Rugs and carpets can change the entire feel of a home. Yet choosing the right style, a colour to work with your décor and the ideal size to fit a room can all have their challenges. From contemporary rugs to Eastern carpets, these readers tell us who they turned to for invaluable advice on transforming their living spaces.
Claire and Brett Jones, South African
We had been living in our house for a while but some of the rooms were lacking something. I decided we needed some rugs or carpet to create warmth and define certain areas. I was looking for a Nguni hide to add a touch of home but was struggling to find just what I wanted. Then I stumbled upon an article in Expat Living for The Cinnamon Room, with images of some unique hide rugs.
Visha, was so helpful. She asked lots of questions to get a better understanding of what I wanted – even when I wasn’t completely clear myself. She looked at photos of our rooms and gave her honest opinion, especially in ensuring my selection would be easy to take with us in the future. She went out of her way by loaning us a number of rugs so I could see how they looked. When I was undecided, she was happy to come and help with placing and suggesting sizes. I ended up buying two metallic hide rugs for our bedroom, which helped break up the large space into two, as well as a monochrome rug that Visha suggested we place in the lounge – and which pulled the room together beautifully. I now have another two rugs on order!
Service plays a huge part in a buying experience, or it can be a costly exercise. Visha at The Cinnamon Room understands this and has a great eye. She offers some great ideas, especially if you’re undecided.
The Cinnamon Room
43 Jln Merah Saga
9727 3051 | thecinnamonroom.com
Scott, Sarann and Amelia Johnson, American
When we moved to Singapore a year ago, we decorated our house in a bit of a rush. Now we’ve settled in and know we’ll be here longer-term, we wanted to spend a bit more time making our home more comfortable so we went on the look for rugs and carpets.
When we visited Lotto Carpets Gallery, we found Noman extremely patient – he made us feel like he wanted to help us find the right rug rather than just making a fast sale. He helped us articulate the style we were looking for and guided us to the right one. In the process, he gave us tons of wonderful details about the history and significance of the rugs we looked at.
We loved the beautiful variety of the store’s one-of-a-kind rugs and carpets from all over the world. Each rug is beautifully crafted and comes with its own unique history of where, when and how it was produced. We could have sat in the shop all day listening to them speak about rugs! You can also tell there is genuine love and passion about what the team do and the service they provide. We’ve now purchased a few rugs from Lotto; the latest was an amazing Kazak rug from the early 1900s. It has really striking and distinctive rich blue shades and we’re beyond happy with it.
Lotto Carpets
Blk 26 #01-04, Dempsey Road
6476 8784 | lottocarpets.com
Jeanette Chia, Singaporean
We actually weren’t looking for a rug when we found Hedger’s Carpet Gallery after breakfast at Dempsey one day. Nothing prepared me for that heart-stopping moment when I saw a beautiful Persian carpet hanging on a wall. It has pretty blue and turquoise flowers with pink blushes on a cream base. There’s a divinely Peranakan feel about it, and it became our first purchase at Hedger’s.
We found Peter, the owner, to be extremely passionate about his carpets; he has a real respect for the craft and its creators. The stories he regaled us with of his buying trips, encounters with the carpet weavers and his rich knowledge of the handicraft made it a wonderfully memorable experience. Since then, we’ve gone on to buy three more carpets from him. He was even gracious enough to exchange a carpet because when we got home we realised it wasn’t quite right. The carpet was taken back with no questions asked, and Hedger’s launched a search based on our new specifications. It took no time at all before a carpet was brought into Singapore for us, and it now sits proudly in our living room. It’s the centre of every conversation we have with visitors!
The last carpet we purchased was another Persian – this one an exquisite Tree of Life from Esfahan, trimmed with brick-red coloured sides and adorned with deer and birds of paradise. Our relationship and trust in Peter and the team is irreplaceable; I would recommend Hedger’s in a heartbeat.
Hedgers Carpet Gallery
13 Dempsey Road #01-02
6462 0028 | hedgerscarpetgallery.com.sg
Selina Sinclair and son Ethan, Australian, Lomelyn Bulosan, Filipino.
I wanted to buy a rug to transform my new house into a home. It needed to be cool, comfortable and suitable for my son to play on, in a colour that would brighten the room.
After researching the different rug shops in Singapore, the amazing range of fabric and colours inspired me to go into the Living DNA showroom. I was amazed by how many rugs they had, and Nadia gave such great advice about the options that would suit my space. She really went above and beyond to make sure I made a stylish and practical choice.
With so many beautiful rugs to choose from, it wasn’t an easy task. In the end, with Nadia’s guidance, I went with a Chinoiserie Viscose Rug because of its stunning design and soft finish.
In the days after my purchase, Nadia messaged to check if I was happy and has continued to give me great advice on how to maintain the rug properly. She really was amazing and I wouldn’t go anywhere else for any future purchases, as it’s so rare to find someone who provides this type of personal service. I’m extremely happy with my rug and everyone who visits my condo wants to know where I got it!
Living DNA
#01-10B Furniture Gallery, Space@Tampines,
18 Tampines Industrial Crescent
8511 3584 | livingdna.sg
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This article first appeared in the December 2018 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!
