If kept free of dust and placed where they will not get heavy wear, antique carpets and rugs can stand normal everyday use.
Whether hung against a wall or on the floor, always keep carpets and rugs on a flat, clean, dry surface. Floor carpets need an underlay – with a slightly tacky surface to reduce slip – cut to fit their size exactly. Never nail or glue the carpet to anything. Place antique floor carpets wisely, preferably where they will get the least wear. Rubber pads or wooden cups will relieve the localized pressure of furniture feet. Move carpets around occasionally, so that any wear distributes evenly.

Displaying Antique Carpets:
Only wall-hang delicate or rare pieces, lengthways so that the warp takes the weight. Small pieces can be mounted by a specialist framer onto a linen backing and fitted into a wooden stretcher. Then box-mounted with a Perspex window for further protection. For larger textiles, stitch wide Velcro tape along the top on the reverse side. Take care to sew between the carpet threads, not through them. Staple the receiving Velcro strip to a wooden batten fixed to the wall. Heavy textiles may need additional support tapes running vertically down the back to help spread the weight. Dyes fade in intense light. Use cool-beam, fibre optic, or low-wattage incandescent lights for any highlighting effect. Draw curtains when not using a room during the day.

Cleaning: 
Never allow dust to build up in carpets, as it has a sandpaper effect on the fibers.
Beyond removing dust, leave major cleaning to a conservator. Don’t use proprietary cleaners on antique pieces, as they can have a clogging effect. If a carpet is tough enough to be in use, it will benefit from regular vacuuming. Go in the direction of the pile, and vacuum the back and the floor beneath about every 6 months.
For a fragile or wall-hung piece, it may be sufficient to shake out loose dirt regularly, or to use a low-suction setting or fitting on the vacuum cleaner and fix a fine-meshed net or stocking over the nozzle with an elastic band. Clean both back and front every 6 months – if possible do this during the summer months when moths are breeding.

Treating spills:
Treat accidental spills immediately: soak up surplus liquid with a plain white paper towel, or a clean color fast tea towel. Sprinkle table salt liberally over the stain to draw out remaining moisture, and vacuum when dry. A good dousing in soda water which is then soaked up with clean towels is effective for urine and other light stains. Soak old stains with a solution of two tablespoons of salt to a pint of water – but beware: salt can have a bleaching effect. A carpet made after around 1870 may contain synthetic aniline dyes, which were of variable fastness when first introduced, so do a spot test.
Gently lift wax off with a fingernail. The remainder can be absorbed into white blotting paper pressed on a with a lukewarm iron. Remove chewing gum by pressing with ice cubes in a plastic bag to chill and harden it, then try easing it off gently with your fingernail. If any of the above methods do not work easily, a stain should be left until it can be treated by a conservator.

Storage:
For long-term storage choose a cool, dark, dry, and well-ventilated place. Folding causes creases and uneven wear, so roll the rug, right side out, around an acid-free cardboard or inert plastic tube (a plastic drainpipe is ideal) of as wide a diameter as possible. Roll in the direction of the pile, from the top of the carpet – the pile moves smoothly away from the top like a cat’s fur when stroked in the right direction – or with a tapestry-weave, in the direction of the warp. Smooth out as you roll and interleave with acid-free tissue. Finally, tie a dust proof sheet around the roll and store it horizontally – never vertically, as this distributes the weight unevenly.

Restoration: 
Fraying, holes, burns or other damage to antique carpets or tapestries must be repaired by a specialist. Expert repairs involve exact matching of dyes, threads and knots, and possibly inserting a patch or reinforcing the warp and weft.

Visit our website to view more lots like these..

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Isfahan produces some of the most esteemed oriental carpets.

The weave of Isfahan Rugs can vary greatly, but can reach 700 knots per square inch.
These carpets are woven on a vertical loom employing the Persian (asymmetrical) knot on a double-weft construction. The pile is wool; and key elements of the design are often outlined with silk tracery.

The use of silk warps is common in modern examples, and this allows for even finer knotting.

​These are woven in elaborate floral designs; favoured designs are the medallion style, the all-over design (i.e. no medallion), and asymmetrical/mihrab format.

With the cold weather closing in, it might be tempting to crank up the thermostat. However, with the average annual US energy bill costing home owners a lot, you might want to reconsider having your radiators on full blast this winter.
With energy costs hitting the country hard, we put together a list of low cost solutions to keep your house warm on a budget.

Don’t leave your floors bare
Bare floor boards might be back in fashion but your feet probably won’t thank you for this interior trend come winter. Floors account for 10% of a house heat loss if they aren’t insulated properly.
Investing in a rug for winter to cover your floor boards is an inexpensive way to trap heat in and create a warmer surface to help keep those toes toasty.
 
