As 2011 comes to a close, we reflect on the trends of both color and pattern that the year brought us.  It was a wonderful year and we were pleasantly surprised by the color predictions that came true and the colors that became popular that we would have never expected.

When newly trending colors can be accurately predicted, the oriental rug world springs into action, producing as many wonderful handmade pieces as they can to meet the needs of our clients.  When colors surprise us, though, the slow production time of handmade pieces can create something of a nightmare for businesses like ours.  So if you have some predictions for 2012, let us know!

SURPRISE!  Honeysuckle Pink was Pantone’s color of the year for 2011.  While this color was predicted to be trending in many homes and decors, we did not expect it to be as popular as it was.  Luckily, our market is a little more traditional and while we had requests for the color, we did not need to invest too much inventory space in what may end up being a short-lived hot color.  And what color was most requested to pair along with pink?  Grey.

PREDICTED-  Green.  Green was a color that we saw moving into the spotlight slowly, first in paint colors, and then in furniture design.  Many designers saw green as a way of bringing the outdoors inside, and viewed the color as fresh and clean.  Oriental rugs were a great pair for this color, even with the somewhat difficult time we have creating a stable vegetable green dye.

SURPRISE! Red and Blue made a huge resurgence in 2011.  You would think that oriental rug manufacturers would be well prepared for this considering that for 2500 years, red and blues were the easiest dye colors to produce, but with so many homes utilizing Autumn tones, we were still caught a little off guard.  According to Dulux Paints, blue is the most popular color in the world, and is not expected to step down from it’s throne any time soon.

PREDICTED- Black and White.  In 2011, black came on strong as a lead color choice for walls, and was often used as a contrast to white to great graphic effect. Stripes, checks and patterns featuring these two powerhouses were dominant in home design.  Black is an easy color to find in oriental rugs, but true white can be a smaller challenge with the natural color of wool leaning more towards cream.

PREDICTABLE SURPRISE- Grey.  The furniture industry made strong moves toward a more transitional gray color in 2011.  I personally thought the trend would be short-lived, but Grey tones look to have a long life ahead of them.  Oriental rug manufacturers have had a hard time cornering the correct grey tones.  Again, the natural color of wool tends to make the greys look a little more brown.  You will definitely see more grey tones in our oriental rug showroom in 2012.

Have your own predictions?  Let us know!  We would love to see what our clients both want and expect for the following year. www.lexingtonorientalrugs.com

Does your rug appear to have loose threads or undone knots?  It could be what the rug industry calls “sprouting” and is usually not a major reason for concern.

Many hand-knotted rugs are constructed using hand-spun or hard-twisted wool.  Both of these methods of spinning wool produce a “nubby” texture that is very popular right now with the demand for antique reproduction rugs.

Hand-spun wool has an inconsistent number of twists among the strand in comparison to machine spun wool which has an exacting number of twists.  Just imagine spinning your own wool into yarn, which involves twisting wool fibers together with one hand and spinning it into yarn on a wheel with the other.  Getting it perfectly even and consistent is a real challenge.  Hard-twisted yarn involves a machine-spun process that is designed to mimic the nubby texture of hand-spun wool.

Regardless of the process, the relatively loose and inconsistent number of twists among the thread can produce sprouting.   Sprouting usually becomes more apparent after the rug has been cleaned, vacuumed, or has had regular use.  Basically, some of the loose fibers unravel and stand up out of the pile.  The knot is still intact, but the fibers that create the pile are longer than usual.

Fixing the problem is easy.  Just get a small pair of scissor and clip the excess pile material off even with the rest of the pile.  Do not attempt to pull the fiber out (this would remove the entire knot.)  Clipping the “sprout” is all you need to do.  The rug won’t unravel.  It is not damaged.  This is just a normal part of the “break-in” process for this type of rug.  Once you have clipped a few sprouts, (there will probably be more than one) sprouting usually stops.

There are some cases where sprouting symbolizes a problem with the construction of the rug.  Excess sprouting, or sprouting from a tufted or machine-made rug can be evidence of poor construction.  Consult with your local reputable rug dealer for more information in these situations.

Things to Avoid:

As with all retail businesses, there will be those who take part in unfair or deceptive practices.  Here is a list of things to avoid:

Bank Ordered Liquidations, Fire Sales, Going out of Business Sales, Emergency Liquidation- in most cases these involve raising the price of the rugs in order to offer a heavy discount.  We have found that in many cases the heavily discounted price is actually higher than the everyday retail prices of these stores.  

Make an Offer Sale- It’s hard to believe that anyone gets a good deal at these.  As long as you make an offer above the set selling price, you get to take home a rug- but you may end up paying more than fair value.  Stick with places that don’t make it a guessing game.

 
Hotel auctions, estate sales, etc.-  The main danger here is that all sales are final, and once the auction has ended you have no ability to find the dealer or auctioneer if you have problems.  Many states do not prosecute auctioneers or simply do not choose to, and descriptions of oriental rugs are not only deceptive, but are often completely wrong.

Hidden Prices- Any store that does not follow ORRA standards and will not display their selling price on their rugs is either pricing so high that sticker shock scares customers out the door, or is giving different prices to customer as they qualify their incomes.

Finding the perfect oriental rug can be enough of a challenge.  Finding a reputable dealer that will stand behind the quality and value of their inventory shouldn’t be hard also.

