PAO Thoughts

EYE Spy, with my little EYE…. The evil eye is a curse given by a malicious glare causing bad luck or loss. You may have heard someone giving you the “evil eye” from across the room. The evil eye dates back 3000 B.C. in Greek and Roman culture. To avoid its bad luck ancient people began wearing amulets or jewelry with the evil eye symbol. If you were wearing this the evil look would be reflected back to the person casting it.An evil eye guards against misfortune, bringing good luck and protection from ill will. Traditionally the evil eye is...

From Russia With Love The Russian name Karabagh derives from a compound meaningTurkick: Kara= black and Iranian: Bagh= garden. Literally “black garden.” Generally these antique rugs have rose pattered flowers, geometric in form with a pink and red color palette. The flowers are often arranged in swags, gardens or bouquets on a dark blue or black field. Very early Karabagh rugs were woven with a bright magenta field which was considered too strong for Western buyers. This was changed by a chemical process using iron oxides to create a dark black brown field causing oxidation. This results in a high...

Afghanistan is in the middle of a humanitarian crisis. Our rug friends, weavers and artisans need our help. They are facing impossible choices with the outbreak of war. Several medical outposts have been forced to close. Emergency NGO is working around the clock to train and provide medical treatment and promote peace. Watching it all from a distance can be hard to know what to do, but we can all do one of the following:- Purchase a print from Ishkar for Emergency NGO-Donate directly to NGO-Spread the word, support and pray for our friends overseas#madeinafghanistan#afghanrugs Emergency Print Fundraiser HERE Women...

LAYOUT: The composition of an oriental rugGenerally the layout is rectangular and involves every square inch of the rug. It is divided into a central area or field with corners and surrounding borders. Usually geometric or floral the rug can be:-One-directional “prayer rug” -Centralized “medallion” or-Non-directional “full field”See below “The Bullfinch’s Guide to Carpet” visual layout

Birmingham is fortunate to have a close-knit network of talented designers, architects and creatives. We love helping our fellow artists with their projects and enjoy seeing their work in print. At PAO, we offer a wide selection of diverse inventory for every color palette and style.#whyknot#birminghamstyle Liz WoodsVeranda Mary Lauren McBrideSouthern Living James Carter Veranda Betsy BrownHouse Beautiful TraceryHouse Beautiful Libby GreeneBirmingham Home & Garden Jan WareStyleBlueprint Lisa FlakeSouthern Home Zoe GowenBetter Homes & Gardens Beth McMillanBirmingham Home & Garden Sean AndersonDepartures Danielle BalanisLuxe Magazine Stephanie Lynton Birmingham Home & Garden