn't go into your home, something not possible with steam cleaning.
If you have a shag or Flokati rug that you enjoy in your home and it's time for a cleaning to maintain its health and appearance contact us anytime... we know just how to take care of them.
Rug pads prolong the life of your rug: A rug takes a lot of stress as it is being walked on. When walking on a rug the fibers get pushed down against the hard floor underneath and this can eventually lead to wear. A rug pad acts as a protective barrier between your rug and floor and takes much of the stress. The back of a rug, particulary hand made rugs, consists of knots. Without a rug pad these knots can rub and wear against the hard floor causing premature wear. The rug pad prevents this wear and prolongs the life of your rug.
Rug pads protect the floor:
The back of many rugs is rough or scratchy and without a rug pad, this can lead to damage to your floor. Along with protecting floors from scratches, rug pads also protect from indentations. Many rugs have heavy furniture on them and sometimes this can lead to indentations of your floor. The proper rug pad will resist this weight and prevent any damage. Rug pads add safety:
Many rugs tend to slip and slide. This is especially true of smaller rugs or runners. The right non slip rug pad not only adds all the benefits mentioned above, it also prevents slipping, making for a safe home.
Rug pads add comfort:
Finally, a rug pad can make a rug more comfortable by adding extra cushion under your rug. This is helpful in kid's rooms or family rooms where comfort is an issue. Many times if one sits on a rug without a rug pad, you can actually feel the hard floor underneath. A nice rug pad will prevent this and make your rug much more comfortable.
A small investment now in the right rug pad for your rug will prove to add comfort and safety to your home while protecting your Persian & Oriental rugs and floors from premature wear and costly damages in the future.
Afshars are one of the several tribes in Iran who have beautiful tradition of rug and kilim weaving. Afshars are of Turkoman origin who migrated to Iran probably in the 11th century AD. They speak a dialect of Turkic. Afshars were very brave and powerful and did not get along with the federal government. That is why they were dispersed by the Safavid Shahs who ruled Iran from 1503 to 1722. They were forcibly deported to three regions in Iran, north east in Khorassan, north west in south Azerbaijan, and south central Iran to south of Kerman. There are also Afshars in Anatolia in Turkey.
Source: Tribal Rugs, James Opie
Afshars were pastoral nomads and their means of income was animal husbandry and since they had access to high quality wool, they made and to lesser extent still make beautiful pile rugs and flat weaves (kilims). They use both types of vertical and horizontal looms. They use symmetrical knots to make pile rugs. Usually, Afshars in Khorassan and Kerman make small rugs and kilims. Howevers Afshars of north west Iran who make Bidjar carpets make bigger sizes of carpets. They very rarely make kilims.
Nader a military genius (1698-1747) who became the Shah of Iran and ruled the country between 1736 to 1747 was an Afshar from north east of Iran. He established a great Persian empire and expanded his territory to what is now Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, parts of Caucasus, parts of Central Asia, and Oman. He even invaded and conquered India in 1739.
Portrait of Nader Shah Afshar in British Museum
The Afshars who reside in south central Iran, south of Kerman live in and around small towns of Sirjan and Shahr Babak. They make beautiful small pile rugs, kilims (sumac), bags/salt bags (khorjins and namakdans), soferh (bread or eating cloth), and saddle covers. The weaving is mostly done by Afshar ladies. Men help with wool production and dyeing. Afshar tribal rugs of prior to 1930 have wool foundation. In most of the cases these pieces have two oranges-red wefts. In newer pieces Afshar pile rugs have two blue cotton wefts. Afshar rugs and kilims of south central Iran are influenced by Kerman rug and shawl design and have adopted different types and versions of boteh designs. Red dye comes from cochineal in Kerman rugs, however the red of Afshar rugs and kilims come from root of madder which grows in the desert.
Here I am posting few exclusive pictures and a short video on Afshar weaving.
Afshar pile rug
Afshar pile rug detail
Afshar pile rug
Afshar pile rug detail
Afshar rug detail showing the blue wefts from the back
Afshar rug detail showing the blue wefts from the back
Why buy a Tufted Rug? Hand tufted rugs are an excellent alternative to the more expensive hand knotted oriental rugs. Hand tufted rugs are pile rugs where the yarn is wrapped around the warp threads, but is not tied in a knot like hand knotted rugs are. Rather, the pile is secured in place by coating the back of the rug with a latex type adhesive. Usually a canvas backing is applied to the back of the area rug to create a finished look (see below).
