Nazar Rug Galleries is a little jewel tucked away on Glenmore Road in Sydney's Paddington. The rugs hanging in the window are only a taste of what's on offer inside, where the walls and floor are covered in beautiful hand-made carpets and kelims.  We have a gorgeous selection in our feature, and we talked to James to find out more about them.

Photographer: Denise Braki

James, tell us about your family's history with rugs?
My father George's family originated in Persia (Iran) where his father and grandfather were rug dealers. I grew up in Sydney learning the ropes from my father, who opened Nazar Rug Galleries here over 30 years ago. He and I have travelled all over the world sourcing premium quality rugs for our store. I know the story behind all my carpets, so I can spend time with my clients finding something perfect for their space.

Do you see any trends in rug styles and colours?
There are definitely trends in colours and patterns which flow through to modern rugs, but traditional rugs have been made the same way for centuries. I find the soft vegetable dyed colours are always popular here because they fit easily into the relaxed Australian lifestyle.  Personally, I absolutely love the traditional Persian carpets – they are works of art and should last a lifetime.

What can you tell us about the rugs in this feature?
I've chosen a selection of flatweave rugs, mostly from Turkey and Afghanistan where carpets have been made for centuries. Both kilims and sumacs are woven in such a way that they end up flat, without a pile like a traditional carpet. Sumacs also have embroidery over the top of the woven part. Traditionally these rugs were woven by nomadic tribes for their own use – being lighter than traditional carpets they were easy to travel with and they usually feature designs specific to the tribe or the local area. They're a great way to start a rug collection as they are very reasonably priced and they're very easy to live with – they are a little bit more casual than pile carpets and easy to move around.

Do you have any tips about choosing the right sized rug for a space?
I suggest marking out the size of the rug on the floor with masking tape or using a bed sheet or pieces of newspaper to create something the same size as the rug. It really helps if you can visualise the size of the rug on the floor in your home.

Think about rugs as defining spaces. For example, if you have an open plan living area with a sofa and a couple of chairs, use a rug in that area to define it as a sitting area. If you're planning to use a rug under a table, make sure it is large enough that the chairs will be completely on the rug even when they are pulled out from the table when people are sitting on them. If you're using a rug in a small room, make sure you leave enough room between the rug and the wall all the way round.

Victoria