Expert Advice: Q & A with Ben Soleimani, the Rug King - Remodelista
At a recent editorial meeting, we started discussing rugs, and it soon became apparent we were in need of enlightenment. The fourth-generation rug dealer and designer, who was born in Iran, raised in Britain, and now makes LA his home, presides over the largest (and finest) collection of antique rugs and tapestries in the world (the company is also purveyor to the British royal family). The polo playing, jet setting Ben Soleimani is most passionate about creating the best rugs in the market. It’s harder to use natural materials, but we use a lot of green fibers and have been working with hemp for 15 years now. The process for me is all about the handmade and the natural. A rug from the Textura Plaited Wool collection by Ben Soleimani for Restoration Hardware. RM: What sort of rug would you recommend for a small space?BS: Covering a small space depends on so much, everything form the windows and light, how open the space is, to what the floor is made of. A rug from Mansour in the living room in tin a North Carolina home by architect Russell Groves shown in Architectural Digest. RM: Furniture on or off the rug?BS: I like to have the furniture on the rugs. Sloane (L) by Ben Soleimani in Greige and in Navy (R) for Mansour Modern. A thin rubber pad should have holes in it to breathe, otherwise it can destroy the floor. The Dara Rug in cream by Ben Soleimani for Restoration Hardware. I make my rugs with an old mentality. An antique Scandinavian early 20th century rug from Mansour. RM: Dream rug?BS: I love Swedish carpets from the mid-1920s, especially from designer Marta Maas-Fjetterstom.