Issue 20 - Dyed in the Wool Rug Merchant

Conversations about the oriental rug market with Paolo Palazzi

Fine rugs. Read any book set in the Middle East, Eurasia, or Orient of the past and you’ll almost certainly see that rugs woven of the finest spun fabrics were held above almost everything save gold and rare gems when it came to trading value.

Clearly, there aren’t many people who care about their rugs that much any more, but they probably haven’t spent part of an afternoon talking to Paolo Palazzi, who’ll be more than happy to get you up to speed on the modern day Oriental rug trade. And when he’s done talking, you’ll see rugs—all rugs—in a different light.

And once you’ve looked around the Palazzi Oriental Rugs showroom, you’ll see that there are plenty of rugs so fine that they still fetch higher prices than precious metal and gems.

"These rugs are timeless works of art," says Palazzi, who along with father Max, founded Palazzi Oriental Rugs Inc. in 1992 . "It’s a tradition that’s never been lost. The rugs will always be sought after, just like Picasso’s works will always be sought after."

Palazzi is a student of oriental rugs, and speaks about them the way some people speak about modern painting or the culinary arts (indeed, he has more than a few frequenters of his showroom who come just to browse, not to buy). But, as he says, there is only so much reading you can do and there’s no course you can take to learn about Oriental rugs. So in order to better understand his business and to better educate his clients, Palazzi travelled to India in 1996.

There, he saw everything from the initial drawings (many based on ancient, traditional designs), the dying of the wools, the spinning of the fabric and from there, the weaving on hand operated looms. A five foot by eight foot rug of average quality will take roughly three weeks to makes, he says, whereas a rug of the highest quality can take upwards of three years.

The excursions into the rug-making villages and towns of the Far East, and his visits to top North American wholesalers to gain valuable hands-on experience in the field, have paid off, as the Palazzi showroom at 3616 Walker Rd. has increased its stock of rugs from an original 80 to upwards of 500 today. The popularity of fine Oriental rugs increasing, Palazzi says, as the popularity of hard flooring grows.

"Hard flooring has replaced wall-to wall carpeting," he says as we stroll through the minimalist showroom which allows all the focus to be on the rugs, whether they’re hanging from the wall, on movable brackets or stacked and rolled on the parquet floor.

"Unless you want your rooms with hardwood flooring to be cold and uncomfortable, you’re going to need area rugs, and the beauty that an Oriental rug can bring to a room is being realized by a lot of people," he says. "You can take care of painting, artwork, furniture and accessories just by purchasing a good rug."

If you’re on the market for the rug that’s going to set any room in your house apart, there are a few concepts you should understand before you head to the Palazzi showroom: "Oriental rug" is the umbrella term covering a wide variety of rugs. The varieties can basically be categorized by country: Persian, Tibetan, Indian, Iranian and Pakistani rugs just to name a few, are all distinct in design, colour, with various levels of material, craftsmanship and quality determining the price range.

Workshop pieces are held in highest regard. These are the rugs made by true artisans and craftsmen. They work on the rug when they’re feeling inspired (i.e. when they feel like it). Nine times out of 10, says Palazzi, these are the superior pieces.

But as the market for workshop-made rugs grows in North America and Europe, wholesalers are getting involved setting up workshops and purchasing finer materials for the artisans to use.

"This has caused a dramatic increase in workshop quality, but the designs are still traditional. These people are artists, they control what the rug looks like—the colours, the patterns. But the artisan weavers can be difficult to work with," he chuckles.

Unparalleled in beauty, craftsmanship, intricacy and subtlety of design and colour, rugs from Tabriz, Iran—know simply as Tabriz rugs—are cherished above all others. There’s more than one Tabriz specimen in the Palazzi showroom priced at over $20,000.

"Tabriz rugs will always be valuable and stylish," Palazzi says, indicating a standout rug hanging in the showroom’s back alcove. "There are certain trends in the rug market, but the classics are always the same. The Tabriz carpets of Iran will not change—they cannot be influenced."

However, Tabriz-style designs are reproduced elsewhere using more contemporary, North American colours for longevity of style. The Palazzi showroom boasts such rugs made in China and Pakistan, ranging in price from $10,000 t0 $12,000.

Not surprisingly, rugs from certain parts of the world, chiefly Pakistan, are experiencing long delays in making it to the North American marketplace. What was a two to three month wait prior to September 11, 2001 is now a six to eight month wait. As well, many Afghanis living as refugees in Pakistan returned to their homeland after it was liberated from the Taliban, leaving a backlog of orders in the larger weaving houses and not enough skilled people to do the work.

Of trends in the contemporary Oriental rug marketplace, Palazzi sees them come and go. Recognizing the trends is an aspect of the practical end of his business. Currently, the brilliant teals and rose dyes that characterize certain rugs are "out", while deep blacks and golds are definitely "in". Traditionally minimalist Tibetan and Nepalese designs are also enjoying a fashionable revival, with several fine, reasonably priced rugs on view in the Palazzi showroom.

"A lot of the rugs we have in the inventory today weren’t even around ten years ago," Palazzi says of the changing tide of rug trendiness. "But for home based businesses and casual living, you might want to consider a more contemporary design. You don’t want to have a living room with a rug people are afraid to walk on in the middle of it."

Custom-made designs are another option for those seeking specific colours or designs. Palazzi deals with only the finest weaving houses, and although there‘s flexibility in what’s available, Palazzi cautions that custom designs come with limitations as to what’s workable, and what’s not. Because of design detail and colour, some designs simply cannot be resized as shrinking or blowing up the detail can distort the rug.

Things to Consider When Purchasing an Oriental Rug:

1 . Do You Like the Rug?
Does the rug’s style, design and colour go with what you’ve got/what you want? Many people purchase their Oriental rugs before their home are even completed. It’s easier to match paint, furniture fabric, etc. to a carpet than vice versa. Plus, "there’s no use buying a carpet that will last one hundred years if you don’t like it," says Palazzi.

2 . Handmade vs. Machine Made:
If you’re looking for absolute perfection, don’t buy a handmade rug, warns Palazzi. Hand made pieces contain small, idiosyncratic imperfections not visible to the untrained eye. They’re perfectly acceptable, but upsetting to some people’s sensibilities. Machine made rugs have fewer imperfections, but none of the hand woven artistry of the village and workshop pieces.

3 . Wool:
Oriental rugs made from wool stand up to the beating of daily use better than those made of silk. Rug merchants can distinguish between types and qualities of wool, but it’s a very difficult skill to master. Consulting an expert will help you determine what’s best for your home.

4 . Knot Count:
Generally, the finer the knot count (see the underside of the rug), the finer the quality. However, you also have to consider that carpets with finer knot counts are also thinner because intricate designs require a short pile so the design isn’t distorted.

5 . Dyes:
Chromium dyes are the strongest and deliver the most consistent and durable colours. Vegetable dyes give carpets a mottled look, which is very attractive, but more casual. Acid dyes bleed and fade and are essentially illegal so Palazzi doesn’t deal in them.

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