There is one thing in common between The British royal family, dukes, politicians, wealthy families, and museums – they all step on beautiful carpets that are handmade in Bulgaria.
And more precisely – in the small family-owned factory “Hemus” located in the town of Kostandovo, which produces unique antique carpets.
During the last 23 years, this factory has transformed itself from a mass production carpet to the well-known leader in Europe in the historical reproduction of the finest handmade textiles. and specialized market niche, which requires engineering precision in every step of preparation of carpets.
The materials are 100% natural and 100% Bulgarian: fine wool and cotton. The base of the carpet is cotton – it is placed thread by thread by hand. and the company has the biggest loom in Europe, capable to waive a carpet of 160 mt2.
Some of the carpets can take even a year to be ready, and many workers are specially dedicated to it, the complexity of the work is great, but the final results are more than impressive.
During the time it has been working, the company has created a gallery of over 6,000 colors for their carpets.
“Especially in British culture, giving a hand-made rug is something very valuable and something very unique. Because he outlives generations. You give time and you give a message “.
The factory even sent two custom-made paths to the George Washington Museum in the United States.
The Kaiser’s room in the famous Viennese Albertina Museum is also furnished with a woolen carpet from Kostandovo, and a carpet woven for the Versailles Palace is ready.
The iconic Bank of England also owns a carpet made to their request. These unique works are part of the cultural heritage of Europe.
Eco Friendly company
Unlike other manufacturers, no chemicals or bleaches are used in the treatment process. It is a well-known fact that in countries that traditionally produce hand-made carpets, there is extreme pollution in the areas where they work (Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, etc.).
completely against the use of chemicals in both yarn processing and laundry. The paint used is the highest quality textile paint in the world – Swiss production. Dissolved in water, the paint is almost drinkable as harmless, and the wastewater from the painting process pollutes many times less than what a household washing machine emits.
Whats are the challenges?
The workers are quickly starting to retire and it’s very difficult to replace them, says Nino Parpulov, owner of the company, there isn’t help from the Bulgarian institutions to develop new workers that could continue doing this amazing job.
And in terms of future projects, we are currently creating a collection of reproductions of French Savonnerie carpets from the 18th Century, that were made especially for Kings Louis XIV and Louis XV, and Louis XVI.
We want to thanks the Parpulov family for open the factory doors to Foreigner BG, and then we can share their interesting story with the expat community in Bulgaria!
