Beautiful 10 x 14 Light Green Oriental Rug

This beautiful piece just came in.
This is a 10 x 14 rug from Afghanistan. The design is Turkish, taken from an old Ushak. Colors are a bit lighter in person. Rug is in gallery one, on my site. Gorgeous rug!

Many new rugs in this week!

Hard to leave the store but I did it and have returned with many new and interesting hand woven pieces.
Of potential interest to the tribal rug guys...Quchan Kilims, mostly mid 20th Century, each of which I found unique and beautiful. Quchan, is in NE Iran, close to Turkmenistan and the these kilims are woven by Kurdish weavers. They are colorful and each piece is a bit different. Quite durable also. The work and artistry in these flatweaves comes out loud and clear with up to three different weaving techniques employed in each piece! Sizes are very tribal; 5 x 10, 6 x 11, but for those that love flatweaves and kilims, worth taking a look at. Mixed into all the galleries.

Also in recently are some very fine quality (tightly woven) antique design rugs from Ariana Rugs, Inc. in unusual European and old Agra (India) designs. These are high end pieces and truly look like antique rugs!

Additionally, many new runners, up to 15 feet with varied looks and styles.
Many smaller rugs in also, some of which will be quite affordable but too many to photo and get up on the site in one day. I will be adding these to my site as quickly as I can. As I add rugs to each gallery, the new rugs, will always be at the bottom of the gallery.
Just the way the gallery program works.

If any questions, I am always available. Contact info in on my site, including my direct line.
Hope you enjoy, a few of my new pieces are featured above!

New rug that is pretty amazing....

This rug has now found a home!

Just thought I would give this piece a little attention. Arrived two days ago and the more I look at it, the more I see. This is a Persian Luri recently woven in Southern Iran. The wool on this rug feels like silk and of course, 100% vegetable dyes. Have a look!

My new favorite rug! World class Persian Bijar!

Have a look at this beauty. This is a 6 x 8.3 Persian Bijar. Woven in Iran by Kurdish weavers with excellent wool dyed and vegetable (plant based) dyes.

It just came in yesterday and when I opened it, I was truly mesmerized. It's obvious that I'm in love with the rugs I sell but this Bijar has the true magic. The colors are so harmonious and the weaving so impeccable that I would say with confidence that this is one of the best rugs I have ever seen.

The drawing (this is the design outline) is calming yet interesting and although
the basic layout is a geometric rendition of the pendant medallion design, little flowers are subtly worked into the background and secretly appear as you continue to study the piece. The yellow at the edge of the field (area inside the border) is just amazing. Not too bright, not too muddy, not too soft...just exactly right. In the detailed border design, the light blue accents give just the right touch of a sparkle. And then there is the deep green in tiny increments throughout the piece.
I believe this rug is spectacular. Look it over carefully and each time, you will notice something else, you missed at first glance. A perfect rug continues to fascinate, endlessly.
www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/

Sunday morning Farmers Market in Sebastopol. Belly Dancers and More!

The dancers were back and this time, I had my camera! Above are a few photos of the belly dancers at the Sunday morning Farmers' Market, in Sebastopol, California, taken June 28,2009. The wonderful dancers are the Raks Rosa Dance Company. The director is Elana Quihuis. For those of you interested, their web site is http://www.raksrosa.com/.

The weather was HOT but there was ample shade and the mood was relaxed and friendly. Many vendors with fresh, organic produce and an assortment of exquisite hand-crafted items and delectable food. The entertainment was great. This market runs all summer so come and check it out on any Sunday morning. The market is held right in the center of downtown Sebastopol in the park and runs from 9:00 AM to 2 or 3PM.

My Favorite Rugs! Paradise Oriental Rugs

Anyone care to see my current favorite rugs? They are right above...just love these. I believe the Khamsehbaf and Qashqai rugs that I am in the fortunate position to have at my gallery will be the antiques of the future. They are woven with great care, excellent wool, the best dyes and are incredibly hearty. A number of the designs, such as the above pieces are gorgeous. If you haven't seen any of these, take a look. I feel these are my best rugs and over the long term, will be good investments.

Questions About Rugs and My Best Advise!

