Catalina Rug

1. What inspired you to begin your Persian rug collection? 

My first experience with a Persian rug was as a very young ice skater in Czechoslovakia, practicing figure skating routines on the Persian rug in our apartment.

It must have been handed down from previous generation(s) because during that era fine rugs were not available for purchase by the ordinary citizen.

As an adult, I didn’t give handmade rugs much thought, buying what was affordable: one Dhurrie, a friend’s discarded Albusson, or machine-made synthetics. The Dhurrie was sort of rough, and the synthetics were stiff underfoot and wore out easily.

2. How long have you been collecting rugs and how many do you own so far?

Eight years ago we bought a large house where all floors were hardwood, slate, or brick. At a nearby furniture store that had a large area devoted to handmade rugs, I was lucky enough to work with a fabulous salesman who not only guided me in selecting furniture but also area rugs. They were gorgeous and soft, and I realized what a huge impact they had on comfort and the finished look of a home interior.

We’ve since moved to a different house but were able to work nearly all of the rugs into our new layout, most in a different room than the one for which they were originally bought. I love the flexibility!

How many now? Some have been donated along the way, but currently own
twelve.

3. What particular selection criteria do you have for buying a rug? Please share your tips and tricks with other rug enthusiasts. 

They are all beautiful! So how to narrow down the choices?

The style of the rug is key, formal or casual?

The size must be appropriate for the space; a too-small rug is a common error. It should reasonably coordinate with other rugs you already own.

Color, of course. Vivid or muted? Warm colors or cool? For our lifestyle, it must tolerate traffic and debris without showing it, though of course regular maintenance including occasional professional cleaning is important. I don’t want to be fretting over every leaf or dog hair, and the pattern of Persian rugs is wonderful for that.

Our second home, a log home in the mountains, has pale PEACH-colored tile floors from the 90s. Unwilling to rip out the floors, my decorating solution was deep, rich colors and vivid patterns that leaned to the coral and warm red spectrum. The floors now read as beige.

4. Why did you choose Catalina?

Catalina has a very large selection, and the website’s excellent search criteria make it easy to find what I am looking for. The “see the rug in your space” feature is outstanding! It’s almost like having the local vendor come unroll the rug in your home. It certainly helped me finalize my decision, confident that I knew what the rug would look like in my intended area.

I like that Catalina sells new and used rugs. Many of the rugs are decades old, which attests to their quality.

In today’s throw-away society, it’s nice to have something that has been around and will be around for a very long time. Whether buying new or used, I’m confident that it’s durable and will go on for someone else to enjoy down the road.

5. Why Persian rugs?

About nine years ago on a motorcycle trip to Morocco, we visited a village where large handwoven wool rugs served as the flooring in the tents where people lived.

We literally sat on the rug for tea. That planted a seed of durability in my mind. We subsequently spent some time at a rug shop in Marrakesh. Many of the rugs were just gorgeous, but the high-pressure sales tactics turned us off, so we left empty-handed. But the beauty, softness, and longevity of handwoven stayed with me.

Extra experience: How a Kazak rug saved our bedroom floor?

We had a randomly occurring water leak in a laundry room across the hallway from a bedroom. The bedroom had wood floors. The Kazak rug in the hallway absorbed the water, preventing it from traveling into the bedroom.

We, of course, immediately put the rug outside to dry in the Arizona heat and called the plumber. After several repetitions of this scenario, the plumbing leak was finally identified and remedied, and the rug, having done its work in repeatedly saving our bedroom floor, went back to just being beautiful.