Oriental Rug Blogs

Top decorator Features Nazmiyal Antique Oriental Rugs

2011-11-29T07:15:00.000-08:00

Top decorator Gail Shields Features Nazmiyal Antique Oriental Rugs

Gail Shields Gail Shields-Miller (of Shields And Company) Featured Nazmiyal In Her Recent Blog Post

Gail Shields

Shields and Company New York Spaces

There is no question that Gail Shields is great at what she does. Her projects have graced many of the top interior design publications such as: Architectural Digest and New York Spaces among countless others. So when she decided to write about our collection of art deco and modernist vintage rugs, naturally we felt honored. You may read her entire blog post about Nazmiyal antique rugs here: http://dezignlicious.com/blog/2011/11/nazmiyal-antiques-rugs-contemporary-beauties/

Antique Oriental rugs – A buyers guide

2011-11-21T07:11:00.001-08:00

Antique Oriental rugs – A buyers guide

Chapter 2 – Things to consider before beginning the physical search

Here are a few points that you would need to consider before embarking on your quest to find the perfect antique oriental rugs:

$10,000,000 Rug

1 – Budget: Where you buy and from whom is an important factor. Antique rugs range tremendously in price – some of the reasons for this are as follows:
a) Quality – It takes longer to weave a new rug if it has more kpsi (knots per square inch) so naturally the finer a new rug is the more expensive it will cost. Antique rugs are different as the KPSI will only impact the price if you are comparing the quality of two pieces that are pretty much identical in every other way (the finer rug MIGHT cost more in that instance).
b) Size – With new rugs, the cost / price is directly proportionate to the size. The bigger the rug is, the more expensive it will be (as long as you are comparing to pieces from the same exact production line). With antique rugs this is not the case. For example, recently a piece sold in Christies London for nearly $10,000,000 and it was about 5′ x 8′ (The $10,000,000 Rug)… Antique rugs must be evaluated individually (based on a slew of factors – some of which are included in this article).
c) Condition: Please note that some repair and restoration should be expected when looking at antique rugs, but the general rule is that if the rug is in good condition it will cost more than if it were in poor condition.

16th Century Cairene Rugs

d) Age: As a general rule – older pieces are generally more expense. The age of a rugs is not the major factor when pricing a rug unless one is considering an early pieces (from the 1800′s and earlier) and even then there are other factors that need to be taken into account.
f) Current Design Trends: While beauty might be in the eyes of the beholder, there are trends, looks, colors and patterns that will determine if a rug is considered “hot” or “not”. America for example is a decorative market - this means that “we” in the USA are driven by colors and pattern more so than by quality or “how good” the piece is in its essence. While the Europeans demand is for somewhat opposite since they want an honest to goodness good piece and the colors / pattern are less of a factor. One example that exemplifies this point is the fact that antique carpets in America (not in Europe) a rug that has a central medallion motif will cost much less than the rug that has an allover designed. Rugs that have well defined central medallion designs will generally cost at least 30% less than those that have an allover design.
Here are two images:

Antique Oushak Rugs

Antique Oushak Rug

Both of these are antique Oushak rugs from Turkey. They both have the same general feel and are about the same size but since one (Oushak Rug # 44475) has medallion it is far less expensive. The reason for this discrepancy in price is simple… in the USA we are fixated on centering everything – so if you have a rug with a central design most people / interior designers feel compelled to make ensure that the central design in the rug will perfectly aligned with the room and furniture which makes it harder to place.
Check back tomorrow for the third part of our Antique Oriental Rugs – A Buyers Guide

A Candle in the Night Brattleboro Vt

2008-11-15T20:15:00.001-08:00

40 countries, 35 years, many memories

By ERIC PERO, Reformer Staff

Saturday, November 15

BRATTLEBORO -- When Larry Simons was a younger man, he traveled the globe in search of handcrafted items like weaving baskets, clothing and blankets. Native cultures from countries like India, Pakistan, China, Morocco, and parts of South America were skilled in creating these handcrafted masterpieces, so he was drawn there like a magnet.

Nearly 40 years and 40 countries later, Simons owns the A Candle in the Night furniture store in Brattleboro with his wife, Donna, and they're celebrating the store's 35th anniversary this month.

"A number of friends and I were travelers and would buy things from around the world," Simons said of his store's humble beginnings. "We were wandering the hippy trail buying things and sending them home. Then we had to decide what to do with them."

By the early 1970s Simons and his traveling buddies had accumulated a mass of inventory and wanted to start a business selling it all. After much discussion and planning Simons and friend Gary Maulucci started A Candle in the Night on the corner of Main and Flat streets in 1973.

Despite the excitement of the store's grand opening, economic turmoil soon threatened to foil the new storeowners' plans.

