Frequently asked Questions with Answers

How are your rugs different?

UNIQUE. Our rugs are unique. The rug market is flooded with "seen one, seen them all" mass market intended pulp. We're not just referring to machine-mades. Many true oriental rugs sold in the United States fit this description. They can be found everywhere from traveleing "sales" at furniture stores, to large retailers whose "bread and butter" are products completely unrelated to rugs, to liquidation "sales", and "sales" at big box stores. Even many rug dealers simply don't focus their efforts on finding and stocking the most interesting pieces (searching for them is a vocation in and of itself and requires a tremendous amount of work). If you have an eye for the unique you'll love our selection!

Is it best to start decorating by choosing fabrics or rugs?

Interior designers are taught to "build a room from the ground up". The rug is the foundation for the room. Consider this. A quality hand-knotted rug will last for life. It is a unique piece of art that speaks to you and expresses who you are. You will change fabrics many times over the course of your life. Why choose a rug on the basis of whether it works with fabrics when you can choose one you love? Thousands of fabrics are available; it will be easy to find ones that are beautiful with the rug you've chosen. If you've already chosen fabrics, however, you need not worry. With the hundreds of rugs we offer you'll undoubtedly find many gorgeous ones that are striking with your fabrics.

Are all of your rugs old?

The majority of our rugs are new hand-woven pieces. We feel that the best rugs woven today are likely to become tomorrow’s treasured antiques. If you’re looking for a valuable old or antique rug, we’ll be happy to help you find the perfect one. However, vintage pieces often cost tens of thousands of dollars and may not be available in your colors.

Are all of your rugs hand-woven?

The majority of our rugs are hand-woven. However, we also have a selection of rugs such as Karastan (machine-mades) and Stanton Wiltons (which look like needlepoints) that are not hand-woven.

Am I crazy to choose a wool hand-woven rug since I have children and pets?

Absolutely not! There is a saying that families don’t wear through hand-woven rugs; hand-woven rugs wear through families. Hand-woven rugs have been known to last generations. No rug is as easy to live with and durable as a quality hand-woven rug. Just as it is unwise to furnish your home with cheap furniture, choosing inferior rugs is a mistake. Not only do they lack the character and warmth of a hand-woven rug, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly they look terrible and need to be replaced. It’s a nightmare to live with a rug that sheds fuzz balls incessantly, fades, or unravels with vacuuming. Most of the rugs produced today are designed to provide a look at an attractive price-point. Quality isn’t a consideration. We demand quality in our rugs, you should too!

Can I vacuum and clean a hand-woven rug? Should it be treated against stains?

Vacuum your rug as needed. For spills, blot the spot inward. Then, take a damp or somewhat wet rag to the spot. It’s best to wet the rag with tap temperature water, since hot water can set a stain. If you wish, put a touch of a mild dish detergent in the water you dip the rag in. Excellent wool has a high lanolin content, and lanolin is wool’s natural stain repellent. If you’ve never owned a quality hand-woven rug, you’ll be amazed how resistant its wool is to staining. We usually don’t feel that stain-repellants are necessary. Many of them actually attract dirt. Clean your rug when it looks dirty, but it is possible to over-clean a rug. When your rug needs cleaning, send it out to be cleaned by someone who specializes in cleaning hand-woven rugs.

Do I need to use a rug pad?

A rug pad expands the longevity of a rug. So, it’s a good idea to use one.

I have many patterns in my room, so I can’t use a rug with a design...right?

Actually, it's rare when an interior designer doesn't use a patterned rug along with other patterns in a room. The key is to vary the scale of the patterns. In other words, if the print on a sofa is composed of medium scale flowers, the rug's design shouldn't consist of the same. It might be larger in scale or more geometric. Moreover, rugs look their best in a room with some elements edgy enough as to be nearly "off". When you visit us bring anything that shows the patterns that you're working with (pillows, seat cushions, fabric swatches...images of the room) and we'll help you find a complimentary rug!

How do I choose rugs that will work with each other?

We don't recommend using the same rug twice. It's more creative to use different ones! Multiple rugs work best when they simply share a few colors. Choices that are too "matchy" hide the unique personality of individual rugs. As with fabrics, varying the style, texture, and scale of design in rugs creates interest throughout the home. A family room with a casual, plush Tibetan can adjoin a dining room with an elegant Persian and a kitchen with a floral needlepoint. When you visit us we'll be happy to help you discover rugs with individual character that flow with each other. If you're able to bring images of your rooms it will be of great assistance.

What size rug do I need?

