Layout quality
At Layout, to give customers peace of mind before they buy a rug, the rugs we receive are carefully maintained by artisans from the local area.
It starts with making sure that the craftsmen who work at Layout understand Layout's commitment.
This is Layout's particular "feelings for rugs," which are a little different from the common sense in the local area, and manager Kazem continues to persistently convey this to the veteran craftsmen.
When Hirai visited in June 2023, he explained the final inspection method for rugs that is carried out in Japan and presented them with Kai tweezers.
"Taking care of your rugs in ways that customers can't see is the very definition of caring for your customers."
At Layout, we work with our artisans to improve every day in order to deliver "proper rugs."
■ Finishing duties
The condition of the rugs received from various purchasing sources is checked, and any areas that may be damaged during cleaning are repaired before they are sent to the cleaning factory.
Once the cleaning is complete and the rugs are returned to the workshop, we check that they have been washed properly, and then we finish the drege (fringe) and shiraze (edge) and do a final check of the entire rug.
■Mansour (41) Finishing manager. Father of two children.
A native of Hanbas village, Meshkin town, Ardabil province, he is the leader who has had the longest relationship with Layout.
He was taught by an uncle and started on this path at the age of 16.
I'm good at finishing and checking products, and I especially love doing shiraze (edges).
He is a dependable presence who will do even the most detailed work without complaining.
Kazem always says that I'm too serious,
For some reason, he has the nickname "Gorge Meshkin (Meshkin Wolf)." (He is often teased about this.)
■Behrouz (45) Finishing manager. Father of two children .
Born in Teqab, West Azerbaijan Province.
He learned from his older brother and started on this path at the age of 17.
Among the finishing processes, I am good at and love Shiraze!
He is a serious and kind gentleman who makes chai for everyone and cuts up fruit for them.
When he's at work he wears a crisp shirt and slacks, and when he goes home he wears a T-shirt for some reason.
■ Repair work
We check the condition of the rugs and repair any holes by repairing the warp and weft threads and tying the pile.
This job requires knowledge, skill, and above all, experience, as the structure of each rug must be examined and repaired in the same way.
At Layout, we ask our craftsmen to find and repair even small holes and damage that would not normally be repaired on-site, so it is a very time-consuming process.
■Muhammad (48) Repairman, father of two children
Born in Miyane, East Azerbaijan Province.
I started working at a carpet shop called Hajari and learned the techniques, and have been working in this field since I was about 15 years old.
He is a reliable craftsman who is good at all repairs.
He is a serious person and does his work carefully. His choice of colored thread for pile repair is excellent.
He was working at a repair shop in Zolanbari, but on his days off he started helping out with Layout's work.
Because he doesn't smoke and doesn't talk much, Kazem was eager to have him work at Layout, and he agreed to work there.
■Salmar (47) Repairman, father of two children
Born in Parchin village, Germe town
In his hometown village, everyone worked as a rug repairman, so he learned the techniques from those around him and started working in this field at the age of 17.
He is good at repairing piles quickly and easily.
Although she is a serious person at heart, she has a cute, cheerful smile and is a mood maker.
Since my hometown is far away, I am currently working away from home and living in a room on the warehouse grounds.
cleaning
At Layout, we have our rugs cleaned by local dry cleaning factories, but since each factory has its own specialty, we ask different factories to clean our tribal rugs and Gabbehs.
There are a variety of skilled and not so skilled factories in the area, so we took the time to carefully select a factory that offers reliable Layout quality, checking the finished product.
Of course, in the future we hope to achieve our dream of setting up our own dry cleaning factory and creating jobs locally.
Cleaning rugs is very important.
Local carpet makers all say, "They've been washed," which isn't wrong, as rugs are always washed after they're woven, but we don't know when they were actually washed.
Vintage rugs in particular are often not in good condition, even if they have been washed, as they may have been stored in a warehouse for a long time or mixed in with dirty rugs, and although it is difficult to tell by appearance, they are often not in good condition.
Rugs that are not properly cleaned may have dust and other particles that can cause allergies, so care must be taken.