A love of the loom:

Beckwith Galleries is keeping the art of hand-knotted carpets alive

 

 

SARAH PLEDGE DICKSON

It is impossible to walk through Beckwith Galleries without stepping on piles of hand-knotted carpets stacked a dozen high. Carpets from around the world hang on the walls and those too big to display are rolled up off to the side.

Bernardus Teklenburg, founder and owner, can be found at his desk in the middle of the gallery, connecting with clients and researching the latest trends for carpets. He said that his passion for carpets comes from his childhood home.

“Growing up, we had a Persian carpet on the dining room table, right on the actual table. Also, on the side table and coffee table, as well as the floors,” Teklenburg said. “It just seemed like there were carpets everywhere.”

Teklenburg established the business in 1993 and has been curating, appraising, restoring, colour matching and cleaning carpets ever since. There are currently more than 350 carpets in the showroom and over 1000 available on his business’s website.

The small plaque on the front of the house at the corner of Main Street and Beckwith Road isn’t something you would notice, but Teklenburg prefers it that way. He’s always been appointment only and he says that provides the best service to his clients.

“We specialize in hand-knotted carpets, and when I say that I mean carpets that are made on a loom that are actually tied one knot at a time,” Teklenburg said. “There are no two carpets ever alike. They’re all done by hand, and the materials are all natural, 100 per cent wool or 100 per cent natural silk.”

Along the edge of the carpets, Teklenburg pointed out the signatures of the master weavers who had woven their names into the carpet itself. The silk in the carpets shone in the sunlight as he flipped over the corners to show the intricate knots and the way that the threads from the fringe run through the entire carpet, an indicator that the rug was hand-knotted on a loom. Typically, more knots per square inch indicates a more valuable carpet.

Teklenburg added that carpets are very sustainable because they’ve been made the same way for over 2000 years.

“Even when I sell an antique carpet, I think about all the man hours that were put into that carpet, and it was used for many years by somebody,” Teklenburg said. “Then it gets cleaned and restored and fixed and I sell it to somebody else, and they use it for a whole bunch of years.”

An antique carpet is one that’s over 100-years-old and Teklenburg has multiples in his showroom. Restoring antique carpets is one of the aspects of his business and he’s even assisted a restoration project at Rideau Hall.

He also repairs damaged carpets and said that it’s not uncommon for a dog to chew the corner, but that’s something he can help repair.

Teklenburg has clients from all over Ottawa. He has contracts with embassies and the Supreme Court and helps individuals decorate their homes. When working with private clients and designers, Teklenburg either helps build a room around a unique carpet design or colour matches the carpet to the room itself.

Teklenburg has always been an entrepreneur, beginning his career in the restaurant industry in Pembroke. He was following in the footsteps of his father who owned five restaurants. After building, designing and running the 120-seat space for five years, he sold the restaurant and moved to Old Ottawa East where he immediately opened Beckwith Galleries.

“When I bought this place, my business was set up the next day,” Teklenburg said. “I started with one carpet when I first opened and just expanded, from this room I took over that room.” 

The showroom now takes up most of the main floor of the house that Teklenburg also lives in.

He’s since become an expert in carpets and has contributed to tours by the National Art Gallery and spoken at interior design courses at Algonquin College.

“I’ve dealt with carpets for so many years, I usually know where a carpet is from,” Teklenburg said. “The materials that make up the carpet, the design, the colours, the size and how many knots per square inch will all dictate what the actual market value is.”

In addition to selling carpets, Teklenburg said that a significant portion of the business is appraisals, whether for a private client or an insurance company.

“The insurance company has to know how much the carpet’s worth and [the cost] to bring it back to household use, if possible,” Teklenburg said. “That way, they can make decisions moving forward with their claim when they have a fire or flood, let’s say.”

Teklenburg explained that sourcing carpets is tough right now because many of them come from the Middle East. Due to the conflict, some carpets have been getting stuck in customs or have to transit through multiple countries before reaching Canada because of no-fly zones.

Despite the volatility, Teklenburg said he’ll continue to help clients across Ottawa find the perfect carpet.

“I bought all these carpets like they were my own,” he said. “I handpicked them all.”