In a dining room a rug should extend at least two feet beyond each of the four sides of the table. This allows you to comfortably move chairs in and out. If you use the leaves of the table then take this into account. For other rooms, the rule is that the furniture should be fully on or fully off the rug. In large rooms you can either use one large rug or a series of smaller ones under seating arrangements. One large rug “pulls the room together” and makes it feel more intimate. Leave at least eight inches space between a rug and a wall. This amount of space doesn’t have to be the same all around. Rug sizes vary, so it’s helpful to know the largest and smallest your rug could be. One way to visualize this is to make outlines with a few pieces of tape.

Do all rugs have fringe?

Genuine oriental rugs almost always have fringe, as it is part of the rug’s foundation. However, fringe today is rarely long or ivory, so it’s easy to live with.

Will sunlight fade a rug?

A typical amount of sunlight will not fade quality rugs. The wool in fine rugs is usually dyed with significantly better dye-stuffs than those used in fabric. So, the rugs are much more resistant to fading. If you’re particularly concerned about the amount of sunlight in a room, consider having the windows UV treated and/or making some use of curtains or blinds.

Can I put a rug on top of carpet?

Yes, designers and clients do so frequently. You never have to endure a mindless expanse of wall-to-wall boredom.

From A to Z, how is an exceptional rug created?

First, the "fabric" of the rug is determined. A wool or blend of wools is chosen. Different wools have their own characteristics. For instance, in New Zealand sheep are bred to produce extremely soft, silky wool. If it is determined that a rug have a soft "hand" (feel) or that it have a luster (a slight "shine") the better grades of New Zealand wool are an excellent choice.

Next, the "yarn system" is chosen. Wool can be spun into yarn in many different ways. The kind of yarn used will affect the texture of a rug. Just as the fabric of blue jeans vs. an oxford shirt are visually quite different (despite both being cotton), yarn can be spun in a variety of ways to provide different textures/looks in rugs. Mill spun yarn (wool spun into yarn by machine) can be spun into very fine, thin yarn. This sort of yarn is ideal for detailed rugs with high knot densities. Thick yarn or yarn that varies in thickness would not lend itself to such a "precise" look. What is called "hard twist" yarn (yarn spun with a twist to it) is thick and fairly rigid and creates a rug with a nubby texture. Scores of ways to spin yarn exist and each one produces a different "fabric".

Dyestuffs are then selected. In some cases synthetic chromium dyes are used (as in your clothing), in others natural dyestuffs are used (dyestuffs made from natural substances--roots, herbs, bark, etc.--the dyestuffs used for textiles from the dawn of time until, with rugs, circa the 1860's). Volumes have been written about dyes. Under a microscope, a chromium red dye appears a perfectly uniform red. Conversely, red from natural dyestuffs shows red, yellow, blue, green--a much greater spectrum of colors. To the naked eye a chromium red dyestuff can appear different than a red produced from a natural one.

How the yarn is to be dyed is determined. First, the properties of the yarn must be considered. Fine denier mill spun yarn can be dyed to be perfectly consistent in color. Conversely, yarn with a significant twist to it usually cannot. Will the texture of twisted yarn as well as the slight color variation that "comes with it" be attractive?

More than simply the properties of a given type of yarn come into play where color is concerned. Dyeing all the yarn of a given color in large, pressurized, temperature controlled dye vats could produce a color with no variation. But, if the yarn is dyed in small batches over open fires, subtle variations of the color will result. These variations can produce a lovely effect, called "abrash".

Knot density is determined. Some designs require high knot densities to execute, others do not. The "finishing treatment" of a rug is determined. After the rug is completed and off the loom the finishing begins. Its "pile" (vertical tufts of wool forming the thickness and surface of the rug) is clipped to the desired height. In detailed rugs the pile is often clipped quite low--were the pile left thick the detail would not appear as crisp. Conversely, rugs such as Tibetans often have simple designs that don't require a thin pile to look their best. Their piles are left fairly high, producing a thick, plush rug. A wash is determined. Every rug is washed with soap and water once off the loom. Other washes, these permanent, may be used. Some rugs are given a wash that deepens and subdues the colors. Others are given a "luster wash" that imparts a...you guessed it! Scores of washes exist each of which affect the way a rug will look.

Only after all this is determined are designs and colors created. In some cases a rug’s design will be that of a, say, 16th century Persian piece. Another design may be that of an arts and crafts piece. A contemporary design might be created or a transitional one with inspiration from varying traditions. Designs are created on graph paper, with each square representing a knot of colored yarn. Imagine creating designs this way for rugs that contain scores to hundreds of knots per square inch (they all do)!

