Latest Persian & Oriental Rug News & Updates: Little-Persia

Little-Persia Rug on Display at Burrell Collection

Little-Persia has a rug on display at the Burrell Collection Glasgow until the end of April. The rug, hired by the museum as a tactile floor piece to accompany the Wagner Garden Carpet which is also on display over the next month or so is a Kerman piece, around 100 years old displaying animals in a garden scene.

Little-Persia have worked in the past with the museum to allow people to get close and personal to the hand-knotted rugs, without the risk of damage to priceless artifacts.

Rug hire and rental is available on request from Little-Persia, contact Reza at info@little-persia.com.

Professional Persian Rug Cleaning & Rug Repair

Little-Persia have recently invested in professional rug cleaning equipment in order to more effectively clean and restore Persian & Oriental rugs at an affordable price.

We focus solely on handmade rugs and give you a full consultation before carrying out any work giving you the peace of mind that your rug will get the care and attention that it deserves.

Each rug is deep cleaned and finished by hand with the individual characteristics taken into consideration while cleaning. We can also perform minor repairs to the fringes and selvages (sides) of the rug which helps to prevent any damage spreading and leather binding on the back which helps to keep the rug straight and in top condition.

Major cleaning and repair work carried out on this beautiful antique Kashan rug.

Costs starts at £50 plus vat per square metre however, previous customers and newsletter subscribers will be given 20% discount until the end of March.

Sign up for our newsletter by using the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Seasonal Christmas Persian Rug Sale

78 Rugs massively reduced at Little-Persia

We are currently half way through our Twelve Days of Christmas seasonal sale with almost £20,000 worth of savings already in place for just 28 rugs. That's an average of almost £700 saved on each carpet with much more to come.

On each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas Eve there will be new rugs added to the adopted words of the Twelve Days of Christmas carol.

As it stands we are approaching day 7:

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
Seven Shiraz stunners,
Six sizzling Sherwans,
Five floral Persians,
Four fancy Feraghans,
Three Turkman rugs,
Two Tabriz treasures,
And a rug to put under my tree.

To receive updates of the rugs as they go on sale sign up to Little-Persia's newsletter by adding your details to the form at the bottom of the page.

Merry Christmas from all the staff at Little-Persia.

High Net Worth Insurance

Free Persian & Oriental Rug Appraisals at Little-Persia

Accidents in the home are rife over the Christmas and New Year period, damage to you furniture is more likely at this time of year that at any other. From spilled wine to pet damage and stains created by the feet of unexpected visitors, the risks to your rug are never higher.

Most insurance companies cannot accurately place a value on a Persian rug, either they do not recognise that while being a rug it is also a fine work of art or simply do not have the skills or expertise to value the rug correctly. In the event of your rug being damaged (if covered) your insurer may wish to gain independant valuations; they may just make you an offer. The chances are that this offer is not going to be an accurate reflection of your rugs true value¹. If this is the case you should do all you can to get them to increase their payout, get an appraisal for replacement value from a professional..

If you have fine art, antiques, Persian or Oriental rugs or expensive jewellery in your home the chances are you will have High Net Worth (HNW) home insurance and/or contents cover. These policies usually cover valuables up to £5000, however if your rug (other other individual items) is worth more than this it will need a valuation report. Check your coverage and ensure your goods are fully insured.

Little-Persia offer free informal valuations to Persian & Oriental rug owners. Best done in store but we can also give estimates of value using detailed pictures of the rugs front and back. Use this service to help decide if you need to individually include your rug in your home insurance. It is always better to declare a valuable before to your insurer before damage is done rather than after, this way they are more likely to pay up the full value of your item. In any case Little-Persia can help to gain you gain a fair deal from your insurance company in addition to many other services.

¹ On certain types of insurance you may be offered a standard pay-out which is in fact higher than the value of the rug.

Scotland's Small Business Luxury Network

Little-Persia is in the process of developing a network of companies around Scotland who are specialists in their particular field of the homes and exteriors market, bringing quality and often unique furnishings to the people of Scotland. Through the network we hope to bring together the country's best in home decoration, providing a valuable resource to our customers and the customers of the other specialists.

Included in the network will be companies focused on:

Interior Design
Hardwood Flooring
Stained Glass
Cabinet Makers
Antiques
Art
Garden Landscaping & Design
Tiles & Ceramics
Kitchens - Handmade & Modern
Lighting & Chandeliers
And many more...