Here is a short guide to help you know what to look for when choosing your rug source:

Reputation
Don’t be afraid to ask around about experiences with your selected rug dealers.  A business that has been around for a long time has likely survived for a reason, usually excellent customer service.  Decide where you are comfortable doing business. Look for established firms that rely on repeat business for their success.

Broad Selection
An oriental rug source that carries a wide selection of rugs has a better chance of locating the perfect rug for you.  Stores that specialize in Oriental rugs and have a wide selection of styles, qualities and prices are a great place to start.  The dealer should have all of the different size categories and should carry products from different countries.  
Prominent Information and Pricing
A reputable oriental rug dealer will conform to ORRA (Oriental Rug Retailer ssociation) standards and codes for business practices.  These standards require specific display techniques and that specific information must be displayed on the rugs at all times.  This
information includes: rug id#, size, country of origin, design, content material, construction type, and price

No-Hassle Approval Period
Choosing an oriental rug, while not difficult, can sometimes take a couple of tries before getting it perfect.  A reputable oriental rug dealer allows you to try the rug on approval before buying the piece.  The dealer will likely ask for a credit card or a small deposit in order for you to take the rug home, but will not charge you at all if the rug does not work.  The dealer should display this policy and should have the policy placed in writing on a customer’s invoice.  

 
Return Policy
Another policy that a reputable oriental rug dealer will both display and put into writing is a return policy.  As with any retail business, most dealers will allow you to return a rug within three days for a full refund.  This policy does not usually include custom ordered items.

Trade-In Policy
Due to the construction and artistic nature of oriental rugs, most pieces will increase in value with both use and age.  Many oriental rug stores participate in trade-in programs or will offer to “buy back” your rug at a reduced price.  Factors such as rug damage or cleaning and repair will often devalue a traded-in rug.  The most important part of a trade-in policy is that it is placed in writing and that a copy of the written policy is made available to all customers.

Cleaning and Repair Services
Why buy a product if the dealer cannot help you to maintain it?  A reputable oriental rug dealer will not only offer these services, but will often remind when your cleaning and repair service are past due and will offer you a returning customer discount.

In-Home Services
Don’t be afraid to ask your rug expert to come to your home to help you with rug selections, suggestions, or in home setup and delivery.  Most rug dealers will designate a geographical region in which deliveries and setup is free.  Many will even bring on approval rugs to your home and then later pick up the ones that you did not keep.

The Holiday Season is here and with it comes a group of challenges in maintaining your oriental rugs and keeping them clean.  From spilled candle wax to entire bottles of wine, we have seen it all.  The good news is that most problems you may encounter are quick and easy to remedy.

Candle wax spills are one of the more common problems that we hear about this time of the year.  There is just something about the combination of candles and festive cheer that equals wax on a rug!  Lucky for you, this is one of the easier fixes that doesn’t require professional help.

Once the wax has cooled and hardened, start by removing any excess wax you can by simply breaking off any of the larger chunks you can with your hands.  The more wax you can remove, the faster the next steps of the process will be.

Next, get your household iron and a couple of brown paper bags.  Place strips or sheets of the paper from the bags on top of the wax and use the iron on a warm setting to heat the wax through the paper.  The wax will melt and be absorbed into the paper.  Repeat this process until all wax is removed.

Remember to keep the iron on a warm setting (too hot will make the wax spread) and to keep the iron moving to avoid any potential burns.

If you are unable to remedy this problem with this method, contact your local reputable oriental rug cleaner for help.  Happy Holidays!

So the Holiday season is upon us… right smack on top of us.  You have your gift shopping done right?  Yeah, neither do we.  We probably should get that started…

This season brings out some of the best that we have to offer.  I’m not talking about “we” as in our company.  I’m talking about “we” as in our society in general.  Bell ringers brave the cold, truck loads are donated to toy drives, and Angel Trees are picked bare.

People give what they can when they can, and receive a warm feeling inside that lasts a long time.

The season also brings one of our favorite events to our store.  It doesn’t have anything to do with rugs, but I love the event anyway!  We partner with Ekornes Stressless for the following offer:  Purchase any Ekornes Stressless recliner and get $200 off when you donate $50 to a charity of your choice.  That’s right.  You write a check for $50 to any charity of your choice.  We mail in the check for you.  You get $200 off the price of the chair.  You go home with a comfy chair, and you help make someone else’s life a little easier too.

This event is usually pretty big for us.  We love mailing in donations to the charities, and it is interesting to see which charities are chosen most often.  It is amazing to see how much of an effect is made when a large group of people all donate, even small amounts…  Our clients are awesome.  Thanks to everyone who chooses us for your rugs and furniture.  Thanks to everyone who participates in our charity drives!

The 2011 Thoroughbred Classic 5K and Kay Collins Memorial Mile was held at 9am on Thanksgiving morning.  Team Lexington Oriental Rugs was happy to sponsor a group of runners that were willing to suffer a little bit before partaking in Thanksgiving turkey and dressing.

Personally, I was hoping that the fact that it was Thanksgiving morning and that it was extremely cold outside would deter some runners from showing up.  The thought was that fewer runners meant a better chance of finishing in the top ten in my category.  Nope.  Didn’t work that way.  Lots of dedicated runners came out… and they promptly kicked our butts.

Awesome event on a Holiday weekend.  Thanks to all who came out for Team Lexington Oriental Rugs!