Finally, colors are chosen. Selecting a beautiful palette for a rug is a tremendous feat. Each of the colors (often 30 or more) must be harmonious with the others. They must lend themselves to the design of the rug and "feeling" sought. A glowing red field (background) will produce a very different feeling than a powder blue one. A delicate floral design probably won’t look its best in all dark colors.

Where in the rug does one assign each of the colors? Use just a few too many pink accents in a rug and the pink will "scream out of" the rug and look terrible. Too much emphasis on deep colors and the rug will appear dark and gloomy. Too few vibrant colors and a rug will appear pale and "washed out". Once a rug’s colors have been determined a "strike-off" is woven and washed. A strike-off is a 1'x1' or 2'x2' "section" of the rug. Looking at the strike-off enables one to determine whether the palette is beautiful, the colors well placed, and if the wash produces an attractive look. Typically scores of strike-offs are woven. Colors are "tweeked", elements of the rug’s design may be changed ("It’s too busy, we need to take out some motifs and provide more breathing space"), and the wash may be altered ("The wash we used is too dark, we’ll need to lighten it a bit").

Only after all this is complete are weavers selected (according to their ability to weave the specific piece) and the rug woven.

How is a true hand-knotted oriental rug made?

First, an artist creates the rug’s design. Next, wool is dyed in the colors needed. The loom that the piece will be woven on resembles a harp, except that it is rectangular rather than v-shaped and has many more “strings” (called warps). The weaver knots a colored tuft of wool to the base of each of the “strings”. The colored tufts of wool emerging from these knots will form the rug’s soft surface and design. After a tuft has been knotted to each “string” along the bottom of the “harp”, the weaver threads a strand of wool or cotton (called the weft) in and out of each of these “strings,” directly above the tufts. Then, she uses a heavy “comb” to beat the weft strand down atop the tufts. A new set of tufts is then knotted to the “strings” above this, and the process is repeated over and over until the rug is complete. An oriental rug contains thousands of knots and usually requires months to complete!

How long does it take to weave an oriental rug?

The length of time required to weave an oriental rug depends upon its size, the number of weavers working on it, the density of its knots, and the complexity of its design. The amount of craftsmanship and time required to create an oriental rug is staggering. Our 8'x10' rugs typically require 3 weavers working six to eight months to produce. The loom time of the finest of our rugs is exponentially longer.

What is the best type of rug?

No rug is as durable (not to mention gorgeous) as a quality hand-knotted oriental rug. That the oldest intact piece has been carbon dated to 500 B.C. speaks for itself. Unfortunately, poor quality oriental rugs also exist. It's important to know what you're buying, or at least know that you're buying from a trustworthy specialist in fine rugs.

How long will a rug last?

This depends upon the quality of the rug itself. It's not at all unusual for quality hand-knotted rugs to last generations. And, this is with the punishment doled out by several generations of a family. Fine rugs are not fragile, they are tough as nails.

What makes them so durable? A quality hand-knotted rug is composed of an excellent wool. What's the importance of this? Cheap wool is like the dried ends of hair. It's brittle and sheds incessantly. It is not springy and mats down quickly, making a rug look quite "used". It lacks lanolin (wool's natural stain repellant) and welcomes stains. Good wool is springy and resilient and repels stains. Wouldn't most rugs be made with a good wool? No. An excellent wool is expensive and quite a bit of it is needed to produce a rug. Even many hand-knotted products "cut corners" and use inferior wool.

Besides wool quality, a rug's construction (how it's made) affects its durability. In the case of hand-knotted rugs, every tuft of wool is knotted in place. Conversely, so called "hand-tufted" and "hand-hooked" rugs use latex rubber to hold their wool in place. Within a short period of time latex breaks down and turns into a powder. This creates quite a mess. Moreover, the wool begins coming out of the rug. In short, if you want a gorgeous rug that wears like iron, purchase a hand-knotted rug. AND, be certain it was made with an excellent wool. You'll be thankful that you did.

Where are oriental rugs made?

Oriental rugs are made in many countries, including: Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal, Turkey, Egypt, Romania, and Armenia.

Where are the best oriental rugs made?

It may surprise you that no country, including Iran (Persia), can be said to produce the finest rugs. Oriental rugs of extraordinary, good, and poor quality are woven in every rug producing country. A fine rug from China is far superior to a poor one from Iran (Persia). Even with antiques, pieces such as Agras from India, Oushaks from Turkey, and Kazaks from Armenia can be more valuable than persian rugs. Exceptional beauty and quality--not country--determine what is a desireable rug.

What is the difference between vegetal and chemical dyes? Is one better?