By being a customer of one of the member firms you will have access to exclusive offers from each of the companies involved, from free consultation to discount across entire ranges. The network is being designed to benefit a broad spectrum of home-owners in Scotland seeking quality furnishings for their homes.

If you have any comments or would like to nominate or request a company for inclusion in the network please contact ryan@little-persia.com.

Rugs Rock

What do Elton John, Robert Plant and The Fratellis all have in common? According to Little-Persia they all share a love for exquisite Persian & Oriental rugs.

Elton John, infamous for his pre-concert demands, refuses to take to the stage unless he has large non-leather sofas to relax on with fine Persian carpets underfoot. The star’s cultural appreciation and taste for luxurious and artistic comforts is not lost on other musical greats.

Ex-frontman of heavy metal legends Led Zeppelin and now solo artist, Robert Plant, took to the stage at Wembley Arena to promote his latest album ‘Raising Sand’ to a surreal backdrop of nine. Persian rugs of a quality normally found hanging on the walls of the Victoria & Albert museum.

An appreciation of these Persian carpets is not confined to the 70s rockers. Reza Cheshmehdoost of Little-Persia believes the age-gap has been bridged by these Eastern treasures: “We had Gordon McRory [or ‘Mince’ from The Fratellis] walk in, had a quick look around and pick two beautiful rugs from our wall display – one for himself and one for lead vocalist John Lawler - it wasn’t until I asked my son that I realised who The Fratellis were.

It’s not the first time we’ve had a celebrity in our gallery. John Michie, or Detective Inspector Robbie Ross [from Scottish police drama Taggart], came in a while back to make use of our rug cleaning service with a rug his wife had bought for £1500. He was delighted to hear that if his wife were to buy the same rug today it would cost well over £5000.” Not a bad return on your money in just five years.

Persian rugs are unique works of art and the most practical form of flooring lasting for generations while maintaining and often increasing in value.

Throughout the UK thousands are enjoying their homes furnished with rugs sourced from Little-Persia. If you are looking to add a touch of luxury and style to your home then you’ll adore the magical experience, the beauty and elegance, of the handmade Persian carpet at Little-Persia.

With over 1200 rugs in stock Reza is certain he has something to suit most tastes: “We’ve strived in recent years to build Scotland’s largest collection of Persian rugs, now that we’ve achieved this aim I hope more can enjoy these beautiful artefacts in their own homes.”

Are your investments tied up in knots?

A magnificent carpet from central Persia, knotted around 1600, went under the hammer at Christie's Auction House, New York City, on the 3rd June. It sold for an astonishing $4,450,500, the highest price ever paid for a carpet at auction.

Estimated to sell at around $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 the 7'7" x 5'7" (2.35x 1.75) carpet with silk foundations exceeded all expectations at auction. Knotted with perfect technique by master weavers some time at the zenith of the Safavid art period during the reign of Shah Abbas (1587-1629), the rug embodies the wonderful charm and imagination for which Persian rugs are world renowned.

Sadly, with the changing lifestyle in Iran (Persia), rug weaving is becoming a dying trade; these rare and beautiful masterpieces will become evermore sought after by collectors and museums alike. Rugs woven in Iran today are becoming more expensive to source year by year to the extent that rugs from Afghanistan, India and China have become more popular with rug traders due to their relative value and affordability. Persian rugs from Iran are still by far the finest and most prestigious handmade rugs in the world.

With the recent uncertainty in the international banking infrastructure and a recession looming over the heads of many, investing in just about anything at present is an uncertain task. However, there are still few ways to keep your money secure in today’s market: gold bullion, safety deposit boxes, and last but certainly not least hand-knotted Persian rugs. With a bit of knowledge and relatively a modest investment one could be making a sound investment whilst enjoying the ever lasting splendor on daily bases.

A fine hand-knotted Persian rug usually takes several years to produce; a large Persian rug of excellent quality today could run into the tens of thousands of pounds. However, if you are willing to take time, you may just find a piece of Eastern treasure at excellent value buried away at your local Persian Rug gallery. Many specialists will have sourced some of their best rugs several years ago when prices was more favorably matched with demand and may be able to offer you some of Iran’s finest exports at a price which won’t have you competing with the world’s top museums.   

Little-Persia is a specialist in Persian and Oriental rugs situated in Glasgow just south of the city centre. Operating for the past 5 years from his Commerce Street gallery Dr. Reza Cheshmehdoost has vast experience in sourcing the best selection of rugs the Persian gulf has to offer; prior to going it alone Reza worked to source rugs for many of the other rug specialists based within the UK.