The Ruggist
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Begun as a lark in the summer of 2008 the website of 'The Ruggist' has had many iterations. First as highly irreverent blog, then as a professional website for insightful commentary about rugs and carpets; penultimately it languished as a reflection of times past. If you’ve come looking for past articles, you're now in the correct place, the archive section; however please note the articles categorized as 'archive' are no longer updated, nor maintained in any way, and may contain out of date information.

Archive

Begun as a lark in the summer of 2008 the website of ‘The Ruggist’ has had many iterations. First as highly irreverent blog, then as a professional website for insightful commentary about rugs and carpets; penultimately it languished as a reflection of times past. If you’ve come looking for past articles, you’re now in the correct place, the archive section; however please note the articles categorized as ‘archive’ are no longer updated, nor maintained in any way, and may contain out of date information.

You are encouraged to view the archives as they are intended, as contemporaneous commentary and critique reflective of the time the article was originally published.

Archive

Over (Turkish) Coffee in Istanbul

Nothing is better at giving you a glimpse into the persona of a friend than sitting next to them on an intercontinental flight. Shared hopes of our third seat mate not arriving (he did), wondering what culinary delights await on Turkish Airlines, and anticipation of an exciting week of rug and carpet presentations and buying as we both explore Istanbul for the first time, were all topics of idle conversation. As we settled into the flight I opted to ‘watch’ a series of lower concept action adventure and sci-fi movies, whereas Carol – in an ernest effort to truly define ‘binge consumption’ – set out to catch up on the final season of the more high-brow ‘Downton Abbey’; all of it. Ten (10) hours and innumerable disapproving remarks from the Dowager Countess later we arrive in Istanbul to begin our joint adventure in carpets, culture, food, history, camaraderie, and design. Join us now as we discuss the events of the week, Over (Turkish) Coffee in Istanbul.

Archive

Over Coffee at ‘The House of Love’

Welcome to the first installment, of…, err, inaugural ‘Over Coffee’ interview. This is a new freeform feature on The Ruggist where we talk with luminaries, freshmen, legends, and otherwise from the world of rugs. Not necessarily only about rugs and carpets, Over Coffee’s only set premise is in the name. By introducing another more moderate passion of mine – coffee – it is my hope these conversations will be more casual, wide ranging, and interesting than an old school interview. I’m a casual guy, and I’d like to share a bit of that informality with you. So, to start us off I have asked my dear friend Amy Helfand – who is a real friend, not one just in that marketing terminology way. I’ve asked Amy to be my first…interviewee… as we talk at ‘The House of Love’.

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Inspiration to Presentation | ‘Camara’

In November of 2016 we caught up with John Kurtz, his daughter Erika Kurtz, and Erika’s adorable six-month old daughter Izzy in Patan and Kathmandu in Nepal. Erika – who now runs the business as John is in active retirement – was more than happy to explain and illustrate first hand what constitutes this much touted difference as we all toured the various facilities used to produce New Moon carpets. From initial inspiration to final show presentation, follow along as we examine ‘Camara’ by New Moon which debuts during DOMOTEX in Hannover, Germany the 14-17 January 2017.

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Beauty of Life by Yuki Hayama

Joseph Carini Carpets hosted the debut United States exhibition of ceramic works by Japanese artist Yuki Hayama from 9 September through 29 September 2016 at Mr. Carini’s eponymous TriBeCa carpet showroom. The showroom served not as mere gallery to the magnificently detailed work of Mr. Hayama, but rather as a veritable collaborative studio in which hard – in the form of ceramics – was juxtaposed against soft – in the form of the carpets Joseph Carini designed after being inspired by Mr. Hayama’s work. A visual delight where the contrast of two (2) disparate artistic endeavours begs the viewer to delve deeper into the notion of creativity, inspiration, and a true understanding of craft.

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‘carpet blue/green’ | Ashtari

Ashtari Carpets is a rug and carpet retailer located in Antwerp, Belgium specializing in modern decorative carpets and select rare antique carpets. Their contemporary offerings hail from some of the best currently in the business including Wool and Silk, cc-tapis, and Edelgrund, all of whom produce world class carpets which Ashtari presents with a stylish if not also somewhat sexy sensibility. It’s this sensibility – which lies in direct contrast to the staid and antiquated ‘here’s a pile of rugs’ approach – that first caught our eye and, as a brief aside, it is one we hope will continue to evolve, becoming more pervasive as time progresses.

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NYICS 2016 | Preview

The New York International Carpet Show (NYICS) gets underway in New York City this 11-13 September 2016 and even before the show starts it’s as though – to quote Star Wars – there is a ‘great disturbance in the force.’ As the original autumn New York City rug and carpet show there has, in years past, been a certain caché to exhibiting and attending the show, which was in no small way, due to the disrupting nature of the show when it first broke from the then stranglehold of the Atlanta Markets in 2004. By adding an ‘Antiques Pavilion’ during this year’s show, the NYICS once again attempts – to quote Star Trek – to ‘boldly go’ into the great unknown by presenting antique and collectable carpets alongside new production. While this is not uncommon in showrooms, this is a novel approach worthy of note for what it may bring to the trade show environment and marketplace in general.

