Life as a “rugman” can be a lot of fun.  Basically, I just sit around, look at handmade art and talk to new people everyday.  It’s a great career path, and I have very few complaints.  When new shipments arrive I become like a kid in a candy store.  So many bright, fresh colors… so many beautiful new designs!  Granted, the reality of the work ahead sets in about half way through unloading the truck, but still the excitement of new rugs keeps me moving.

This last shipment brought a few pieces that are likely to stick in my head for a long time.  There is one rug in particular that I absolutely love, and if it is still in the store by the end of October, that one is going home with me.

The rug in question is a hand-knotted Indian piece constructed of 100% wool on a cotton warp and weft.  Not just any wool, mind you, but handspun fine New Zealand wool.  This combination of nubby texture with soft, smooth wool gives an experience that is kind to both the hands and the feet. 

The dyes are a combination of vegetable and chromium dyes, applied with a masterful touch that mimics the best that a true antique would have to offer.  These dyes strike a delicate balance between the amount of abrash and “fading”, and the use of an antique color palette that will work in today’s modern decors.

The pattern is a combination of antique Tabriz and Sultanabad patterns, walking a fine line between what would be too antique for a modern home and too transitional in an older home.

To shorten the last three paragraphs into a single descriptive word… perfection.  We personally feel that this rug represents an entire world of artistic talent and labor that took close to a year in production to complete.  One year to complete, hundreds of years of history and art leading to this point.  You have until the end of October to get this rug.  Otherwise… it’s mine!

If you need to store your oriental rug for an extended period of time, follow these guidelines to ensure that your rug endures it’s vacation without suffering any damage.

First, find a proper storage area.  Your rug has enjoyed being used out in the open air with wear and tear, and plenty of light.  This is it’s natural environment and the combination of air circulation, light, and traffic has actually contributed to the life of your rug.  We want to mimic that environment as much as possible.  The best location would be a room that is cool, dry, and has curtains or blinds that can be used to control the amount of natural light. 

Sometimes finding the best place for storage involves avoiding the places where your rug may be damaged.  Avoid places where the rug would experience major swings of temperature and humidity.  Avoid places where there is no natural light or air flow.  This means no attics, no basements,  no non-climate controlled storage units, and in many cases no closets.

If possible, avoid storing your rugs directly on the floor, and definitely not directly on concrete as it can allow moisture to seep into the fibers.  Try to place your rug on a shelf or table with a layer of paper as a barrier in between.  This barrier is usually not necessary by can keep wood acids from being absorbed into the rug if it was going to be stored for more than a year.

The best way to store you rugs is to keep them rolled.  They can be folded, but if stored for an extended period of time, folds can create permanent creases.  Folds may also weaken the foundation of the rug from the pressure being exerted on the folded area.

If you really wan t to be thorough, or if you have an investment-quality rug, take these additional steps for further protection.  Find a cardboard tube that is slightly longer than the width of your rug.  Use this tube to roll the rug up with.  If the foundation is relatively strong, roll the rug with the pile in.  If the foundation is weak, roll the rug with the foundation in, the pile out.  Once the rug is rolled onto this tube, you can roll the entire piece onto a length of muslin to act as a dust and light barrier. The fabric should be wide enough to extend beyond the edges of the roll, sufficient either to be tucked into the ends of the tube, or tied down onto the tube to protect the edges of the rolled rug from dust. The muslin cover needs to be long enough to roll around the outside of the rug at least 1 and 1/2 times to be secure.

Many dealers wrap rolled rugs in a sheet of clear polyethylene. The advantage of using polyethylene is that it can help protect your rugs from insects if the wrapping is secured with ties and the edges of the polyethylene are securely tucked into the ends of the rolling tube. Polyethylene can also protect rugs from water damage in the event of a leak. In general, mildew should not be a problem for rugs rolled in polyethylene unless a rug gets wet and stays in that condition for any length of time. Polyethylene is also good as a general dust cover draped over a group of rolled pieces since it is inexpensive and could readily be discarded once it is dirty.

Okay, we just finished unloading the truck, and boy do we have a lot of new rugs.  Over 200 new pieces ranging from 2×3 up to 10×14, and just in time for the annual September Calendar Sale!  We are really happy with this shipment, there are a lot of really beautiful pieces here, Kazaks, Agras, Peshawars, Tabrizes, Sultanabads… you really need to come in and see them in person.

Images of the new pieces along with sizes, and pricing will be up in the web at www.lexingtonorientalrugs.com in just a few days.  Until then, contact us for more information.

Warm enough to get you though the winter months, and just cool enough to beat the summer heat; this combination soft earth tones will never go out of style.  By using a combination of subtle textures with soft tones, you can create a great look and style that does not rely on color to do the heavy lifting.

The Mason Tuxedo Sofa by Council is true to its namesake; just like a tuxedo, it uses clean lines and subtle textures to accentuate a beautifully tufted rolled back.  Throw pillows add a small splash of color with silk-front textures.  These pillows also have the added weight and plushness of goose-down filling.  The Mason Tuxedo Sofa also boasts upgraded ultradown cushions.

