Looking Back...Thinking Forward

Thank you for allowing SHIVHON carpets to work on your projects. From selecting the perfect rug to creating a one of a kind carpet that meets your budget. We've enjoyed the challenge and we're looking forward to getting even more creative in 2010.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Shivhon Staff

The Gratitude Challenge

As we embark on this season of giving thanks SHIVHON carpets would like to take a moment to shower you with our gratitude and invite you to join us in our gratitude challenge.

At SHIVHON, we believe that sharing gratitude for everyday experience can revitalize our commitment to living life with Aloha. As a result, we invite you to spend a few minutes each day to count all of life’s little blessings. Our gratitude challenge is a 26 day challenge to help us take note of the brighter side of life. Each day we will set aside a few moments to list at least 5 things that we are grateful for. We invite you to do the same.

Day 1

Today we are grateful for the following…

1. Our loyal customers who trust us with their business.
2. The beautiful women who weave each and every one of our rugs.
3. The public’s growing awareness of how evertday choices impact our health and our planet.
4. Roberta Landman, Senior Editor, at Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine for featuring our rugs in our Living Green section (November 09 issue).
5. A beautiful day of waves and caressing tradewinds on the North Shore of Oahu.

We hope you decide to join us in this challenge. There is no better time to say thank you than during this early holiday season.

Aloha nui loa

Natural wool delivers, year after year after year

Americans of all ages spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, where the level of pollutants is often two to five times higher than it is outdoors and can be considerably higher. The air in most homes, schools and offices is already not what it should be, and as air quality worsens, so does health. Building air quality is certain to get worse if we keep making our buildings more air-tight without making sure that we maintain a healthful flow of fresh air and are very careful about what we put into our buildings.

While children are the most at risk (childhood asthma has increased 140% in the past 10 years), good air is important for everyone. Improved indoor environmental quality has been linked to improved productivity, higher test scores and even patient recovery rates.

There are two reasons that our indoor air quality is so bad:
• We don’t introduce enough fresh air from outdoors.
• We fill our spaces with toxic mixes of chemicals, organic matter and dust.


Natural hand knotted carpets are one simple way to improve the air quality in our homes.

Natural wool carpet is a healthy non-toxic alternative to standard nylon, olefin or other synthetic carpets that off-gass toxic chemicals, don't last very long and are not biodegradable. Wool carpets are: odor-free, renewable, longer lasting, fire-resistant, air purifying, softer, and biodegradable.

Natural wool ages gracefully, continually renewing itself and developing a rich patina as years pass. While synthetic fibers will become scratched, scarred and dull over time, wool carpets and rugs remain vibrant to the eye and supple to the touch.

Your style demands high design and high performance; natural wool delivers, year after year after year.

What makes SHIVHON carpets unique

Offering the highest levels of responsible design and craftsmanship, SHIVHON strives to preserve Tibet ’s centuries old carpet making traditions and art form without compromising quality or social responsibility.

CONSTRUCTION

Unlike most rugs now coming from Nepal , SHIVHON carpets continue the age-old traditions of true Tibetan weaving-- no shortcuts, no compromises

KNOT COUNT

The knot count states how many individual knots of wool are found in one square inch of a handmade rug. In essence, the knot count defines the rugs fineness. A higher knot count allows for more detail in the design while also providing a finer rug texture than that of a lower knot count. You can physically feel the fineness of a rug when you grab it and try to bend it. A rug with a very high knot count will bend quite easily. You can actually grab a section of a finer rug and crumple into one hand much like you would with a towel. You can be confident that the knot count of a SHIVHON carpet is accurate. Unlike many others, we do not exaggerate the number of knots so you can be certain that you will find 100 knots per square inch in one of our 100 knot rugs.

TIBETAN WOOL

SHIVHON carpets are made with the highest quality of Tibetan wool available. This wool comes from the sheep of the Tibetan plateau at an altitude of 16,000 ft. Long fibers, high lanolin content and the unique physical structure of Tibetan wool makes it the ideal choice for rug weaving.

DENSITY OF PACKING

After the weavers finish weaving a row of knots, the alternate warp shed is pulled forward and the weft is passed through, then pounded down hard on the row of knots. This takes time and is hard work but it is essential for strengthening the foundation of the rug. SHIVHONweavers pack each rug very tightly in order to strengthen the rug and offer the durability necessary for it to last generations.

