In design, Persian carpets are one of the most recognizable—and desirable—antiquities. With wool or silk layers in deep shades of orange and crimson handwoven into medallion motifs, it’s hard to miss the distinction of a centuries-old Iranian rug. That unmistakable beauty is what initially seduced Nader Nasiri, founder of Nasiri Carpets, to study, and eventually sell, antique Persian rugs—which he restored back to their glory—at the local bazaar in his native Tehran. “I’m instantly attracted to collectible pieces,” he explains. “But many times when you acquire antiques, they come with some level of damage that you need to refurbish.”
In 2000, Nasiri arrived in the United States and saw that carpet companies were crafting reproductions of the famous rugs he was selling. A light bulb went off in his mind and eventually sparked the inception of his own brand of carpets. “At the bazaar in Tehran, people would complain that the rug wasn’t big enough, or that the color wasn’t quite right,” he says. “You can’t make adjustments to an antique carpet, but I realized I could authentically make the same style of rug through old-world techniques with modern customizations.”
Drawing inspiration from the 100-year-old marvels he restored from iconic brands Ziegler and Tabriz, Nasiri set out to develop improved versions that fit contemporary decor. Through connections at the market, he tracked down the next generation of the Mazandaran tribe, the same group who crafted the original 20th-century rugs in an isolated region south of the Caspian Sea, employing them to utilize their ancestors' hand-spun practices and vegetable-dyeing processes to his re-creations. It can take up to six months to weave a single unit.
“The result is an unbelievably sophisticated design,” he says of his carpets. “Back in the day, the women would have competitions and try to outdo one another with their motifs. They devoted their lives to the art of craftsmanship.”
