Before and after cleaning pictures of a dirty rug

These are before and after cleaning of a very dirty hand knotted Persian rug. 

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
Certified Rug Appraiser (CRA)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Persian Rug, Antique Rug Cleaning and Repair Los Angeles

We receive many antique rugs for cleaning and repair from all over the country. This time, we received a pair of hand knotted antique Persian Farahan carpets sent to us by a very reputable rug collector from Miami, Florida. Both rugs had severe damages on the ends.

To do the repair, first we mad foundation, based on which we could tie the knots and re-weave the damaged areas. This was a very delicate job and only a master weaver who knows the construction, can match the design and color, can do the job. This requires a high level of expertise and long time practice.

We assigned one of our on-site master weavers to work on this project. He worked for almost three weeks to finish the complete restoration of one rug.

 This rug looks absolutely beautiful now and we have started the repair of the second piece. We have to do the same by making the foundations on the loom, and re-weaving the damaged areas.

Making rugs is an art and preserving these objects of art is our passion. If you have a damaged rug, bring it to us and let us save it and bring it back to life. Our mission statement is to preserve as many rugs as we can.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Persian Varamin Rugs

Some times our customers asked for asymmetrical designs and a little out of balance designed rugs. We created such design and produced several pieces of these rugs in Varamin, a city with fine rug weaving tradition in south east Tehran.

Traditionally, there was a contrast between the color of border and the background in Persian carpets. For example if the color of background was red, the color of border was dark blue or visa versa. Recently, there has been a shift in demand in this regard. Therefore we produced some rugs in Varamin with Ivory background and borders. Below, you can see a picture of a rug with this type of color palette and out of balance design.

The size of this rug is 4' x 6'. The wool is hand spun and the dye is natural. The retail price of this rug is $1,950.

Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Rugs in Career Day in New York

For a career day and to familiarize students with different professions,
I spoke before the kids in a public middle school in New York City about rugs and how they are made. If new generation knows more about rugs, they begin to appreciate art and culture and then they distance themselves from violence and crime.

Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
310-770-9085
www.rugidea.com

Another American Sarouk Rug in Los Angeles

In an earlier post, I mentioned how American Sarouk rugs were born. Here, I post few pictures from another American Sarouk rug, this time a machine made rug which we had for cleaning and repair. This rug was also made by Karastan company which became into existence in 1928. Most of the American Sarouk rugs (hand knotted or machine made) we have had in the past few years for cleaning, repair and appraisal have been in red background. This one was in dark blue.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770--9085

My Sons in My Rug Gallery On La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles

This summer my Oriental carpet business was slow, but I had the great pleasure of having my two sons with me in my rug store most of the times. My younger son Kash (his real name is Khashaiar and a bit difficult for his American friends to pronounce) took a U.S. history class and passed it with A+ and came to my Oriental carpet gallery whenever he had time. Kash is entering 11th grade at Beverly Hills High School. My older son Ashkan did not take any Summer classes since he did not have that many courses to choose from. He studies Information Technology and Information Systems at the California State University Northridge here in Los Angeles. He has his own web designing and Online Marketing company called IT Chair. He helped me whenever he had time and I needed him. Ashkan has designed our company's web site. Both sons are rug lovers and rug passionate. They are both good at selling rugs and sometimes ask me not to interfere with their sales when they have a customer! They are third generation in Persian rug business and are always ready to learn more.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

A Phone Call From Baghdad and a Silk Persian Qum Rug

It was Saturday today here in Los Angeles. I received a phone call early morning from Baghdad, Iraq from a US army personnel who was going to come home in a few days. He would like to buy a silk Qum Persian rug from Baghdad and he wanted to get some information about this kind of rug and its price. The design as he mentioned is the dome design, which is inspired by the inside ceilings of mosques, which typically feature colorful and star shaped ceilings. Dome is the synonymous for Gonbad in Farsi. This design is made after the interior design of the Sheikh Lotfofflah Mosque in Isfahan. Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque was an architectural masterpieces of Safavid era built in 1615 by the order of Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty in Isfahan, Iran. The mosque was dedicated to Sheikh Lotfollah, a preacher who was the Shah Abbas' father-in-law.

I asked this army personnel to e-mail me few pictures from the rug, back and face and from the signature of the weaver and told him first, he should be concerned with the good condition of the rug and whether the rug is a genuine Persian rug or a fake one. Then we should be concerned about the price. He said he could e-mail me the photos in one day and I said I would get back to him immediately after I receive the pictures.

This gentleman had googled information about silk Persian rug and had found my rug blog and then my web site. Isn't this interesting and fun. This gives me more incentive to write on rugs in my blog!

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Popular Rug Designs: Classic/Traditional or Modern?

It is 4:44 am and I could not sleep. I got up after struggling in my bed to continue to sleep. It did not work. So I checked my e-mails. These days I receive many inquiries from walk in or the Internet customers who want to sell their rugs. They either have no space to keep the rug in or need money therefore want to sell their rugs. What is the best way of selling a rug? I will have to talk about this in a separate post.

I have noticed that most of my customers who buy rugs from me, area, Persian, or Oriental rugs, would prefer to buy traditional or classic design rugs. I have not been that successful to sell rugs in modern or transitional designs. I do not have a good reason for this, but I can guess that traditional designs are never out of market, while those designs which come with fashion and trend, will go by the change of the fashion. On the other hand, many people are used to traditional rug designs, so when they come to my rug gallery on 1655 South La Cienega Blvd, in Los Angeles, they look for a familiar design.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

A Rug Dealer An American Lady in Persian Rug Exhibition in Kish Island Iran

Just while ago, there was a Persian carpet exhibition in Kish Island in Iran, a 20-minute fly from Dubai, UAE. The show was held on April 29 to May 2, 2008. An American rug dealer was among several other visitors who visited the exhibition. Here is what she has written after her return:

I just got back from a lovely vacation to Dubai and the rug exhibition
at Kish. Many thanks to everyone there, people were extremely kind and
helpful. Don't let the current political situation put you off if any
of you consider making the trip. As an American woman traveling alone
I felt very safe. One should always be aware of the
surroundings no matter where you travel. I only regret that I didn't
have more time for tourism in country and will have to make another
trip.Since I took over 400 photos it's hard to pick and choose, but here's a
few.

I am glad she liked it there, because this was her first trip to that part of the world.

Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Earth Day, Green Rugs

Today is April 22, 2008. For the past three decades, April 22nd. has been observed as the Earth Day in the United States to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. At our company RugIdea.com every day is the earth day and that is because of our commitment to the environment, to the weavers, and to the end users. We have several Persian rug production lines in Iran to produce Green Rugs with hand spun wool and natural dye. These rugs are produced in several parts of Iran. One of our customers who bought two of these rugs called Gabbeh rugs, came back to our rug gallery few days later and said "Not only my husband liked the rugs I bought, but my dog also liked them by sitting on one of the for a few hours". I said your dog might have noticed that there was no chemicals in the dye and no synthetics in the materials. Every thing was from the nature, and this was why your dog liked the rugs.


Khosrow Sobhe
www.RugIdea.com