You hear “Oriental rug” and think glossy mahogany, marble columns, old silver sconces. Jay Eiler, an interior designer with Castle Design (emilycastle.com), shows up at Bendas Oriental Rugs (7505 Delmar, 314-862-4410) determined to break that tradition. “We’re a little heavier into village and tribal rugs, because that’s what we fell in love with 40 years ago,” Dianne Bendas tells Eiler. She and her husband, Nick, sell antique Orientals, but also newer, hand-woven interpretations of those antique patterns.
She leads Eiler to a pile of rugs, on top a traditional medallion on a burgundy field. “It’s beautiful,” he says politely, “but there’s a lot of color. You’d have to be careful what you paired with it.”
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They flip to the second rug, a newer interpretation of an Angora wool Oushak, from Turkey, and Eiler’s breath catches. He squats for a closer look at the Oushak’s buttery yellow field, its soft turquoise and coral accents. “This is a versatile rug,” he says, respect in his voice. “I could see this going transitional, midcentury modern, or contemporary.”
Loving the openness of the design, he says he’d pair its curves with sleek, clean-lined furniture for contrast. The next rug, a more geometric pattern, he’d soften with a barrel-back chair, or a rolled arm or camelback sofa.
They flip to a Persian rug, woven in 1905. Its field is a streaky indigo blue. “That’s how antiques are,” explains Dianne. “It has a little bit of wear—the striation’s called abrash. It’s like looking into a pool of water.”
“The pattern’s influenced by American Victorians that didn’t require a big central medallion,” Nick says. “A medallion is a presence in the room. This is a compromise.”
Eiler looks to the back of the shop and sees a muted golden rug hanging on the wall. “That could go really contemporary,” he says. “I’d use creams and taupier grays and bring in that rust and eggplant color as accents.”
Nick flips to a new interpretation of an antique Heriz, finely woven in pale apricot and indigo with a dramatic medallion. “Some people don’t like this pattern when it’s smaller,” Dianne says, “but in a bigger rug, the pattern just blossoms.”
Taken, Eiler rattles off ideas for furniture, fabric, accessories: “Usually the rug is the foundation of the room, and you kind of build from there.”
Dianne nods. “If the right rug goes down, the whole room comes together.”
