Carpets With Soul

  Esref took care of my needs. He was really helpful and reduced wasting time on rugs that will not meet my needs. The shop is worth visiting if you like to see rugs; almost like a museum well kept. I am glad I found this shop and somewhat surprised I found it after staying in the bay area 20 years.

  My favorite place to browse and purchase quality rugs. We purchased two rugs. Handmade. Beautiful yet very reasonably priced.  We looked through many and the entire staff stood by to help us take the chosen items out of the big stack. Slowly and without pressure we looked and looked. They were informative and knowledgeable. They offered us the rugs to take home to see how we liked it in our own space and light.
They did a repair on one of the rugs we had chosen and it was done fast, meticulously and without any charge.
We really liked working with them on every level and highly recommend this store. They are a class act!

  Buying a rug or carpet can be a huge pain. The hard sells, the pressure, the feeling that no matter what, you're getting robbed. Not here. I was blown away by the difference Istanbul Rug offered. If I wanted to see a rug at the bottom of the pile, no problem. they pulled it out. If I didn't like it, no big deal. The sell wasn't about getting the most money out of me, it was about making sure I'm happy. these guys are in it for the long term, the repeat business and loyal customers. They have one with me. What I most liked was the promise that if after awhile I really didn't love the rug, or my decor changed, bring it back and we'll swap it out, assuming it's in good condition of course. In that respect, it's like leasing a rug vs. buying one. What a difference. I've bought the online handmade rugs- no comparison to what they carry here. Sure, they cost more but you're getting a product that will last a lifetime, and service that will make sure you leave happy.

  Wonderful assortment of rugs. Staff lets you take your time while offering suggestions that help you decide. Good Turkish coffee, warm conversation, and an amazing selection.

  For about a year, we had been looking for 2 or 3 higher quality rugs for our Berkeley home. The standard sizes and designs we were finding in San Francisco and other Bay Area merchants did not fit our room proportions and the designs were a bit over the top visually. We were not interested in traditional oriental patterns nor did we want something so trendy we would grow tired of it in a short period of time. The prices we were finding were outrageous or higher.... We also looked online at a few custom rug makers and could get the sizes we wanted but the color selection and material quality was poor at best.
We did not expect to find the solution to our problem on University Avenue in Berkeley. We started working with Lobsang at Istanbul Rug and he suggested we try using their custom rug service. We were skeptical because of our previous attempts at this very expensive process. Lobsang worked with us to refine our designs, sizes and identify materials that would last and could be made at a reasonable cost. He let us borrow their large color sample boxes over a few weekends and we were able (with his guidance) to invent the rugs we were originally searching for. The prices for the their custom rugs ended up being far less than the off the shelf "designer" rugs we were searching through in San Francisco.
We ended up ordering 9 rugs of various designs and sizes that perfectly fit the spaces in our home. The rugs are very high quality and beautiful.
We highly recommend Lobsang and know how unusual it is to find someone so knowledgable who offers great service and value in one place.

  Esref is very knowlegeable.  He runs a very efficient operation, with his staff coordinated well to show us the rugs and display them.  He also let us "test run" the carpets for a few days if we wanted to see how they look in our house.  He also explained how he will trade up, since these carpets hold their value.  That was the clincher.  Our family room is starting to look like working professionals live here, now.  Thank you, Esref!

  Istanbul Rug has become my "go to" place for middle eastern rugs.  We just bought 3!  What makes them so good?  Esref and his staff provide excellent customer service - taking time to understand what the customer is looking, pulling out as many rugs as it takes, and allowing the rugs to be taken home and viewed in the space.  For me, Esref and his staff brought over several rugs to my house, laid them out, and moved them around.  Then, after negotiating for price, they all returned to lay them out and move our old rugs.  That is just the service part.

The store is big, well organized, and most important, has a varied selection of  new and old rugs.  We bought 2 old Persian Sarouk rugs (~9X12 circa 1890 and 1920s) that go perfectly in our vintage 1920s house.  We also bought a new small runner made by Afghan immigrants in traditional style blends perfectly.  All the rugs are lovely.  Istanbul Rug is the first place I will look for rugs in the future.

  Don't go anywhere else for rugs! Such nice people. They let us take home several rugs to try, which made it extremely easy to make a decision.

  After having taken many rugs home to see how they looked in our place before deciding, we purchased two rugs from Istanbul Rug. We couldn't be happier with the entire experience.

If you live in the Bay Area and are looking to purchase a rug, I highly recommend beginning your search with Istanbul Rug

  Istanbul Rug is a family business, with multiple generations working in their two stores. I have bought two rugs on different occasions from them and have been extremely happy with my purchases. They have a beautiful selection and are very knowledgeable about each piece they carry - what country it's from, the symbolism within the design and what might be known about the specific weavers. They really bring each piece to life, in telling its story.
Istanbul Rug has excellent service. They are very kind, patient and not pushy.  They generously brought quite a number of rugs to my house, so I could see them in my rooms, which made all the difference in making my selection. After purchasing my latest rug, they delivered "just" a rug pad on a different day (which was at least a 45 minute drive, one way, for them to come to my house again) and installed it for me, after cutting it to the appropriate size on the spot.
The really stand behind their products - they've told me multiple times that if I ever decide I don't like or want one of my rugs anymore, they are willing to let me exchange for another, at any point in time! Also, I love knowing that they offer cleaning and repair services, should I need them in the future. I know we are well taken care of with them!