Antique Kerman Persian Rug Restoration


Some believe in the beauty of newness, which I admit, can be exhilarating.   Some of my happiest memories from my childhood are playing among the carpet and kilim "farms" of Anatolia where weavers laid out their newly woven goods so that the sun could mute the newly dyed colors and the smell of the fresh wool could dissipate.  The newness of all the rugs was dizzying and the beauty of the vibrant colors, I still believe,  rival that of any painting in any museum.  But the beauty of older rugs can match, and in many ways, even exceed the beauty of anything new.  Their muted, rich colors, their worn coarse texture, and evidence of lives lived combine to make some older rugs truly spectacular.   I see no reason or need to replace older rugs when they begin to show wear or their age.  Quite the contrary, I only see need to repair or restore that which is torn or worn to the point of compromising a rug's structural integrity. In my opinion, a rug's signs of age are something to be coveted and not replaced.    
This beautiful antique Kerman rug had significant tears and wear along a path where I assume generations of a family walked.  In our next posts, we will show how we extended the life of this old beauty.