Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Election Day in Los Angeles: Our Rug Store Is A Polling Place

It is 6:00 am in Los Angeles and I am at work. It is Election day and our rug store is a polling place today. Employees of the city are setting up. It will be a busy day today with two of our employees off and lots of work to do. It'll be exciting!
Our rug store has been a polling place for the past few elections and we like to work with the city of Los Angeles to give back to the community.

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

Friday, February 22, 2013

Jute Rugs, Jute Carpets

Jute is called the "Golden Fiber" for its luster and strong fibers. Its soft, long, and strong fibers are perfect for areas rugs which can be used as natural floor covering in low as well as high traffic areas. Jute is versatile and sustainable. It is natural, fast growing and renewable. Jute is mostly farmed in India and Bangladesh by more than four million farmers who are involved in farming or related industries.
Jute rugs can be used in both casual or formal settings. Jute rugs should be used indoor as humidity or water can damage and rot them. For jute rug cleaning tips, visit the link below. I found it useful.
http://www.sisalrugs.com/how-to-clean-jute-rugs

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

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Bamboo Rugs, Bamboo Carpets

Bamboo is extraordinary in its sustainability and renewability. It can be harvested in 3-4 years while oak takes almost 40 years to mature before it can be harvested. After bamboo is cut, a new shoot will grow from its roots, therefore there would be no need to plant a new bamboo to replace the cut one.

Bamboo is very durable and its fibers are stronger than those of wood. Bamboo fibers do not deteriorate if atmosphere and climate conditions change.

Bamboo rugs/carpets have been traditionally used as floor covering in the Far East countries for centuries. They have become popular in the west in the recent decades. Bamboo rugs add organic and nature touch to any space in which they are used. Bamboo carpets can be used in both traditional/classic or modern/contemporary settings.

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

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Late 19th Century Heriz Serapi Carpet Rug

Antique Handknotted Heriz Serapi Rug  
Made in the late 19th century in Heriz (northwest Iran)  
Size: 12’ x 19’8”  
Palace Size Rug  
Foundation: Cotton  
Pile: Lamb's Wool  
Perfect condition   
Has original double corded selvages and original fringes  
Natural dyes   
Recently professionally cleaned/restored  
Collectible item – Great Investment  
Item 3613  
$45,000 email or call 310-860-0460






Heriz rugs are made in the weaving district of Heriz, which is made up of around 30 weaving villages. The names of the villages in this region, which is about 40 miles west of the famous city of Tabriz, in north west Iran are commonly found as names of different rug styles from the area. Contrary to most carpets, these Persian hand knotted carpets are not named for the town they were created in, but for their level of quality. For example a Heriz carpet is the highest quality floor covering from the region, and then there is the Mehriban, the Gorevan, the Ahar, and the Sharabian rugs amongst many others.  The Heriz carpets are all  very similar in design, with a common geometric pattern.

Heriz rugs almost always have a large central medallion design and corner spandrels. The rug’s central medallion typically lies on a red field and includes geometric shapes of leaves, flowers and other motives. The rug also features a broad main border pattern that is called a Herati pattern.  These floor coverings have been known to be quite large in size, normally 6 x 9 feet being the smallest size.

Heriz rugs are commonly made with a cotton warp that can be either depressed or non-depressed. The weft can have two shoots or even a single weft. The weft is normally made with cotton and is a blue color. The pile is almost always wool and are generally more coarsely woven than traditional Persian carpets. The coarse pile can cause the floor covering to wear more quickly, but a very high quality Heriz will withstand wear for much longer than a lower quality one. There are some antique pre 1900 silk pile Heriz rugs with high count knots, but these pieces are very rare.

Older Heriz rugs are typically made with softer colors, like light blue, khaki, pink, ivory and rust. Newer carpets, which are identified as post-World War II rugs, have much brighter tones like blue, green, red, white and brown. The term Serapi has been known to identify older, pre-World War II Heriz carpets. There is no village named Serapi, but it signifies a very old carpet that is very high in quality.  These pieces typically have a depressed warp, the softer tones and large geometric designs. They do stay very true to the typical Heriz pattern, with a large central medallion, corner spandrels and geometric shapes. 

