Why Choose Arrediamo?
Rem’s journey began in 1986, when he joined his uncle and brother in the carpet restoration business at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. So taken was he by this family trade that two years later, in 1988, be started his own restoration business in Florence, Italy. Here he began to hone his talents, specializing in color management, while restoring carpets, furniture, oriental rugs and tapestries, many of which dated back to the Renaissance. During this time, he found himself traveling throughout Italy, plying his trade, while at the same time, learning new and old techniques from master knotters. His appreciation for the artistry and history of each rug he encountered set the stage for his future in the trade.
In 1990, Rem relocated back to his home country of Turkey, where he worked for a company that specialized in carpets and rugs for cruise ships. Still itching to know all there was to know about the art of carpet making and restoration, he set up his own shop again in 1996, buying and selling carpets from families throughout the region, who had been in the business for centuries. His inventory grew, and along with it, his reputation.He might still be in Turkey if the itch to see America hadn’t interfered. In early 2001, he found himself in El Paso, Texas, where he bought a van, rented storage space for his imported rugs and began hitting the road, selling his authentic wares throughout the state. He found great success in cities like Houston and Dallas, but on the Fourth of July of that year, he found himself in Santa Fe and knew he had found his new home. It was here that he found clients who were accustomed to quality. No inexpensive rugs mass manufactured in China would do. The level of sophistication in Santa Fe proved equal to the quality of his goods.
Four days after 9/11 he rented a storage space in a shopping center on Don Gaspar and, from there, began to build his clientele, selling to retailers and doing home shows under the name Sinbad Art. In 2004, he opened Arrediamo, which means to furnish in Italian. Putting his hard-earned expertise to work in the City Different, Rem Vildirim has made a name for himself as one of the country’s foremost purveyors of fine rugs and carpets, with an artist’s discerning eye and a master’s historic knowledge. Through it all, his philosophy has never changed. “We buy our rugs from the producers, usually small family-run businesses that design and produce,” he says. “We buy only a few pieces from each one, to keep our inventory alive, current and of the highest quality. We do this instead of buying from a big producer with the same colors, the same patterns, the same styles. We do things a little differently from other rug stores, anywhere. It’s important to us that whenever we add a rug to our inventory, it’s only the best. Only the highest quality will do.”
The Art Of The Handmade Rug
Rugmaking by hand goes back centuries. Nobody knows for sure when the first rug was made, but it is believed that the first hand-knotted carpets originated from nomadic tribes of central Asia, who processed wool into the first flat woven fabrics sometime around 500 BC. Today, machine made rugs are a multi-million-dollar industry, but nothing beats a rug made by hand, with all-natural fibers and colors. Telling the difference takes a trained eye and a dedication to the craft.
A professional rug dealer knows to look at the back of the rug, first. If it is machine-made or power loomed, it usually has backing. If it doesn’t have backing, you can see the knots, which are usually slightly uneven and not uniform. A hand-knotted rug will also have an underside that mirrors the top. The more detail in the design when looking from the back, the better the quality. The colors will also be brighter, because they spend less time in the sun, or experiencing regular wear. Then, there is the fringe. If it is sewn on, it’s a machine-made rug. If it is an extension of the rug foundation, it is handmade.
Types Of Handmade Rugs
There are two types of handmade rugs. Hand woven rugs are made in a flat weave pattern on a specialized loom that facilitates the creation of tight cross threads, similar to tapestries. They are usually made from hand-pulled wool or cotton, which are then dyed using only natural vegetable dyes. Thin, yet durable, these rugs are often used in casual, rustic or more relaxed settings. Included in this category are Kilims, Soumak, Dhurries, Native American rugs and Scandinavian rugs.
Hand knotted rugs, on the other hand, are made on a specially designed loom and are knotted by hand, a very tedious and time-intensive process. They are generally made of wool, cotton, silk, jute or other natural materials, which are then knotted. The rug weaver ties each knot around the warp threads, one at a time, to create the pile of the rug. The quality of these rugs is determined by knot count, dyes used and the quality of the yarns. Included in this category are Oriental rugs, Moroccan long-pile rugs and shaggy Swedish Rya rugs.
Determining Collectability
The criteria for dealing with collectible rugs, whether old or new, involves several major factors. In no specific order, they include: age, origin, type, design, colors, wool and weave grade, condition, rarity, size, knot counts and overall aesthetics. You won’t find all of those traits in one carpet, but to be considered quality, at least a few of these elements need to align. For example, if authenticity is of importance to a collector, the items most important may be origin, type and age. If aesthetics is more important, design, colors and rarity may be desirable.
Unlike mass-produced, machine-made carpets, hand-made rugs and carpets possess qualities and characteristics that simply cannot be imitated or duplicated. Handmade rugs are part of an enduring tradition, involving trained weavers and master artisans. They include intricate designs and brilliant color application that cannot be replicated by machines. They can also become heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation, every bit as important to your family’s history as portraits and antique furniture. The highest quality rugs, like those found at Arrediamo, will increase in value the longer they are possessed and cared for.