Tuesday, May 29, 2012

An Heirloom and some History

Hello there! I cannot believe that it is almost June. The year seems to be flying by! I am looking forward to next month as it's going to be a busy, but fun time for me! My parents will be visiting from India and I am counting the days :-) My Dream Canvas will get a makeover both in design and content. The content will not change dramatically, but I plan to make a few changes which I hope you'll like! I hope to share the summer collection for my Shop by the end of June as well..............yay :-)! As you can see there will be lots happening!!! I hope you'll join me this June for all the fun!!


Flowers are a big part of my home. So here is a little picture to brighten your day.



Now for some exciting stuff. A couple of years ago I discovered this rug in my parents home. It belonged to my Great Grandfather. Apparently he had quite a few of these around his house. The rug is pretty worn out as it is very old, but I fell in love with it instantly and was curious to know more. 

For the past few years there has been a clamor in the design world for Uzbek, Kyrgyz,Turkish and many such antique textiles. This rug reminded me of the patterns I had seen from that part of the world. So I began to dig deeper.  I am happy to say I found some answers.

My mom did tell me that the rug must have been bought in the 1920's or so. I also confirmed its origins with an expert in Turkey who dates it to the early 20th century.  This whetted my appetite since the time frames matched. Further research revealed that this rug comes from Central Asia, possibly from Kyrgyztan. Rugs of this type are called Shyrdak rugs. They were made  traditionally by women for the simple purpose of providing clothing and shelter for the nomadic tribes and to keep them warm in the winter. Today these rugs are in great demand. A rug that dates back in excess of fifty years has a lot of appeal to collectors and is considered a sound investment.

You can imagine my excitement when I found out all these details. While I am happy to know that such rugs are in great demand and are quite valuable, I am really pleased that I have another heirloom that once belonged to my Great Grandfather! An heirloom that my mom is passing down to me :-)

Here is a shot of the rug. It is not a very clear picture and I promise you better ones once it gets here. I love the color. You can see how old it is and you can see the frayed edges.




I am still debating on how to use the rug in my home. It is too worn out to be used on the floor. Here is one image that inspires me a lot. I am getting a new study this summer and am considering hanging it on the wall. If you all have some suggestions, I would love to hear your thoughts.There are so many ways to hang art and tapestry on your walls these days. Hanging art can get extremely creative and there are so many innovative ideas out there!




Image One and Two : Mine
Image Three : via


Linking up with Tuesday Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia.
Linking up with Wow Us Wednesday's at Savvy Southern Style.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Gorgeous rug...yes put it up. Give the rug a good cloth backing and then hang it from gorgeous vintage curtain rods....love it Anu...it is so you....

Unknown said...

Awesome...I am so jealous!!!
Just be careful while hanging the carpet though. I think you might need to support it from more than one side to ensure it doesn't sag under its own weight.

Unknown said...

Its beautiful! If it is really large, how about making an overhead masterpiece...lower your ceiling a bit, or frame the rug, and hang it so that it "covers your study" and you can lean back and admire it whenever you take a break.

Lakshmi -Celebrations said...

frame it dear...so that it doesn't lose its quality...
when you hang it as shown in the picture,it may tear off due to its weight.should find a place ,for sure..i reallly dont know whether i am right...as your mom..
love laksh

Shalini said...

It's a beautiful piece of history and you should definitely hang it like a tapestry on the wall.

My grandparents bought some lovely rugs....which we still use till date..some silk, some wool ones from Persia, probably bought in the 1930s and 1940s when my all my grandfather's postings were in present day Pakistan!

Janette - The2Seasons said...

I love the rug. It reminds me of tile floors in old churches in Europe.

Jennifer @ Town and Country Living said...

Beautiful Rug with a great story. I'm your newest follower!

Shilpa said...

The plan of makeover is quite intriguing,can't wait to see the new MDC:). Cannot think of any other way of displaying the rug other than framing it and hanging it either in the living or the dining room area as it would be an amazing conversation piece...

Pretty In Paint said...

thanks for stopping by my blog "pretty in Paint".. im now your newest follwer , i loved going through your archives :)
Mindy~

CREATIVE KHADIJA said...

How Nice..Great post as ever dear Anu..! keep sharing :)

AM Zafaran said...

Thank you for visiting my blog! Anu, the flower is pretty and your rug seems quite an heirloom! Your study has a vintage look to it and the rug would do well as an inspiring backdrop.

Unknown said...

Rug looks lovely. I love the colours. I am sure it will look goo in your study.

Shanthi said...

On the wall - is perfect. With a vintage curtain rod as anpu suggested will be kool!!

Reshma at colorcanopy.blogspot.com said...

How lucky! Would look great on the wall!

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