Azar Gallery makes fine rugs an art

Azar Gallery Fine Rugs doesn't just sell rugs. It sells floor décor with a history and a story to tell. The showroom, in Estero's International Design Center, offers the following rugs with stories to tell:

The 9-by-12-foot Persian Lavar Kerman was hand-knotted at the turn of the century in Iran. One of the finest of its category, it distinguishes itself from the center medallion design Royal Kerman by its all-over design and finer, tighter knots per square inch at 550 knots per square inch. It retails at $25,000, but is now being offered at $12,000 for the IDC Sample Sale.

Nain, a Persian silk and wool creation of 7-by-10 feet, is a genuine, signed Habibian piece. A signed Habibian is noteworthy in that it was woven and authenticated by the Habibian family, who originated and mastered the Nain rug. Woven at 600 knots per square inch in Iran, it is an extremely collectible piece retailing at $35,000, but now being offered for $17,000 for the IDC Sample Sale.

A fine 400 knots per square inch Persian silk and wool Nain, at 17-by-29 feet in size, is what is referred to as a "palace-size" rug. It was commissioned for a Port Royal family in 1998, but because of its huge size and detail, it took four years to weave. By then, however, they had chosen another piece. This unique rug is now available only at the IDC Sample Sale, not at its actual retail value of $150,000, but for $35,000.

The antique all-wool Chinese Peking rug was hand-knotted in the 1950s. Its retail price is $25,000, but is being offered at the IDC Sample Sale for $9,000.

The IDC is located on Corkscrew Road in Estero. For more information on Azar, call (239) 948-0061.