A PRIMER IN LUXURY (PART 3)
PART THREE OF THREE PARTS
Read Part One Here; Part Two Here
Jan David Winitz, President and Founder of Claremont Rug Company, Talks to Private Air/Luxury Homes Magazine About How to Build Luxury from the Ground Up with Art-level Antique Rugs
By Gina Samarotto
Integrating a European-inspired manor hall, four highly compatible antique Persian carpets provide various activity areas.
The first two parts in this Q&A addressed many of the initial questions people have regarding the compatibility of antique rugs with different architectural and design styles. In this final segment, I discuss furnishing large spaces and how to make educated purchasing decisions.
PALH: How does one furnish a grand room?
JDW: One enormous space we furnished was a 45′ x 60′ living room in a Sierra Mountain family compound. We successfully segmented the room with a series of four room-size and oversize carpets. This format created intimate seating areas that magnified the scope of the space while instilling a gracious, connected ambiance. The key to making this approach successful is to choose rugs that each have their own individual characteristics, yet are compatible. Identifying a series of carpets that marry well takes a fair amount of expertise, and of course, the availability of an extensive inventory from which to choose.
The usage of palace-size carpets, 14′ x 20′ or larger, also has centuries of precedent. We have furnished many grand rooms with stunning carpets up to 17′ x 30′, which effectively unified the entire space and emphasized the grandeur of the room. This approach works best when there is a compelling reason to place all of the furniture entirely on the rug.
An 18′ x 24′ antique Persian Laver Kirman with an elegant allover pattern features softly striating tones that add a memorable ambiance to this sun-filled room.
PALH: Most people think of Oriental rugs as being appropriate for the public areas of a home. Why would someone who was not a carpet collector wish to use rugs throughout their residence?
JDW: Most clients begin by looking for three or four carpets for their main public areas, the living room, dining room, entry hall, and perhaps the library. Then, after experiencing the individuality and splendor that appropriately selected antique rugs bring to a space, they return to furnish the private areas of their homes.
Commonly, in the next residence that they open or in a second home that they maintain, they consider rugs for both public and private areas from the beginning. Some clients opt to assemble what we term a “Whole Home Display” of 15 or more large and small carpets. Over the years, we’ve developed a service where we work with clients’ floor plans, pictures of their other art and furnishings, and videos of their interior spaces to assist them in selecting multiple rugs. Although most clients opt to see rugs on approval, we can even Photoshop rugs into the rooms they wish to furnish to help them to envision the impact of each selection.
Using these tools, we work very closely with clients to make sure they choose rugs that are both entirely satisfying decoratively and are solid art investments.
As part of a Whole Home Display, a circa 1850 formal oversize carpet transforms this beautifully appointed master bedroom.
The family room in this Big Sky residence hosts an antique ivory Sultanabad, its casually drawn patterning and cheerful colors supporting the convivial mood of this space.
PALH: For those who are not yet familiar with the various types of antique rugs, their origins, etc. what have you done to assist them to become educated buyers?
JDW: For first-time buyers, I created a six-tier “Oriental Rug Market Pyramid” to present the spectrum of quality and artistry from contemporary reproduction rugs up to museum-level, historical rugs at the top. I have also written a “9-point Methodology for Evaluating Antique Oriental Carpets” that addresses the interconnected merits determining the artistic magnitude and value of an antique rug.
Many of our clients have told us that they previously knew little about antique carpets before they immersed themselves in our site. But after looking at the over 1000 rugs there and reading our profusion of educational material and video content, they knew exactly which styles they wanted when they contacted us.
In fact, one traveling executive called us one morning after staying up half the night in his hotel, studying our site to begin the process of selecting his rugs. Another time, a client on his way back home to New Zealand from Southern California diverted his private plane to visit our gallery because he saw carpets online that he wanted to bring home with him!
Winitz’s pyramid (above) has assisted many clients in demystifying the world of Oriental carpets. He developed his “9-point Methodology for Evaluating Antique Persian Rugs” in 1995 as a video for “ The American Architectural Review“ on PBS.
Next Friday Read:
“9-point Methodology for Evaluating Antique Persian Rugs”,
(part one of two parts)
