Blogs

Bob Ford

Bob Ford Sr. an absolute master of carpet installation, passed away on August 6. He was 83.

He was born in 1937. He had a large family with six brothers and four sisters. The family was very poor. The Ford’s home at the time had no running water.

This poverty increased his distaste for waste, but in no way decreased his good nature. 

How Designers Buy Rugs We feel fortunate and grateful that our business continues to thrive in this high tech age. We think that it's because we provide a special service tailored to the interior design community that they can't get from other rug merchants. 

New Condo: Modern Please

The Tampa/Orlando condo markets are booming.

According to Zillow, 651 condos were listed for sale in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties at the beginning of June.

Orlando (Orange County) listings were 520.

With Florida's explosive growth, it's almost certain that virtually all of these will be in the hands of new owners within a year. Many of these new owners will engage interior designers to beautify and organize their new homes.

We are seeing that the design trend is and will be modern.

Hexagons The hexagon-structured honeycomb continues to inspire rug and carpet designers as it has for thousands of years.

Anatolians We've received a new shipment of Anatolian rugs. Stop in and have a look.

Animal Prints - Stars and Top Supporting Roles

Animal prints can get top billing as featured performers.

Or they can support the space as interesting neutrals.

Starring Roles

The hooked zebra rug on Arther Hadley's Manhatten apartment floor is clearly a star performer. As soon as you walk in, the rug grabs your gaze.

Natural Fiber Rugs and Carpets - Updated Guide

(This is an update to our original blog on natural fiber carpets and rugs.)

Carpets and rugs made from seagrass, sisal and jute are referred to as natural fiber carpets and rugs.

They fill important roles in interior design. They are wonderful neutrals. They impart a textural quality to carpeting and rugs that wools and synthetics can't. They translate well into area rugs, stair runners and hallway runners. 

The naturals are relatively inexpensive.

Here is a quick and easy guide to the most popular naturals, their strengths and their weaknesses.

When Your Dog Has an Accident on Your Rug How to deal with pee, poop or vomit when your dog has an accident on your rug. Here's how to take action to avoid stains and hopefully expensive stain-removal.

Remove Red Wine Spills From Your Carpet or Rug From many discussions among ourselves & pro carpet cleaners & at least 1 actual incident, we have arrived at a new best practice for removing wine spills.

Holiday Deadline Pressure? An Alternative to Panic

As we've written before, deliveries are slow and unpredictable.

Our installation calendar is full. Our work room for carpeting is booked solid.

We've made lots of Holiday commitments and we are working hard to follow through with all of them.

That's why we've had to say that any orders that need to be delivered before the Holidays must be submitted by Oct. 31.

7 Pressure Relievers

As you know, our showrooms in Tampa and Orlando stock one of the largest collections of hand-knotted area rugs in Florida. These rugs are ready for delivery.