More Notes by Barry
O'Connell
Hayko Oltaci Master Rug Restorer
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Hayko Restoration & Conservation
857 Lexington Avenue at 65th Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10021
212-717-5400
Fax: 646-219-4806
Email: info@hayko.com
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Rare Looms
by Suzanne Koudsi
"Everybody is gifted at something," says
Turkish-born Hayko Oltaci, encircled by multicolored rugs
and tapestries. His gift just happens to be more valuable
than others.
When Oltaci was 16, his grandfather gave him an old
Turkish rug that needed some repair work. He took it to a
rug restorer and decided to take up restoration as a
hobby. Oltaci didn't plan on making a career out of
carpet restoration and never had any formal training. He
just did it because he enjoyed it. While studying
economics in France, he repaired rugs to earn some extra
money.
Today, the 38-year-old runs a successful carpet
restoration business in Manhattan. His client list
includes some of the city's most esteemed dealers:
Christie's, Rafael House, Mary Boone Gallery and
Bloomingdale's. Last year someone came all the way over
from Dubai, Saudi Arabia to have Oltaci repair his rug.
"I use Oltaci when the work is difficult," says
Benjamin Aryeh, "I can't give Oltaci what is beneath
him." Aryeh, the president of Rafael Gallery on
Madison Avenue, first observed Oltaci's work when he was
visiting another carpet dealer where Oltaci worked.
"There are hundreds of carpet restorers in New
York,' says Aryeh, but "very few have Oltaci's
ability and experience." When Aryeh needed a Kazak
rug repaired, he took it to another restorer and wasn't
satisfied when he got the rug back. He took it to Oltaci
and the result was near perfection.
That is oltaci's ultimate goal. Every year he repairs
hundreds of rugs, and usually "one becomes
perfect," not 99 percent perfect, but 100 percent.
If you can see the repair work, then it hasn't been
repaired, he adds.
A 27 by 37 foot, 17th century Turkish Oushak Medallion
was in desperate need of restoration. Elizabeth Poole,
head of the carpet department at Christie's, gave it to
Oltaci. When the work was done, "I couldn't even see
where it had been restored,' she says.
Oltaci's interest in carpets runs deep. He also likes to
buy and sell them, he says as he explains the differences
between the Persian and Caucasian rugs hanging on the
walls of his workshop. The success of his restoration
business has allowed him to explore his passion of buying
and selling carpets.
For each rug that he repairs, Oltaci estimates the cost
by calculating how much time it will take for the
reparation. Restoring a rug can cost anywhere from $50 to
$20,000. Sometimes he quotes customers a certain price
and the work ends up taking a lot longer.
While there are easier jobs, where one can make more
money, he says. In this business, "you're never
really paid your value."
But Oltaci doesn't seem to mind. He likes what he does,
and that's what seems to matter most to him."
Rare
Looms :: Hayko Oltaci Master Rug Restorer
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