Rug Restoration Services

Here I have an 19th Century Borjalou Kazak. Rich in colour due to the good quality natural dyes, low in places and missing the end borders. Unusual in format as the piece is quite square despite the 2 outer guard borders missing. The client in this case chose not to ‘over restore’. The brief was to ensure the rug retained its feeling of age, was structurally sound but kept its character. Restoring the sides and ends immediately brings a worn rug together, like placing a frame around a painting. The 2 fringe ends here were initially secured and not rewarped to replace the borders and kilim as per the original finish 160 years ago. Matching the colours, texture and spin of the wool and original foundation materials used is imperative. Fleeces around the world have different textures and qualities, sheens or lustre. The 2 outer selvedge’s were restored in a pale blue figure of 8 as per the original, see snippets seen in the top right-hand corner. Two or more colours to make one is always chosen whether insides or repiling a reweave (hole) to keep the eye moving and the repair fluid as one colour leaves a dead space. The green in the rug shows the quality of the original natural dyes, as had a poor natural yellow been used then this fades to a blue-based green. Then the dark brown corroded areas and the crease at the bottom of the rug were repiled and the bottom right-hand corner rewoven as sympathetically as possible resulting in a rug which can now be enjoyed, used and given to generations to come.