I recieve many emails from people far and near and so I've decided to post the questions and my responses so that the information is available to one and all. Here's the most recent:

"I saw your web site and you seem to be knowledgeable about rugs. This is my carpet. I've been told by my rug cleaner, one of the few guys who still cleans by hand in Los Angeles, that this rug is over 75 years old, Belgian, and probably machine made. I really like the rug, but as you can see, the wear is getting bad. Is a rug like this worth restoring? Can a rug like this be restored? I love the aged look of it, but I think it's a little TOO aged. One of his guys offered to "color" the bald spots. If the rug isn't worth that much, is that a way to go - or will it look painted? Any advice you could give would be most appreciated."

Melanie Graham

My response:

Dear Melanie,

There is really no investment potential in older machine made rugs. If they are in perfect condition, there is some value there, but never as much as a good hand-woven rug.

Babylon rug cleaners on Westerm in Los Angeles is the best one that I know of. Link below.
http://www.babylonrugcleaners.com/
If they can put a bit of the color back where it's worn out, it may look better for a while but don't spend a lot of money on that. These guys are the best in LA and VERY fairly priced.
If it's clean now, my best recommendation is just to arrange your furniture so the worn spots don't show and use it until you are done.

Machine woven rugs cannot be restored. You are right, it is a very pretty rug.
Hopefully this helps.

Best Regards,
Penny Krieger
http://www.paradiseorientlarugs.com/

What's up with Sebastopol? Sebastopol, California.

Just found a cool article about Sebastopol so here's the link.

http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/200608/best-outside-towns-2006-5.html

Of course, my Oriental Rug Gallery, Paradise Oriental Rugs is in Sebastopol, just in case you were thinking of a visit.

I will be at the Healdsburg Antique Show August 30, 2009, Downtown Healdsburg in the Park! Show hours: 8 AM - 4 PM

Bringing some beautiful rugs and a few antique tribal pieces so it should be fun!

The show is free to attend so hope to see you there!

http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/

Babylon's Ark. Incredible book I finished today!

As you may have noticed, if you've ever been to my web site http://www.paradiseorientalrugs.com/ , I have listed on the front page and also on my links page, two environmental organizations, one of which is the called the Earth Organization.
Welcome to The Earth Organization - conservation organization,environmental organisations,environmental organizations,environ...

The founder of this organization, Lawrence Anthony is not only a fascinating individual, he is also an uncommonly brave and dynamic human being that we all could learn from on the subject of integrity. What is integrity but doing what you know is right, regardless of the outcome to yourself or your personal needs and comforts.

Being the first civilian that entered Iraq after the start of the war, his mission was simple. Rescue the animals in the Baghdad Zoo. With little resources and sheer guts he was overwhelmed when he arrived to discover only 35 starving, dehydrated animals left on the brink of death from a former population of 600. No water, filthy cages, broken pipes destroyed by bombs...the question was where to start. This is an amazing story of hope and inspiration that shows what ONE individual can do to make a difference.

Here's a hint. Not one animal died after his arrival. This book is a must read.

Here are the links.
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible ... - Google Book Search

Enjoy and if you want to help, get involved, make a donation, do whatever you can. It's our planet and none survive alone.
Our Founder

The name of the book is Babylon's Ark by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence.

Amazing Camel in Downtown Sebastopol on Thursday in front of Paradise Oriental Rugs!

I arrived to work yesterday and there was a large trailer parked in front of my rug store. I didn't think twice about it until someone asked me, "Is that your camel?"

I was busy on the phone and getting set up to open when it was pointed out to me by one of my neighbors on Main Street, that there was a real, live camel, parked in a trailer, directly in front of my rug gallery.

I waited patiently until the caretakers of Kazzy returned as I had no idea if she was friendly or even how to approach her. She appeared to be completely relaxed with cars going by and one and all, magically pulling out their digital cameras, including me! When her owners returned, I was amazed to find out she was a therapy animal from Lyon Ranch in Sonoma County and was in between visits to convalescent hospitals while her owners were out to lunch.

When they returned, I was offered the opportunity to meet her along with everyone else! She was so sweet and affectionate, it was fantastic! I asked many questions and found out Kazzy is one smart camel. She is trained and works as a therapy animal bringing smiles to the faces of all she meets. She's particularly fond of men with beards, I was told by her owners, but friendly to all and truly enjoys her work as a therapy animal.