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

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Rug Down Sizing and Rug Repair

We sometimes receive rugs for downsizing. These rugs maybe damaged on the borders or the owners would like to move into a smaller places. We measure and mark the borders which should be removed. Then we cut the marked borders with special type of scissors and start securing the borders and ends.








In some cases we have used the leftovers and the scraps to stitch them together to make runners and our customers liked the ideas and the implementation.

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

Friday, February 1, 2013

Cow-skins, Cowhides Los Angeles

We sell cow skins/cowhides in our showroom on 1655 South La Cienega Blvd. here in Los Angeles. They are natural and add character and warmth to the places in which they are used.



Our cowhides are individually selected and hand picked for their high quality, unique design and natural color. They are heavy and lay flat on the floor. No two are the same. These cowhides are very durable and easy to maintain and clean. They only need light vacuuming and can be spot cleaned. We are expert in cowhide cleaning and repair.

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

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Rug Cleaning, Rug Repair and Attention to Detail

We receive many rugs for cleaning, repair, stain removal or other services. We inspect them all. If there are damaged areas, we secure them before we do the cleaning. This prevents the damages to get bigger. We also mark the damaged areas so we can pay more attention to those areas in the cleaning process. Our customers love this kind of attention to detail which ultimately benefits them by protecting their investment.




In the pictures above, you see a Moroccan rug we received for cleaning. There were several holes that our customer had nor noticed. We identified them in our inspection and marked them. We then secured them before we started the cleaning process. After we're done with cleaning, we will repair the damaged areas. This attention to detail is what separates us from our colleagues.

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

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Salt Bags of Iran: A Lecture in Los Angeles


Salt Bags of Iran: A program by the Textile Museum Associates of Southern California. Today, we had a wonderful well attended program on these salt bags which was followed by show and tell section.
Salt bags were an essential part of the Persian and Central Asian nomad’s woven trappings, in order to carry salt on their annual migrations, and keep it safe and handy for storage and use. These unique weavings were made by most, if not all, of the weaving tribes of Persia: the Luri, Bakhtiyari, Afshar, Qashqa’i, Khamseh, Kurd, Shahsavan, Baluch, Timuri; also by Baluch and Timuri tribes in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Salt bags are bags of a unique shape, with a rectangular area below and a narrower neck open at the top.


The characteristic of salt bags shape (the neck flops down and over to close the top) is intended to preserve the (rock) salt or anything else being stored, and to prevent the bag contents from being spilled.  In addition to salt, seeds, dried fruit, nuts, etc. are known to have been stored in such bags. The bags come in varying proportions and sizes: some are flatter and squat, while others have long necks, and are made in both flat weave and knotted pile formats.  Frances Plunkett exhibited her extensive collection of salt bags and shared them with TMA/SC in a show & tell, hands-on program.






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

Friday, January 18, 2013

Rug Cleaning, Rug Repair and Detailing

After we do the cleaning and repair of rugs, we do the inspections and detailing and this one was no exception.
This is a highly and finely knotted pure silk Indian rug. A couple brought this in two weeks ago. We did the cleaning. One of our master weavers did the repair and restoration. The fine and thin fringes were damaged.
Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
www.RugIdea.com
Tel. 310-770-9085

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Rug Ideas: Your One Stop Rug Shop!

If you are in the market for a rug stop by our showroom as we carry a variety of sizes and styles. From handmade to machine made, from large palace sized rugs to runners, we have a great selection that will bring a new vibrancy to your home.
Come in today so we can show you just how easy it is to brighten up your living room, dining room, bedroom or any other space in your house that could use a textile touch. We also carry rug pads & offer spill protection and moth proofing for extra protection for your rugs.
We are everything rug, so if you are looking to buy a new rug, clean/repair an old one, or have a custom job contact us so we can guide you with our 50+ years of expertise. Rug Ideas is your one-stop rug shop!

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