Tackle those drafts
Whether the chilly breeze is coming from a ventilation unit, gaps in the windowsill or an old fireplace, it is important to block up these gaps to keep warm air in and the cold air out.
There are many draft excluders on the market but an old blanket pushed in the right places provides a cheaper, makeshift solution.

Layer up
If you are dressed more appropriately for the summer sun than the cold winter weather, you only have yourself to blame if you spend your nights shivering. Layer up with a jumper, warm socks and bottoms which cover your legs.

Use your heaters effectively
If you need to turn on your heaters, make sure that you are using your heating effectively. Move any obstructions away from the heater to make sure that you aren’t stopping the heat getting to the whole room.
Lining the wall behind the radiator with tinfoil will stop heat seeping through the wall, reflecting it back into the room.

Don’t heat unused rooms
Leaving the heating on in empty cellars or a spare bedrooms is an expensive waste of energy. Before turning up the thermostat, check every room, turning off any radiators in areas of the house not in use.

Rugs add warmth and are inviting to enjoy.

Basics to prevent moth damage
​Vacuum your rug every other week. The back side of the rug should also be vacuumed several times a year.
If you cannot handle the rug because of its size, flip its ends over and vacuum at least a couple of feet in along the borders of its back side (remember to do the same with the floor and pad, as well).
Keep the A/C on, a hot humid room attracts moths quickly.
Use a professional to clean your rugs - Rugport

4. Patterns and colors and their cultural significance
Not only the origin of a carpet can tell us a lot about a carpet – the order of the patterns and the use of colors can also be used as an identifying feature, depending on how the color is applied and combined. These are usually linked with values and traditions that distinguish the carpet as an unusual item of cultural heritage.


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5. The aesthetic value of a carpet
One might disagree on matters of taste – and naturally, it’s hard to capture the aesthetic value of a carpet in numbers. After all, taste is subjective. However, or maybe because of this, the aesthetic value is often the biggest factor in determining the value of a carpet.

USING A RUG PAD
Pads are strongly recommended for these below reasons:

1. Most important of all, rug pads greatly reduce premature wear in high traffic areas.
2. Rug pads control curling and wrinkling.
3. Rug pads keep your rugs from slipping out of place.
4. Rug pads provide cushioning resulting in a comfortable cushioned feel.
5. Rug pads act as shock absorbers.

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We recommend purchasing a rug pad as close to the size of your rug as possible. Ideally, when buying a thinner rug pad, the rug pad should be 1" shorter from all sides or 1,5", if you require a thicker rug pad. 
 
TYPES OF RUG PADS
 
When looking for a rug pad for your home, it’s important to consider the thickness of the rug that the pad will be placed under, as this will ensure that your rug does not become a tripping hazard. However, another thing to consider is the material that the rug pad is made of. This is because some materials offer different benefits than others.
 
RECYCLED FELT

The strongest and best performing felt pad is a dense, non-woven, needle-punched, solution-dyed, hypo-allergenic (no plant or animal fibers) felt made of 100% synthetic fiber. This type of padding does not aggravate allergies, does not break down chemically, resists mildew and rot and insulates against cold floors while providing maximum structural protection to your area rugs. You can’t rip this pad apart or punch through it. It lasts at least 10 years while continuously controlling and protecting your rugs.
Felt pads are especially popular to use with Oriental area rugs surch as Persian rug. They provide a luxurious cushioned feeling underfoot and offer thermal- and sound-insulation benefits. 
However, despite providing protection for both the floor and rug, felt rug pads do not altogether prevent unwanted movement. To compensate and bring together the best of both worlds, many manufacturers combine felt and rubber in one pad. The rubber creates the nonslip benefit not present in felt alone.

100% Natural RUBBER

These rug pads are made entirely of natural rubber. This rug pad is ideal for situations where you want a nonskid pad but have limited height clearance, such as for a door-swing area. However, the thinness of this pad means it doesn’t offer insulation or cushioning.

 
100% WOOL

For people who have allergies to latex products, a wool rug pad is a good alternative. It’s a biodegradable, renewable, sustainable resource. Wool is also inherently flame retardant and thermally and acoustically insulating. However, wool may pose a problem for people with airborne allergies.

PVC 

We recommend avoiding any kind of cheap PVC rug pads as the quality is many times hard to determine and use of this kind of rug pads may result in discoloration, staining of your floor finish or even falling apart. 

RUG PADS SUITABLE FOR ORIENTAL PERSIAN RUGS 
 
For area rugs such as our Persian rugs, we highly recommend a purchase of non woven, needle-punched felt pads. These are hypo-allergenic, acts as a shock absorber and will prevent premature wear in heavy traffic areas (extend the life of your rug) as well as provide a comfortable cushioned feel. 

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Persian rugs add all the required color to a required space, especially when combined to make an aisle runner.
​We especially love the muted tones used at this wedding because they add warmth to  the surrounding environment perfectly.
​As we see more of the black in the dress v/s the color