NO STRONG CHEMICAL WASHES

Strong chemical washes strip the wool of its natural lanolin. The wash creates an immediate shine but only at the expense of the wool, which has been stripped of its natural lanolin and weakened by the strong chemicals. SHIVHON carpets are not washed with harsh chemicals. Rather, their beautiful shine naturally reveals itself after being polished through the exposure to light, air and, of course, passing feet!

NUMBER OF COLORS

SHIVHON offers an unprecedented number of colors to select from in our carpets.

A Healthy Alternative

Its just there. All the time. You walk on it, you vacuum it. you make sure your curtains match the color and the texture of it. You move your furniture around on it. When you spill something on it, you wish you had invested more to have gotten the kind that cleans easier. It gives your baby a soft and warm place to play. When the friends you'd like to impress come over it speaks volumes about your status in your social circles, without ever having made a sound. Its just there. Underneath it all. All the time. For years.

Few people imagine that carpet could be their best friend. Some know. They are the ones who have done everything they could to remedy some unexplainable physical symptom that started showing up out of the blue, more often than it should have. The few who have gone so far as to have ripped out their synthetic carpet, and gone to the expense of paying for an all natural wool carpet, that doesn't have all kinds of things in it that synthetic carpets do.

It is the people who have seen an improvement in their own health or the health of someone close to them when they changed their carpet. It is those people who know the value of natural carpet. They are the ones who know how much they spent to keep themselves healthy until they discovered that their carpet was contributing to their symptoms.
We specialize in providing natural carpets to people who are aware of the impact that chemicals have on their health. The green carpets we offer are a healthy alternative to commercial carpet

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In honor of Breast Cancer awareness month 10% of all proceeds from the month of October will be donated to LIVING BEYOND BREAST CANCER, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to empowering all women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life.

To learn more about LIVING BEYOND BREAST CANCER call
(610)645-4567 or visit www.lbbc.org

Why FAIR TRADE

What is buying fair-trade? Fair-trade is a system of trade based on a direct relationship and partnership between buyers and producing community. It is a social movement and approach that helps producers in developing countries and promotes sustainability. Fair Trade makes sure that artisans receive a fair price for their products, have direct involvement in the marketplace, and uphold environmental and labor rights standards. This system builds real and last relationships between producers in developing countries and businesses and consumer.

Fair trade is based on dialogue, transparency and respect in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, producers and workers. So the next time you are selecting a product produced overseas take a moment to think about how its made, who its made by, and what kind of impact its making on the environment.

Creating opportunities for disadvantaged producers
Fair trade is an effective strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for artisans who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system.

Transparency and accountability
Fair trade involves transparent management and commercial relations to deal fairly and respectfully with partners.

Environment
Fair trade actively encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible and sustainable methods of production.

Capacity building
Fair trade is a means to develop producers’ independence. Fair trade relationships provide continuity, during which producers and their marketing organizations can improve their management skills and their access to new markets.

Payment of a fair price
A fair price in the regional or local context is one that has been agreed through dialogue and participation. It covers not only the costs of production but enables production which is socially just and environmentally sound. It provides fair pay to the producers and takes into account the principle of equal pay for equal work by women and men. Fair traders ensure prompt payment to their partners.

Gender equity
Fair trade means that women’s work is properly valued and rewarded. Women are always paid for their contribution to the production process and are empowered in their organizations.

Working conditions
Fair trade means a safe and healthy working environment for producer

Decorating with Rugs

What is it about rugs that seems so much more personal than selecting other elements for a room? Perhaps it is their singularity, the variations in pattern and color. Maybe it’s the sense of permanence. Rugs are a piece of art and we owe it to ourselves to put something down and feel good about it. Here are some simple pointers on color, pattern, size, and placement.

1. Let the rug lead the room. Its always best to start with the rug, if possible, since it’s the largest focus of the room.

2. When it comes to patterns, diversity rules. If patterns are too similar they compete for your attention and cause confusion. Consider a geometric rug in a room of delicate florals. Or choose similar patterns but vary the scale.

3. Mix textures for visual interest and practicality. A mixture keeps things interesting so the room doesn’t look or feel like a museum. Choose materials wisely.

4. Don’t struggle to fit a rug into a precise color scheme. Using a rug that complements fabrics is always better than trying to match colors exactly. You have to know when to stop decorating and simply allow the room to come together naturally.

5. Consider the room size. Volume eats color and pattern. In a large room, the rug often disappears if its not big enough. Conversely, a vibrant rug can overpower and dominate a small space.

