Floor art

Source : Business Times – 14 Nov 2009

Customise your own, or indulge in tradition

Fine homes in Singapore have long boasted of customised features – from plush furnishing to elaborate fittings. And then there’s commissioned art work, especially if the homeowner is an art collector. What’s less known – and practised – is the art of customising and designing one’s own carpets.

That service and facility is now available at The Orientalist Singapore (Woven Art) which launched its interior designer’s corner last year to encourage customisation.

The ability to design carpets and have them made in high quality, handknotted versions, puts Singapore right up there on the global carpet map and makes sure that it’s ahead of the Asian market, besides keeping in step with the European market, says Amin Bagheri, director of The Orientalist and president of the Handknotted Carpet Association in Singapore.

The company welcomes interior designers and graphic artists to design contemporary carpets – as it has inhouse designers advising on colour, material, texture and carpet ‘carving’ to create a 3D look.

‘We went on this track even though our roots are in traditional Oriental carpets. But if you look at the fine carpet industry, it’s not been following or keeping up with fashion all this while. It’s not keeping up with modern furniture, or even colours,’ says Mr Bagheri, whose interest and experience in carpets makes him an ideal candidate to take carpet design to a modern level.

Contemporary carpets are usually machine-made (think shaggy), he points out. So what The Orientalist is doing is to tap its extensive traditional carpet network to create handknotted carpets with modern designs. ‘We plan to position the carpet as an art piece – and art doesn’t have to be hung; it can be on the floor also.’

So far, Mr Bagheri has commissioned a fine art artist to come up with two designs, and the company is working on a Middle East project now as well as on a carpet project with a ski lodge in Canada. ‘We’re also working on a design for a baby’s room – with a pop artist!’

The key to retaining their exclusivity is to have limited editions – there are no more than three pieces made of the same design. The price is usually about 20-30 per cent higher than a readymade carpet, and one takes about 4-6 months for completion as the design is not complicated and there are generally fewer colours used.

‘But what we don’t do is to customise traditional designs – because it’ll take too long. Plus, the interesting bit is in designing your own carpet,’ he says.

The Orientalist also carries renowned international carpet designers such as Haynes Robinson, Jan Kath and Mischioff at its 6,000 sq ft showroom on Cuscaden Road.

The case for tradition

Don’t chuck out that 100-year-old carpet yet, however, as the mainstay of the fine carpet industry is still handwoven carpets with traditional designs, says Sulaiman Hamid, MD of Hassan’s Carpets.

‘Classical carpets have hundreds of years of history behind them – so they have a proven lifespan,’ he says.

While contemporary carpets with their abstract designs and splashes of colour are the current fashion – usually among young couples – it is a more niche market. Classical carpet designs have also kept up with furnishing trends primarily in the colours used, highlights Mr Sulaiman. ‘The colours these days are softer shades and pastels to suit modern furniture, such as the zen look.’

He does carry contemporary carpets, of course, in line with the evolving nature of art and consumer tastes. However, the classical carpet market is still strong in Singapore, given the increasing number of collectors of antique and silk carpets as well, says Mr Sulaiman.

‘The number of investors have grown in the past few years, owing to affluence, and also a better knowledge of carpets. At the same time, antique carpets are also more rare, and their value has been increasing.’

Collectible carpets include tribal, village, and city carpets – all of which have different styles. ‘Tribal carpets tend to be more stylised, angular and these tend to be made by nomadic people. Over the years, they’ve settled down now and have gotten more urbanised, so the real tribal rug is surely but slowly disappearing. Those made today might have similar designs, but are made in workshops, so they have a different aura as opposed to rugs tribes made for themselves,’ he points out.

This is one of the reasons older rugs are gaining more value. A good piece which sold for some $800 to $900 10 years ago, won’t be less than $4,000 to $5,000 these days. ‘So prices have gone up considerably. Some are even higher. It depends on rarity,’ he says.

As he puts it, village and city carpets also used to be made with passion, according to the whims of the artists, but carpets today are made for market needs, and have become more commercial. ‘Older pieces have their own aura and artistry,’ points out Mr Sulaiman.

‘The serious collector and discerning buyer wants pieces with provenance as well, and even who made it has become important to the buyer.’

Words can’t express the beauty of some of these carpets, he adds – which is why when it comes to carpet selection, it’s best to take your time to ponder on their patterns, and feel their plush softness under your feet.