The best part of Kush Rugs!

We travel the world to make certain that our rugs are coming from trusted sources, to find the best the weaving world has to offer, and because we love to travel! Here are some photos from our journeys.

Every time we travel to source rugs, I am struck anew by the massive amount of work that goes in to every piece. Countless hours are spent spinning wool, sorting natural colors, tying knots, washing, clipping and finishing. The many hands that collectively create these great expressions of art and culture belong to people of wonderful character. It is a privilege to visit their homes and workplaces.

The most essential tool of travel, Turkish coffee.

Rebecca sorting through a mountain of kilms to bring the most interesting back to Portland.

Repairing a large whole in vintage kilm.

Brian in front of the beautiful Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque.

A funny sign in front of our hotel. The service was of course stellar.

Brian pretending he doesn't have jet lag. Good thing there is a nice stack of rugs to lean on.

This rooftop restaurant had delicious lentil soup. Everyone makes lentil soup a bit different. We almost always have a bowl at every restaurant just to try the different recipes.

The a fore mentioned lentil soup. Pure magic in a cup.

A gorgeous sunset in Istanbul.

Colorful wall art in India.

Rebecca observing rug washing with wooden paddles in India. Brian got his start in the rug business hand washing rugs with Randy Hyde of Renaissance Rug Cleaning in Portland.

A stunning mountain skyline in Nepal.

Nepal.

A plain rickshaw in a rural village.

Brightly colored rickshaw in the city.

Large skeins of spun rug wool, waiting to be dyed.

Rebecca collaborating with our suppliers to come up with new ideas.

Dyed wool waiting to be made into a rug!

Speedy motorcycle delivery of dyed wool to the weavers.

Not all of our buying trips are to exotic, far off destinations. Here's Brian and Rebecca in Los  Angeles sourcing rugs from small, family owned whole sellers who have warehouses on the west coast.

Room size rugs are woven in teams. Usually there is a weaver for about every three feet of loom space. The graph paper above the weavers illustrates the design.

Piles and piles of dyed rug wool in Nepal.

Poles for drying rugs in the Nepalese sun.

Blocking, or stretching a rug helps the piece lay flat and evens out the edges.

Hand carving and clipping rugs in Nepal. Even after a rug in woven there is still a lot of work that goes into finishing the piece.

Beautiful temple in Nepal.

Beauty parlor ad in Katmandu.

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