Virtually There - June 2008 |
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Rugs are my nemesis. I’ve flirted with Afghani, Persian and Turkish. I’ve spent hours vacuuming fluff off the aubergine flokati. I’ve corrugated my knees on sisal and I’ve tripped over more nasty hall runners than I care to remember. But no more “it’ll do” for me. From now on I’m chucking fiscal prudence out the window. I’m going up-market.
Christchurch company Dilana is the place to start for a rug so fabulous you may want to hang it, not lay it. Their one-off designs are by New Zealand artists such as Bing Dawe, Gavin Chilcott, Ralph Hotere and Dick Frizzell and are fabulous. I am taken with John Lyall’s ‘Homage to Meccano’ but my favourite is ‘Birdland’ by Fane Flaws.
If you want your rug to be more of a roll-on than a look-at model, consider making the statement with texture rather than pattern. Nick Radford Rugs makes smart custom rugs with emphasis on extreme cut, loop and plush piles in beautifully felted pure New Zealand wool.
Carpets and Rugs of New Zealand will likewise bespoke you a woolly floor covering, hand-tufted to the exact structure, colour, shape, size and finish your heart desires. Kirkle Design’s rugs can also be made the way you want: I raved about them only a few months ago but I’m raving again, just so you won’t forget.
The trouble is, even the perfect carpet gets dirty. Muddy shoes, biscuit crumbs, cream-based DayGlo daiquiris, lidless felt-tips and fondue cheese all conspire to destroy your pride and joy. Don’t rely on old wives’ tales about salt and ice – go to the experts at consumer.org.nz and follow the instructions on their A-Z stain-removal guide. Consumer has only failed me once: the infamous incident of the Silly Putty on Grandma’s shag pile.
Luckily Crayola has information for a range of surfaces and judicious application of WD-40, dishwashing liquid and rubbing alcohol saved the day. Infinitely worse than liquor and crayons is cat pee. Consumer recommends a two-stage treatment of ammonia followed by vinegar. Failing that, try nappy soaker. Some smells do linger though and this is when you bring in the heavy guns. Antiickypoo.com, which earns a prize for the best product name ever, guarantees to remove even skunk odour – but I suspect they probably won’t ship to New Zealand.
Odarid does ship and can tackle both old and new pee smells. But, Odarid or not, at some point, that well-worn carpet will have to go. Where does old carpet go to die? Apparently its disposal is yet another worldwide waste issue. Carpet Recovery explains the scope of the problem and provides links to companies doing amazing, imaginative things to reduce it. I’ve just come to terms with the guilt of using plastic shopping bags, so this has been something of a shock. As Kermit once said, it ain’t easy being green.
Story: Kim Rutter
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