The “uptown” look of the Tuxedo sofa is complimented and made slightly more casual by the two Desmond Chairs by Hancock & Moore.  Hancock & Moore is world-famous for its top of the line construction and specialty work with leather and fabrics.  These two chairs not only contain the excellence behind Hancock & Moore’s construction, but also utilize a special antiqued wood finish.  “Old Gold” nail trim finishing and goose down seats and back ensures that napping in these chairs will bring sweet dreams.

The glass-top coffee table by Ferguson Copeland brings functionality to the setting while keeping a light feeling and the Smoke and Mirrors server by Schnadig gives glass a texture and color rarely seen anywhere else.

The hand-knotted oriental rug is from the Opus Collection by Jaipur Rugs.  Beautifully mastered in every detail and nuance, the rugs of the Jaipur Opus collection define affordable luxury.  In the Opus collection, the hand-spun New Zealand wool used to create these distinctive rugs is passed through an advanced dying system that renders a color that looks vegetable dyed, but is colorfast and enduring for many generations to come.  Traditional designs with transitional flare headline the Opus collection, and monochromatic color stories further accentuate variances in a single color. Hand-knotted mastery flows in each thoughtfully placed tuft of yarn, giving life to these brilliant and intriguing rugs.

Team Lexington Oriental Rugs sponsored nine runners in the 2011 Midsummer Night’s Run in downtown Lexington to support Central Baptist Hospital Cancer Research Programs.

The 27^th annual rug took place August 6^th, a 5k timed race winding through downtown Lexington with approximately 4000 finishers.  The popular event featured more than just the namesake race.  A free outdoor concert began at 5:00 at Cheapside Park.  A 1 mile fun walk/run began at 6:00 and the fastest kid in town was determined at 6:30.

All proceeds went to benefit Central Baptist Hospital’s Cancer Research Programs.

Team Lexington Oriental Rugs is a group of company employees, clients, and friends that are interested in giving back to the community through local charity events and fundraisers.  Events vary from charity road races to Habitat for Humanity builds.  You may be able to recognize a team member by their brightly colored shirts, with a team logo on the front and a quirky nickname on the back.  If you would like to join our team, it’s free, and we are always looking for members.  We usually sponsor our members, and members will also get a free team shirt/jersey.  And, of course, the events are always fun and rewarding.  You can learn more by contacting Chad at 859-254-4412 or by visiting our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/rugslex.

We are getting ready for our long-awaited newest shipment. Barring any unforeseen events, over 150 new hand-knotted rugs should arrive at our door around August 17th. While the arrival of this shipment brings it’s own excitement and list of tasks to be achieved before the rugs can be sent to good homes, the journey of these rugs to this point is nothing short of amazing.

No, seriously, just think about it for moment. Just a short year or two ago, these rugs did not exist. What is now a finished, beautiful, heirloom quality floor covering started out as wool on the back of sheep and a lot of different plant materials. It is a real testament to the people and towns that manufacture these works of art that handmade rugs even exist.

You can read our blog and website about the long process of making the rugs. We should have more than enough information about that for you (only around a thousand pages.) What really makes the art form affordable is our position in the global economy. Who are the two largest importer of handmade rugs in the world? The United States and Germany. We love art. We appreciate quality. And we have a strong currency that balances an exchange rate that allows us to bring these works of art into your home.

Even with that in mind, the journey from sheep to U.S. shores is still long and difficult. In many cases, rugs are individually purchased at markets overseas, and then combined with other rugs until a shipment is made large enough to warrant the cost of overseas shipping. This takes a long time and a lot of effort. Rugs can be easy to find, quality rugs can be slightly more elusive.

So we are pretty excited about this new shipment. We have been working hard to not only find the best quality handmade rugs, but also the newest colors and designer patterns. We hope that you will be just as excited as we are. Maybe, if you really love us, you will even come by and help us unload the truck. Wishful thinking, huh?

Don’t call it a comeback, we were always at the top! (“Eye of the Tiger” playing as background music)  Kentucky.com and the Lexington Herald-Leader has published it’s 2011 Reader’s Choice, The Best of Everything Awards and you will never guess who took home some hardware.

The 2011 Reader’s Choice is described as an unscientific sampling of the region based on the subjective responses of Lexington Herald-Leader readers and Kentucky.com viewers.  Voting took place from May 27^th through June 15^th and more than 200,000 votes were counted.

Here is the review:

In business since 1965, Lexington Furniture Company has served many generations of local families.  “We carry good-quality furniture, traditional and lifestyle. We have fair prices and we try to give people their money’s worth.” said President Hugh James. “We have good service and a qualified staff of honest, hardworking people.”

Seriously, to those of you who voted and especially those of you who choose us as your source for furniture and rugs, Thank You.  You will never know how much it means to us and how hard we work to bring you the best products, service, and pricing every single day.  Thank You!