6. Big rooms don’t always mean big rugs. It’s important to mix things up, given that today’s homes have multiple big rooms with multiple functions. Sometimes itss best to use multiple rugs to define separate areas.

7. Think about your furniture placement. We normally suggest that at least the front legs of a sofa or large chairs to be on the rug. As for casegoods, all on or all off. In a dining room, the rug should hold the table and chairs for normal dining (without the extra leaves in the table).

8. Leave a border. In a small room its best to leave a border of the floor exposed- around 6-8 inches. It makes the room feel more spacious. If the room is large, you can leave 12-18 inches.

9. Get creative and go for the layered look. Try putting a fine Tibetan rug atop a less expensive sisal- that way you can use your rug budget for the size you can afford.

Thinking about expanding your decorating outside?

We now have the perfect product for you...

From poolside to lanais, in residential and commercial settings, SHIVHON outdoor carpet products reflect many of the latest and most sophisticated trends in carpet styling. The outdoors is becoming an increasingly important part of homes today. Outdoor hearths, grills, and furniture create perfect getaways in the comfort of your own yard. Pools, spas, and hot tubs provide a sense of personal luxury, and upgraded landscaping and gardening amenities are more popular than ever. With SHIVHON outdoor carpet products, you can now buy the perfect foundation and finishing touch for all your outdoor spaces.

Our outdoor carpets are constructed of the finest UV stabilized fibers and are mold and mildew resistant.

How To Select The Right Area Rug

Area rugs can make such a beautiful contribution to any room and they are often the first thing that catches the eye as you walk into the room. In view of that, doesn't it make sense to select the right area rug for each room of your home?
Of course, area rugs come in almost every size, shape and color combination imaginable, but a lot will depend on what the intended use is for the rug and the budget that you have to work with. Hand made rugs are considered to be of high quality and able to stand up to constant use and heavy wear.
In fact, for most people hand made rugs can be the best solution all around as they offer solid and durable construction and wide choice of styles and patterns at affordable prices. If the rug will be used in a room that is not decorated with fine furniture and accessories, why spend the money for the most expensive rug to put on the floor? On the other hand, if your room is filled with very high quality furnishings, why would you want to put down an area rug that does not fit with it's surroundings?
Hand made area rugs are still considered the best available area rug product and they possess a look and feel that is superior to all machine made rugs. You will find that our handmade rugs use the highest quality Tibetan wool for construction simply because it lasts much longer and stand up to heavier amounts of traffic than most other fibers. Tibetan wool also gets softer the more you walk on it. So pay attention to the material used to make the rug.
The weaving process of a hand made rug can be important too as the more densely the knots are placed together the higher quality of the rug. This is referred to as knots per square inch and our hand made rugs boast a weave density of 100 knots per square inch.
Of course, such high quality hand made area rugs can be expensive, but if used in the correct surroundings and treated as a piece of fine furniture that is cared for properly, they will last for many years and look incredibly beautiful while doing so.
So when you choose an area rug, first determine where it will go and try to match the decor of that room as much as possible, then choose the level of quality that will match your budget, and you will be able to make a wise choice.

Great rooms are created from the ground up- literally.

The floor is the foundation of any room and should act as both a decorative feature and the anchor for all the other elements in the room. The floor is your opportunity to give a face to a room. It can darken or lighten the atmosphere, bring reflective shine, or demarcate spaces. Floors bring pattern and texture to a room or help disguise awkward proportions. Stripes, for example can widen a long, narrow room.

Nothing warms up a room like a beautiful rug. A rug provides a visual footprint, a guide to how to use the space within a room. Rugs can draw people to a seating area, or indicate a pathway to another space. They are a means of not only adding warmth but bringing coherence to a space, to differentiate path from place.

Don’t underestimate the warmth that a beautiful rug will bring to completing your next project. And remember that your home should be as rich and varied as the life you live within it.

Fall Collection 09

The Shivhon Fall Collection 2009 is a visual pleasure. The vision for this collection has a very comforting feel;patterns that bring a feeling of soothing and warmth. With the times we are living in, we all need a peaceful mind set and that starts at home. And we wanted to convey a sense of the basics of nature here.

The new collection is brought to life by a rich palette of the colors… warm olive, burnt sienna, honey yellow, purple heart, American beauty, and crème brulee.

Please contact us to view the entire collection, request samples, and receive price estimates. We look forward to hearing from you.