A hand tufted rug is made without tying knots into the foundation. The area rug is actually made by pushing wool or arcylic yarn through a primary backing, which creates a tuft. Once the tuft is created, a latex glue is used to hold the tufts in place. A secondary foundation, or scrim, is then added to the hand tufted area rug, which is then covered by a third and final cloth backing. Shearing the tops of the looped tufts to create the pile is the final step of making a hand tufted area rug. The tufting method creates a highly durable and beautifully accurate handmade rug that will weather foot traffic for many years. Take a look at our tips for keeping your Tufted Rug in great condition.
We carry a varied selection of tufted rugs and can help you pick one out that will fit your needs. If you are in the market for a new rug the great prices of tufted rugs can get you started much sooner than you had thought. We also provide Tufted Rug cleaning so if you have one that could use a little TLC contact us and we can get it back into shape to use for many more years.
We are having a fantastic sale on ALL of our machine made rugs and runners... 50% off!
If you are looking to add a touch of class to your decorum now is a great time to save on a welcome addition to any home. Whether you are looking for a rug for your bedroom/living room/dining area or maybe a runner for your hallway, come stop by and see the great deals we have to make them your own.
These pieces are a fabulous deal and it's only going on for a limited time... get yours today!
When it comes to our clients' taste of rugs, I can never tell what they like. We do rug cleaning, repair and appraisal and this gives us a unique opportunity to see many different rugs and carpets brought in or picked up from our customers. Some like hand knotted Oriental rugs, while others do not care for the quality and go by other variables such as price or color and not authenticity. Some look at rugs as investment and art and some look at them as mere floor covering. And I believe it should be like this to have a balance between different tastes.
I personally do not like machine made,shag, tufted and Flokati rugs since they are difficult to keep clean and are not easy to maintain. But probably 1/3 of what we receive for cleaning, and repair these days fall in these three categories. In some cases, the cost of cleaning is around 25% to 50% of the value of the rug, but customers like the rug and pay for its cleaning and repair.
By the way, some of our customers ask me about my favorite type of rug. I like village, rural, and tribal rugs for their aesthetics, histories, and cultures. I also like antique carpets. They have stories to tell.
Here, I am posting pictures of some rugs of different types we have recently received for cleaning and repair.
Another service we offer to rug owners is Appraisals. There are a number of reasons someone would want to have their rugs appraised, including:
1- Family dissolution- You have inherited an Oriental/Persian or area rug and would like to know it's value.
2- You want to know the worth of your rug for trusts or estates.
3- You would like to know the value of your rug for insurance purposes.
4- You want to buy a rug and would like to know if its price is fair or not.
5 - Legal Cases- You need documents that prove the worth/history of your rug.
6- You want to sell you rug but do not know how much it is worth in today's market.
7- You want to give your rug to someone you love and want to know the value of it.
With the Rug Appraisal service Dr. Kay will tell you the entire general and technical details about your rugs. We take high resolution pictures and give them to you along with a signed and sealed Rug Appraisal Certificate. So if you ever have any need to find out the history and worth of your rugs just let us know, we can help.
You want to buy a rug for your living room or bedroom but do not know where to start from. Should you buy it online or walk in to a rug store? What is important in buying a carpet? Color, size, high knot count (knot per square inch), origin, construction (wool versus silk), type (hand knotted, area rug machine made, tufted), or age? Do I need to have a designer accompany me and does he/she really know what I like or I can do the shopping and selection by myself? And if I should consider and combine all these variables, how can I maintain a balance between them? There are many many more questions that come to mind when someone wants to buy a rug.
Knowing rugs is difficult as there are many types and in each type there are many categories, but try to know your rug dealer and see if he is knowledgeable and trustworthy. If he is, then he can safely walk you through the process with ease and peace of mind. He should not insist and put you under pressure to sell you a rug. He should work with you and let you buy a rug that fits the place, your budget, and bring warmth and character to the room in which you use the rug. He should be a part of professional rug organizations and associations both locally and nationally to know what is going on in the industry.
Although you should combine all the variables mentioned above when you want to buy a rug, but you should sometimes go buy your heart and see if you LOVE the rug you're buying or not.
