MOTIFS & DESIGN HERITAGE
Pattern & Design
In the era of antique carpets, handicrafts did not use machines — they were full of the enthusiasm, skill, and individuality of the creator, and no two were the same. The antique here refers to things over 100 years old and does not indicate quality. However, it is a fact that the weaving technique in old, antique rugs is more valuable due to the individual touches of the creator. Each motif carries centuries of meaning.
Photo: Kerman carpet pattern, Ararat collectionOriental Patterns
We are constantly researching auction houses around the world for carpet information. New York's Metropolitan, London's Victoria & Albert Museums, other famous art museums, small specialized museums housing private collections, and scholarly books about oriental carpets — all are sources we mine to collect information about historical patterns.
Our oriental patterns faithfully follow historical originals while incorporating our own colour interpretation and material choices. The result is a rug that carries genuine historical DNA while being entirely new — made for contemporary life but rooted in centuries of tradition.
Photo: Modern rug pattern, Ararat StudiosModern Patterns
Following in the footsteps of William Morris, we have designed carpets according to his colour tones and inspired his patterns with our own taste. We want to adopt Rothko's understanding of colour and carry out our new work in this direction. Modern designs do not always remain modern — the modern designs of today become the classics of tomorrow.
Our modern rugs are not imitations of past styles but genuine new work that uses the same natural materials and hand-weaving techniques. The difference is in the design vocabulary — less historical constraint, more personal expression, but never at the expense of material quality or weaving integrity.
Photo: Rug design drawing, Ararat StudiosDesign Studio
Our goal is not to create so-called replicas or copies. The characteristics — pattern, colour tone, material, weave — are unique to Ararat, and we are proud of creating work that is authentically our own. While reinterpreting historical sources, we choose our own authentic colours and patterns while staying true to the spirit of the original.
Every design begins as a technical drawing — a point paper grid where each square represents one knot. A rug of standard size may contain millions of individual knots, each placed by hand following this design. The translation from drawing to woven surface is itself a creative act, shaped by the weaver's judgment and skill.
Photo: Mamluk carpet design study, Ararat StudiosOur Design Approach
There are different variants of the same pattern that have been produced for about a hundred years since a design was first created — Lotto Carpets, for example, or 15th-century Mamluk carpets, show designs made up of different combinations of similar patterns produced across generations. In our work, we are part of this ongoing tradition rather than observers of it.
We study historical pieces not to reproduce them but to understand the decisions the original weavers made — why this border, why this colour sequence, why this knotting density. Understanding those decisions allows us to make our own, informed choices. The result is work that is historically literate without being historically dependent.