We walk on carpet almost every day, yet the appealing colors and patterns and the comfort it provides are often taken for granted. Of course we notice when it’s worn or soiled, but we seldom, if ever, think about how this product is made or how it affects indoor air quality during use.

Carpet is usually made of synthetic fibers, such as nylon, which are produced from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. Petrochemical processes for synthetic fiber production require high inputs of energy and water and produce harmful air emissions (VOCs) that contribute to smog. Carpet production itself is energy and water intensive and toxic dyes have been used to produce the attractive colors the consumers demand. Sometimes these dyes end up in streams. Carpet has also been a contributor to indoor air pollution, particularly from adhesives used for installation. Finally, old carpet is typically disposed of in landfills, taking up valuable landfill space and wasting resources that could be reused or recycled. Gratefully, the carpet industry is now finally addressing some of these major environmental impacts.

So choosing a green carpet is good for both the environment and your home. Take a look at renewable fibers such as wool and hand knotted carpets that require no machinery to be assembled. Also, most fine carpet producers are using environmentally friendly dyes and vegetable dyes in the production of their product.

Today consumers have many more choices and options when it comes to green home products. Lets work together to stop filling our landfills and create products that do not harm our bodies or the planet we call home.

For the love of our oceans

As you know, our office is located on the North Shore of Oahu where the ocean plays a daily role in our lives. Its simple- we love the ocean, our quiet beaches, waves, and salty trade winds blowing through our hair. In anticipation of the surf season just a few months ahead SHIVHON carpets will be releasing several new abstract carpet designs that capture our love of the ocean and its waves.

The way we see it life’s circumstances are very much like the ocean and her waves, they are constantly in motion. They are whatever they are, wherever they are at any given moment and it is our responsibility to be flexible and work with them. The ocean is our spiritual connection to the earth. To live on land we must learn from the sea…to be free as the tides, free as a wind swell, joyful and loving in letting it be. The ocean also has a way of unleashing our creativity so that it flows without effort: it allows us the opportunity to have our inner beauty and light shine through for all to see.

Here is a sneak peak of our newest patterns. We hope they inspire you and bring you closer to the vastness and beauty that the ocean stirs in us…our heart-home.

Aloha.

Reasons to choose wool rugs

Wool Rugs – Resilient

While wool rugs are popular for many different reasons, one of the most popular reasons is the resistant nature of wool rugs. Wool fibers do not absorb soil very well. This makes the rugs easier to keep clean.
In addition, wool rugs are said to be resistant to fire. The rugs are safe to put in children’s rooms or in high traffic areas of the home.

The material is also resistant to static electricity.Wool also naturally absorbs water from the air. Studies show that the wool fiber may suck up to 30% of it’s own weight in water and it still feels dry to the touch. Wool rugs can actually absorb the water vapor in the air, relieving the humidity in the home.

Wool rugs are also very durable. They can sustain their quality for years, even within the home of an active family.

Easy to Clean Wool Rugs

Above, it was mentioned that wool rugs didn’t absorb dirt. Homeowners really like that the wool fibers are also easy to clean. You can remove most stains with a little warm water and with light blotting. No chemicals would be needed, making it safer for health conscious families.

Upkeep of your wool rug depends on how you look after it once you bring it home. A light vacuuming once a week with slow, even strokes actually helps to improve the quality. A new wool rug may shed a few fibers at first and this is quite natural. With time, the shedding effect will fade and with continued regular vacuuming, your carpet will be better conditioned and have improved quality.

Wool Rugs are not only popular for their many benefits, but also for their designs. You can get our SHIVHON traditional hand knotted Tibetan carpets in so many different patterns and colors for no extra cost and for a fraction of what the competition are charging.

If you are looking for a nice contemporary feel to your home, wool rugs make for an elegant and inexpensive option. Wool rugs are a great investment for your home.

About Us

We are a boutique environmentally and globally conscious company producing green Tibetan carpets. Our goal is to provide the market with a world class green flooring alternative at fair trade prices.

Our office is located on the world famous North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Most of our design inspiration comes from the spectacular natural beauty that surrounds us. Haleiwa is a small beach town where fragrant flowers grow and palm trees dust the sky. A place to play in the surf and feel the caress of the trade winds. It is rejuvinating and inspiring. It is our muse and our aina.

I look forward to sharing our ideas and inspirations here with you.

Warmest Aloha,

Shirley Shivhon, ASID