The year 1973 is when OAPAC (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) announced an oil embargo in response to the U.S. support of the Israeli military. The crisis brought dramatic inflation to the country, but A Candle in

the Night worked through the tough times to survive, much like they're doing today, Simons said.

"We've been through some tough times," Simons said. "Somehow or other we managed to survive over the years."

Simons said the store managed to get through the hard times by selling a variety of products. While the store specializes in imported furniture, antiques and natural-dyed rugs now, the inventory has included merchandise like faucets, bathtubs and clothing in the past.

"Along the way we were a lot of things," Simons said. "We even sold plants and used clothing when we first opened."

Five years after the grand opening, the Sam's Outdoor Outfitters announced plans to expand, so Simons and Maulucci had to move. Simons wasn't dismayed and quickly moved the store into the W.T. Grants complex further north on Main Street. The location was a retail mall at the time and worked perfectly for the growing company.

A Candle in the Night took up half the building and shared it with several other stores. But over the years the store expanded its inventory and needed more space.

Fast-forward to today and A Candle in the Night takes up the entire old W.T. Grants building, more than 11,000 square feet, and the Simons own the building. The store's six galleries are filled to the brim with nearly 2,000 items, ranging from natural-dyed Persian rugs to 100-year-old antique Japanese furniture.

Each gallery is overflowing with creative montages of couches, colorful lamps, hand-stitched rugs, tables, chests and more, all created by artisans from around the world. The goal, Simons says, is to create an authentic environment to display their product.

"Many of the people who stroll through A Candle in the Night tell us that it is the most beautiful store they've ever seen," Simons said. "Some even ask if they can live here."

While Simons imported each piece of furniture in his store at the beginning, times have changed and he says that isn't possible anymore.

"We started this company in 1973 and there wasn't anything in this store we didn't go buy," Simons said. "That's impractical to do these days."

These days, Simons says, he makes some trips to India and China to get furniture, but gets a majority of his inventory from importers. On a recent trip to India, Simons witnessed artisans searching through old pieces of furniture to assemble new creations.

"We go to these huge warehouses with acres of broken down furniture," Simons said. "There's guys there making new stuff from old stuff."

These artisans come up with creative ways to use old objects. A stroll down the stairs to A Candle in the Night's outlet center reveals a table made from an old pig trough, desks turned into coffee tables and old ceiling panels ready to be adapted for a new use.

One piece at A Candle in the Night is a particularly good example of the globalized world we live in today. It was made in a Japanese style in China by a Korean and painted by Tibetans.

One area of the store Simons is particularly proud of is the selection of hand naturally-dyed, hand-spun rugs from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal and the Orient. Simons says that only 3 percent of Oriental rugs are natural dye, and the intricate designs are done by masters of their trade.

"I know who the best producers are of naturally dyed rugs," Simons said. "And I mostly buy from them."

Simons said that the rugs in his store are created without the use of child labor, but he acknowledges the problem does exist. Because of this, A Candle in the Night supports organizations that work toward the eradication of slavery in the Orient.

"We are deeply concerned about the integrity of the products we sell," Simons said. "That means we do everything we can to support companies and organizations that promote the livelihood of the weavers and other workers in the Oriental rug business."

Simons says he's always looking for new ways to import unique products for his customers. Most recently, the store has started carrying "green" furniture. Carrying these products helps the environment and customer health by eliminating petroleum from the products

"A portion of our furniture business is going green," Simons said. "A good deal of what we have is nontoxic."

It's been nearly 40 years since Simons rolled into Brattleboro to start his business, and he says there's no other place quite like southern Vermont. And after 35 years of running A Candle in the Night, Simons has no regrets about his decision to stay and be a part of this community.

A Candle in the Night is located at 181 Main St., in Brattleboro. Call 802-257-0471 or visit www.acandleinthenight.com for more information.

Eric Pero can be reached at epero@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 260.

Blogging about Oriental Rug Blogs

2008-11-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

It is great to see an increasing number of Blogs on Oriental Rugs and related topics. Over the last few years I have tried in my own little way to help the rug bloggers when I can.
There is no way to mention all the great blogs but a few come to mind. I get a kick of the great job that the guys at www.rugrag.com Lots of good information and the site is growing quickly. My dear friend and colleague Dr. Khosrow Sobhe writes an excellent blog at rugmaster.blogspot.com. Dr. Sobhe writes about his experience and he has years of experience and deep insights in the carpet trade. Another dear friend Thea Sands is getting very busy blogging at seattlerugcleaning.blogspot.com Thea owns Emmanuel's Rug and Upholstery Cleaners in Seattle WA. Emmanuel's is a Seattle mainstay in it's second century in business.
More later...
Barry