Catalina Rug

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

Recently I have been fixing up my house little by little, including painting the exterior myself. With the money I saved by painting it myself I thought it would come out to be about what it would cost to get a fine Persian rug as a reward for my efforts, so I began my search online.

I found many online retailers with many nice rugs, many on the east coast, but I wanted to find a retailer in the Los Angeles area because I am not a rug expert and really wanted to see some rugs in person and learn anything I might not know from someone experienced enough to point out any details I might not be aware of.

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

About 20 years ago I purchased a nice tribal style rug in New Delhi, India. I like it very much and have had it in one of my bedrooms all these years. It also looks very nice in my living room but it is just a little too small to use it there.

I have always thought it would be nice to have a Persian rug in my living room to compliment the hardwood floor and my decor, which is filled eclectically with items from over eight different countries (Japan, Bali, India, Korea, China,Thailand, Mexico, Denmark).

3) What particular selection criteria do you have when buying a rug? Please share

I think actually seeing and feeling the rug in person and meeting Rose was the deciding factor in actually purchasing the rug that I picked out online for viewing at the showroom. The one I had picked out to see met my main criteria. The colors of Burgundy and light blue were prominent, so I knew it would match my decor. The size and level of quality and thread count also met my criteria. The medallion design was also very much to my liking.

4) Why did you Choose Catalina?

Upon doing an internet search for retailers in the Los Angeles area I found Catalina Rugs and set up an appointment to see some rugs I selected online at the showroom. It was there that I met Rose. I found her to be exactly like the descriptions of her on the Catalina website by happy customers.

She is very knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with. She answered all my questions and showed me a few things I didn’t know about the rugs. For example, I was able to really see with my eyes up close the difference in quality of various knot counts, compare the difference between the light and dark side of the rug, etc.

Before making the appointment I also used the “see the rug in my room” smart phone app provided on the website to get an idea of how it would look in my living room, so I pretty much knew that if I liked it in person I would wind up purchasing it.

5) Why Persian Rugs?

I waited twenty years since purchasing my first oriental rug in India to buy this rug from Catalina rugs because it was a major purchase for me financially, but in the end I wanted the highest quality rug that I could afford as opposed to a lower quality substitute, and for me that quality is represented in an original high thread count handmade Persian rug.

I never have to say to myself I wish I could have gotten something better because for me there is nothing better than the one I got from Catalina rugs. The fact that I waited all these years to save up for the highest quality of rug only makes me appreciate it more.

By the way, it isn’t mentioned anywhere as a selling point, but one thing I have noticed being that my house has nice hardwood floors but was constructed in the 1950’s, is that in the area the rug covers the hardwood floor, the “squeaks” disappear as if the rug muffles them. That seems to be an added benefit I wasn’t aware of.

Having pure hardwood floors with no rugs is very nice for a minimalist look, but I find that the Persian rug kind of acts like a “glue” to tie the whole room together in a way that it wasn’t before. Also, my 1950’s house is quite small and as such doesn’t have a separate dining room. The living room just flows into a dining area where I have my small dining table and chairs.

Having the rug in the living room gives more a feeling of it being a separate room, as the rug kind of marks off the living room area. I tried out my smaller Indian rug under my dining table and was pleased to find that it helped to complete the effect of there being two distinct areas.

Thanks again for your assistance. I am very happy with this Persian rug I purchased from your business Catalina rugs. Everyone who has seen it comments on how beautiful and impressive it looks in my living room.