We were recently asked to give our opinion on a large Persian Nian rug, which, according to our client “needed some TLC”. The client lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
On arrival we were shown to the dining room where, under a large table, sat a typical Persian Nain rug, cream in colour, with a pale blue pattern and highlighted with silk as part of the weave. Once the rug was extracted from below the table and chairs, it revealed that it needed professionally hand cleaned and had some holes caused by the table legs pushing through the wools.
The client was given a price for the work and a receipt detailing the nature of repairs and hand cleaning, before rolling the carpet carefully and placing into our collection vehicle. We returned to our Edinburgh workshop and soon after further analysis of the carpet, we began our restoration process.
First a light hand wash and moth treatment is necessary to reveal any stubborn stains or moth infestation etc., then a more thorough hand wash using vegetable shampoos and soft bristled brushes to bring the rug back to its original colour. This method is the traditional rug washing method and will ensure the natural oils which are within the wools are maintained, giving a beautiful soft and shine with a vibrant lustre in the wools.
The knots were brushed in the direction of the original weave, then we dried the rug by hanging it over vented pipes, turning it every four hours to ensure it dried flat and warp free. We never use heat to dry oriental carpets and rugs – always instead allowing the piece to naturally dry.
For the repairs, the foundation of the rug was cotton so we firstly rebuilt the warp and weft foundations within the holes in readiness for re weaving. Once the new wools were dyed in the appropriate colours to exactly match the Nain Persian carpet, our weavers used a small hand loom to re knot the rug, to precisely match the pattern and density of the of the original.
This work is highly skilled and when conducted by our professional restoration team, should be undetectable once completed. It is exactly the process that that would be used to originally knot this beautiful rug.
Our head repairer inspected the rug repair and wash prior to a phone call to the client arranging its return – ensuring the work was to the highest standard. On delivery, Mr and Mrs Thomson were amazed at the result and despite knowing roughly where to look for the repair, could not see where the repairs had been carried out. They were thrilled to say the least.
The Nain was returned to its place in the dining room, but this time we supplied cups for the table legs to avoid another repair in the future as well as a non-slip underlay to protect the carpet underfoot.
Returning rugs that have been restored in this manner is extremely rewarding for us, as without fail, our clients were enormously impressed with the end result and cannot believe the quality of our craftsmanship.