Ardbill Design from Kashmir

I tend to gravitate to the richer colors...brown, beige, black, cream.  Maybe it's because I have one piece of living room furniture and that's a brown chair and ottoman.  I really don't like carpets with light backgrounds. I just think the dark rich colors are prettier.

This is a silk on silk, 3'x5', has 900 knots per square inch and comes from the Kashmir region. Silk carpets have a light side and a dark side.  If you look at them from one side, the colors are much lighter.  Look at it from the opposite side and the colors darken.  This is because the rugs are woven on a vertical loom and the weaver will yank down on each knot, causing the nap or pile to go one way.  Thus, a dark and light side to each silk carpet.

Bakhtiyar Qum from Kashmir

Qum rugs are gorgeous.  The detail is intricate and you can spot one a mile away.  Well, i can.  This beautiful brown rug that I think looks like lots of doors was bought in Muscat, Oman.  Sheikh would always give me a good deal and he knew just what I liked.  It is silk on silk, many knots per inch (which is what you want...lots and lots of knots!) and is 4'x6'. This was the beginning of my love of silk rugs.  


The thing I like is that Oman is known for their antique doors.  They make gorgeous tables out of the doors. I couldn't snag a door table but this rug will remind me of their beauty for years to come.

UPDATE:  It's time to make hard decisions on my rugs.  Time to part with a few. This is one of the finest silk rugs made, Qum.  It is well worth $6000 but it's time to deal.  If you are interested, email me at debidemetrion@gmail.com.  

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My First Rug...or is it a Carpet??

This beauty is the first carpet I bought shortly after I arrived in Muscat, Oman. It is 9'x12' and is 100% wool knotted on cotton. It is from the Kashan province, Iran and is so much prettier than the picture shows.  Its age is between 30-40 years.  I love the red, black and blues in this carpet.  What is the difference between a "rug" and a "carpet?"  Anything larger than 6.5 feet is a carpet. Anything smaller is considered a rug.  Now you know!

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My Favorite Carpet

I fell in love with this carpet for a number of reasons.  The colors are beautiful and each section of the design is an actual design of a carpet.  It's called a Bakhtiyari and is from the Kashmir region.  For the price of one, I got lots images of carpets! It's silk on silk, meaning the knots are silk, knotted on a base of silk.  I bought this one in Muscat, Oman where many of my carpets come from.  It's from the Kashmir region and is 4'x6' and could very well end up hanging on a wall in my new home.

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