A Passion for Perfection: Nazmiyal

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Decorati interviewed Jason Nazmiyal and Omri Schwartz to get the inside scoop about Decorati Partner Nazmiyal.

Please tell us a little bit about Nazmiyal.

My business arose from my personal passion for color and design. Among the various artistic media, rugs seem to me to focus most effectively on the convergence of color, texture and design in perfect balance and harmony.
This is why I love rugs, and my business grew from this passion. My business also grew from a great deal of hard work - buying and selling, beginning first with new rugs and then working back into antique pieces. Over time I labored to acquire better and better pieces, constantly upgrading my collection with rugs that were higher in quality and rarer or more unusual.
My business also grew with the help of good interior designers, collectors, other dealers and auction houses who I have been supplying and with whom I have developed an outstanding relationship over the past thirty years. This collaboration has enabled us to expand the range of our collection and client base so that now we are able to work with customers across the world.

What methods do you use to source your vast collection of antique rugs? How do you ensure the quality of your antique rugs?

Over the years I have been able to establish a network of contacts across the world with dealers who are very familiar with my taste and requirements.
After so many years of doing business with them and searching for unique antique rugs - now these rugs simply find me. I stay aware of major sales or auctions, and I am actively engaged in overseas buying trips, but to a great extent dealers come to me with pieces that are comparable to those in my collection.

I buy rugs with my heart and I have to love them.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your modern rugs?

My inspiration for rugs comes most immediately from market trends. I follow the market closely and track the new directions in design and color that constantly emerge. I work with designers, collectors and dealers of the highest rank, and in having to meet their needs and requirements, I am constantly made aware of how the market is developing. Still, trends are not the be all and end all. I also have a taste for what is classic- the kinds of piece that never really go out of style or which always seem to come back in style after a time. In this context, a good collection becomes a kind of base that lets you roll with trends and even to anticipate them.

Photograph by Philip La Bossiere

I specialize in decorative antique rugs as well as collectible pieces. I love rugs from different periods and my taste is so diversified. This is why our collection is so comprehensive and includes rugs from early classical pieces to decorative khotans and sultanabads as well as collectible nomadic rugs, up to the carpets of the Art Deco period.

My bottom line requirement is to supply pieces of exceptional quality, rarity, and striking presence.

Deco, 1920’s and 1930’s

Déco carpets have a kind of cutting edge modern quality that is very suitable to contemporary décor, while still possessing a timeless sense of antique and classic quality. The Art Deco style takes inspiration from the great 20th century abstract painters, but adapts the abstraction to a warmer more decorative sensibility that really lets the color carry the effect.

Bakshaish

Bakshaish carpets really stand apart within the genre of room-size decorative rugs. They take much of their inspiration from nomadic rug weaving. They have a powerful abstraction and exciting spontaneity mixed with a great sense of color. They lend themselves well to a wide range of interior design styles from traditional to modern.

Khotan and Sultanabads

While different and distinctive, I see both these types as achieving a similar goal. They come from classical Oriental rug traditions, but they have a freer more flexible approach to design that makes them excellent decorative rugs. While not as bold or animated as Bakshaishes, they have some of that excitement while still retaining more of the formality of classic Persian and Chinese pieces. It is a difficult balance that they maintain, but this is what makes them so great.

Early Classical Pieces

Early Classical Rugs and Carpets are extremely rare and costly, but they have an exotic, timeless quality that sets them apart, even from other antique pieces. They represent the taste of another time and have a certain profound authenticity that appeals especially to collectors. I find that some of them are great decorative pieces for those that appreciate their special qualities.

How do you help clients choose a rug?

We strive to make sure that the client is our primary consideration. However important the rug may be, the customer always comes first. It is our job to find out what our customers need and to see that those needs are met to the highest professional standards. They usually come to us with some idea of the look, size colors and price range they are looking for and it is our job to listen and learn what they truly love and find that special piece for them. Naturally we find that many times what they come in looking for is not what they end up getting and that is not a bad thing at all. In achieving this goal we assure that the greatest attention is paid to the smallest detail. Nothing makes us happier than seeing our clients find the rug that is right for them.

We know our inventory, and we pride ourselves on linking it up with the tastes of the client or the designer.

What advice would you provide to a designer looking for an antique rug?

Designers ask the same kinds of questions - age, origin, value. We strive to help designers find the best rug for their project. Naturally it is important to fit the budget but the colors and design are the main requirements. Designers also want to know the quality of a dealers is up to their standards and needs that is the reason we have the most educated personal to assist them every step of the way.

What are your predictions for 2009 rug design trends?

My prediction for 2009 is trend toward more colors (I knew that color would be back one day). Rugs with muted palettes are great in certain settings, but more varied palettes with richer, more striking color will come to provide an increasingly popular alternative.

What plans do you have for the future of Nazmiyal?

My plans for Nazmiyal are focused on cultivating long term relationships with a cadre of outstanding designers. We acquire designers one at a time, getting to know their taste and their clientele, working hard to meeting their needs, and acquainting them with our resources. Our goal is to get designers attention with our striking and unusual rugs.

Also, we have been focused on developing our website. Our comprehensive inventory is displayed on our site which is extremely user-friendly. Our customers continually mention how it makes the search process so simple and enjoyable. We have high quality images and informative descriptions which our clients and designers find useful for their projects and presentations. It is also an education-oriented website. There is a great deal of useful information, no matter your needs or level of knowledge.