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They’re Great! | Tiger Rugs

Within the world of rugs and carpets if one is to mention ‘Tiger Rug’ the foremost thought aught to be that of Tibetan Tiger Rugs. Not because of any exclusive domain over the motif – which there most certainly is not, but rather because in the grand and storied history of tigers as inspiration for carpets Tibet has produced some of the most amazing, lively, and original versions of the design. Whether the motif originated in Tibet, in a geographically proximal region, or in Timbuktu as a metaphor for far-off unknown places, is a scholarly debate for another time. Regardless, know that amongst the collectable and pre-commercialized rug market, Tibetan Tiger Rugs are, if you’ll pardon the pun, the cat’s meow.

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Moonscape Malachite | Tufenkian

Moonscape Malachite reminds me not only of the verdant seaweed texture but also of the calm and uniqueness each place can bring in an otherwise chaotic and harsh world. Perhaps I am too intellectual in my thoughts on carpets, but would it not be so wonderful to fill your life and your home with beauty that speaks to you, not that which is simply trendy, en vogue, or popular with the neighbours? This carpet, like the ones already in my home, fulfills that wish for me; now to figure out if there is room for one somewhere… .

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Don’t be Coy | ‘Tuft’ by Rug Star

‘RUG STAR TUFT was invented to offer the market a simple message: RUG STAR [hand knotted] in 6 months or RUG STAR TUFT in 6 weeks.’ begins Rug Star’s Jürgen Dahlmanns as we are discussing his new carpet project via email. ‘Of course for both variations we only want to provide the best possible quality and the smartest executions on the market.’ Upon reading this statement I am immediately reminded of the oft referenced ‘Project Management Triangle’ and how its truisms are somewhat antithetical, though not fully unknown to the world of rugs. Is superior quality the goal?

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Muhammad Shah’s Royal Persian Tent

The spectacular royal tent is rare extant example of silk chain-stitch embroidery on fulled-wool piecework made in Rasht sometime during the reign of Mohammad Shah (1834-1848) during the Qajar dynasty. While only seven (7) of the original fourteen (14) panels remain – the disposition of the balance being ‘unknown at this time’ according to recently retired Curator of Textiles and Islamic Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Louise W. Mackie – the tent is no less impressive.

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Über Lounging | ‘CarpetHammock’

As our North American agrarian roots gave way to a more modern ‘developed’ society so too did the need for our children to work on the farm give way. In its stead, our summer has evolved into a time to thoroughly enjoy the weather, lolling about in warm breezes, imagining a life far less hurried. The summer of 2015 brought us both the accessible middle market Fatboy Picnic Lounge and the capital ‘C’ couture Daydreamer Lounge from Jan Kath. What does 2016 offer to sooth our weary souls? Meine Damen und Herren, Ich vorstelle die ‘CarpetHammock’ von REUBER HENNING!

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Seminary Economics | Creative Matters

Honouring the past while remaining cognizant of the evolutionary needs of society is amongst one of the most difficult lessons one can learn, and it is what elevates the ordinary to the extra ordinary. By embracing and adapting what is and what has been, into what can and will be, one has the ability to harness creativity that spans well beyond any one person or lifetime. Adaptive re-use of architecture – either in whole or through its constituent components – is amongst one of the most beautiful ways this is accomplished, even more so with a fantastic bespoke rug that incorporates elements of the existing, to create a freshly modern – yet familiar aesthetic.

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‘Quadro Celeste’ | cc-tapis

Relatively fresh on the heels of our presentation of ‘Rugthko’ comes another collection of Art wallhangings from the stylish and fashionable (rugs, carpets or otherwise) firm of cc-tapis. Designed by Studiopepe for cc-tapis for the 2016 Salone del Mobile, each of the wallhangings in this collection is evocative of an archetypical human form. By way of illustration…

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‘Twilight Zone’ | Wool and Silk

‘Twilight Zone’ shown in colour ‘Denim’ (other multichromatic colourations are available) is a stunning Tibetan weave carpet that, like much of Wool and Silk’s work is irresistible to the eyes. ‘The blues are amazing and I really love the geometry of the design.’ I said while browsing the images. ‘Yes..’ Erbil replies ‘but it is asymmetrical with great depth [as well].’ And then, with the almost incomprehensible warbling of an overhead announcement our beautiful respite was over and our respective journeys continued…

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Do We Need More Design? | Op-Ed

Lately I have been asking myself this question over and over again. Perhaps because I live in a design-obsessed city, as revealed by everything from the foam patterns on one’s morning cappuccino to the style of pyjamas one wears at night. Perhaps because we just experienced ‘Milan Design Week’, a stellar event which exhibits – on a grand, theatrical scale – the myriad of possible configurations of this word ‘design’. Perhaps because furniture design has become more responsive to commercial tastes, therefore influencing designers to come up with more of the same, without much venturing into unchartered territories.