Why Tufenkian?

One theory of quality in a handmade carpet looks to examine its precision. How finely is it knotted, how detailed or consistent is the color and yarn? but there are the standards of the industrial world and that seeming exactitude is not as useful as the inexplicable nature of "feeling" in judging art and fine crafts. For the articles that we cherish, which come to occupy the intimate spaces of our lives, people often seek objects which show the personality of the precision. Things which are, these days, increasingly rare. The handmade object connects back to the days when members of the family made objects for each other, objects infused with a sense of love, care and individuality.

Tufenkian embraces this philosophy, believing that it is only by employing the finest materials and labor-intensive techniques rendered by skilled craftsmen that carpets of enduring charm and value can be created. "My aesthetic," James Tufenkian told me, "celebrates the hand's uniqueness and the craftsman's touch, for this is what we sense and respond to in the most valued objects from the past. The result of this fine handwork is a one-of-a-kind carpet woven with the human touch, not patterns repeated by the machine." Truly, the patina of mellow, subtly striated colors, warm textures and the infinitude of nuances created by the human hand captivates us. And it is the most difficult task in this era of mechanical refinement to create that sense of uniqueness we call human, to breathe life into the fine objects that inhabit our lives. It is just this goal that James Tufenkian had dedicated himself to achieving, ejecting every impulse of the modern manufacturer to standardize, streamline and economize.

"My 'factory' is such" Tufenkian told me with a wry laugh, " that each 9x12 foot carpet we produce is the result of an astounding 3000 hours of human labor, efforts that come out of a very family like environment and resonate with human spirit."

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