INTERIOR + CARPETS
►Is Kirkit Rugs family business ? How did you start ?
- No , it is not a family business . But my father and grandfather were weavers from Cappadocia in Central Anatolia and I have always been connected with the carpet world . Kirkit Rugs was founded with just a few rugs , when I was very young . But since then , the company has expanded .
►Why did you choose the name Kirkit ? What does it mean ?
- Kirkit is a metal or wooden comb used to tighten weft yarns . As a child , the sound of my mother and grandmother ' s kirkit woke me ; it created the rhythm of my childhood . It was an obvious choice
►When did you start producing carpets ?
- We have been producing kilims and carpets since the late 1980s . At first we produced kilims , but then we took an essential step forward and over the last fifteen years we have been producing knotted carpets .
►Kirkit offers a variety of vintage kilims , which are collected in the remotest corners of the Balkans , Middle East and Central Asia and restored by your team . What are the criteria for carpets ? How is the restoration process organised ?
- In our opinion , old kilims are the last witnesses of traditions inherited from shamans . Kilims and carpets are chosen for their colour combination , quality of weaving , uniqueness and originality . Some of them are damaged and needed to be restored . Our team uses old original yarns from kilims that cannot be restored . We restore what can be restored and recycle what cannot be saved . Thanks to this old yarn and talented craftsmen , this process is successful .
►Another direction of your company is contemporary collections . Your collections Moon and Galaxy were a success at the last Domotex exhibition ...
- Our developing areas are the production of ecofriendly carpets and fair trade . Over the last few
years , in collaboration with designers Florence Burel and Mohammed Türk , we have used fabrics that are not popular , such as felt , hemp , rags , goat hair , cotton and angora wool . They are used to create a new line of rugs which shows ancient skills and creativity , and at the forefront of contemporary decor . The themes are often minimalistic and original and differ from the global market . This is why our collections are loved by many decorators . We are also interested in bespoke rugs , which are produced according to our customers ’ own designs .
►What are the current trends in carpet design ?
- You can meet everything in design : simple , natural colours , rough materials and imprecise shapes in monochrome grey , khaki , beige or terracotta to natural materials . But at the same time , there are also psyche-delic colours from the 70s .
►Our issue is dedicated to Ottoman and Turkish rugs . Do you have them in your collections ? Are they in demand ? Which carpets are more popular , antique or contemporary ?
- Today , only collectors are interested in antique carpets . We have beautiful XIX-XX century antique kilims from Malatya , Afyon , Aydin , Konya , Obruk , etc . We also have carpets from Iran , Azerbaijan and other Central Asian countries . We also have a wonderful collection of carpets from Cappadocia .
These days , however , designers and decorators are fond of contemporary carpets .
►Has the pandemic changed your company ’ s work ? What difficulties did you face and how did you overcome them ?
- Obviously , we had difficulties like everyone . Unfortunately , in our country , the state support was not significant . It was important for us to save our team and they would not lose their income . It was difficult not to participate in international exhibitions , where we traditionally meet new clients . But we regularly received orders from our loyal customers , despite the pandemic .
DECEMBER ’ 21 C A R P E T 73