RESTORATION
Restoration is a highly skilled craft which can only be acquired through years of experience and sacrifices: it is the most important process, and definitely the most complicated one, when it comes to returning a rug to its original splendour and purpose.
This is why it must be carried out with the utmost professional skill and ability.
All restoration work is naturally specific to the characteristics of each particular textile, which depend on the material in question, and the desired result.
Firstly we analyse the piece to assess its overall state of repair, establish the period in question and its INTRINSIC value. According to this assessment we then decide what to do, naturally following the client’s needs and preferences.
There are two different approaches to restoration: full restoration or conservative restoration. Full restoration is used to recreate the rug’s aesthetic continuity and structure, and consists in repairing the weft, and also the warp, where actual holes have formed, in order to reconstruct the decorative motifs of that particular rug. This technique requires great manual skill to control the re-weaving process, as well as a highly developed critical eye when it comes to recreating colour and designs to reconstruct missing p
eces. At this delicate stage it is also necessary to dye the yarn used for the reconstruction in order to obtain shades which are as near as possible to the original hues, and our workshop is also fully equipped for this process.
Where the condition of the piece is such that it is not possible, or advisable to adopt the full restoration approach, we use the conservative method, which entails preventing any damage from getting worse, working on holes using supporting materials, but without reconstructing the weft or the warp. This type of work is however important when it comes to using and preserving the piece.
As well as the more complex processes described, our workshop also carries out all ordinary maintenance needed for the care and conservation of rugs: securing fringe ends, reconstructing or repairing edge bindings, repairing cuts, etc.