I just came across this great article from San Francisco’s de Young Museum regarding indigo dyeing.

Indigo is a fascinating color. Did you know that when you dye wool with indigo it comes out of the dye bath looking yellow? Yes! It is when the dye reacts with the oxygen in the air that the wool turns blue.

Anyway, thank you de Young Museum for showing the spectacular Anatolian kilims and thank you for this fascinating article.

When I started Nomad Rugs in 1995 I was on a shoe string budget! I did not have enough money to rent a storage space so I packed all my rugs into the back of the garage of my 24th St flat.(first picture below)

Then, on the weekends, I would often set up “shop” on various street corners around San Francisco and Marin. Often I would roll out a bunch of rugs on the sidewalk in front of my place on 24th and Guerrero Streets. But one of my favorite, and more lucrative, spots was the corner of Stanyan and Alma streets in Cole Valley (second picture below). My pals, Daniel and Steven, lived here. The folks in the neighborhood got to know me pretty well over time.

One of my best pop-up boutique locations ever was in the front yard of Sandy’s house in Bolinas, CA (Thank you Sandy!). The week before my sale, Sandy stuck up some fliers in Bolinas to spread the word. Well… I nearly sold out! The cool people of Bolinas loved my rugs! What fun!

I still have clients that visit me at my current shop who originally purchased rugs from one of my various “Sidewalk Shop” locations. Nomad Rugs was the original “pop-up” store.

Although I can’t say I miss those days, I sure can look back with fond nostalgia. Thanks for reading, Chris

I have always been a big fan of Seljuk rugs, the Anatolian rugs from 11th to the 13th century.

The first time I saw these carpets was when I visited Turkey in 1995. Since then, I always return to visit these rugs whenever I am in Turkey on buying trips.

Here is a picture I took of one of these historic Seljuk carpets.

Recently, I put together an impressive shipment of stunning Afghan rugs woven with all natural dyes. These rugs arrived last week. Amongst this shipment was this new Seljuk rug (pictured below). It captures the spirit of the classic Seljuk designs with an updated color palate. And the weaving in this piece is fine and uniform. And there is something about the color combinations that just perfect. This rug sings like a Siren! I have lashed myself to the columns in the shop to keep myself from bringing this rug home with me….. well…. I may be exaggerating a little bit….. but I really like this rug! Stop by to take a look. (or click on the picture for more info about this rug) Thanks, Chris

The New York Met has an unbeatable rug collection full of fabulous historic carpets.

On of my favorites is this unbelievable beautiful and intricate Mughal carpet from 16th century.

Well, this historic carpet was the inspiration for this new rug woven in Afghanistan with all natural dyes. Thanks for looking! Chris

Just thought I would share this fun shot.

This rug was a little too long to fit on top of our 8′x10′. So, to get the shot, I propped up one end of the rug but lying underneath.

Hee hee. Thanks for looking. Chris

We recently acquired a very exciting vintage Kyrghyz felt carpet. These striking rugs are made by sewing together felted panels in the bold and emblematic designs that have been traditionally used by the Kyrghyz people for generations. We rarely come across these unique textiles so I was excited to share this striking find with you. Thanks for looking! Chris

I am proud-as-punch to announce that our website now boasts over one thousands items! All of these rugs are currently in stock and in the store and ready for immediate delivery. This is the first time that our online inventory has reached one thousand items! ….

Not bad for a guy that started in 1995 with ten kilims stuffed into his backpack after a life changing trip to Turkey. Thanks for all the support!

We are excited to share our unique Kaitag Collection rugs.

These wonderful rugs draw their inspiration from embroidered Kaitag textiles. These are not traditional rug designs but textile designs that have been repurposed and redrawn to make these extraordinary rugs.

Kaitag textiles originate from the Kaitag district of Daghestan. The abstract designs found in Kaitag embroideries translates beautifully into rugs. These rugs look modern and tribal and colorful and exciting!