Cyrus Nazmiyal and the Renaissance of Rug & Kilim: Inside the Legacy and Vision

A Business Everyone Warned Him Against
Yet, the path less woven became his legacy in silk and soul.

Cyrus did not arrive here by the straightest path. In fact, he was warned not to. “Everyone said, don’t get into rugs. Don’t even bother, maybe real estate is for you. Too hard. Too uncertain,” he recalls with a soft laugh. Fresh out of college, he went into private equity and business management—linear, lucrative, logical. But it didn’t quite echo.

“It didn’t feel like home,” he admits. And so, after years of building value in other people’s ventures, Cyrus turned inward—to the storied family atelier founded by his father, Jahanshah Nazmiyal, whose passion for antique rugs borders on the poetic.

“I joined for the wholesale opportunity. But really, I joined because I wanted to create something enduring. Something personal.”

And thus began a journey of reshaping not just a role, but the very language of an old-school trade.

The Birth of a New Classic: Scandinavian Reimagined
A modern heirloom—fashionable, cleanable, timeless.

“When I entered wholesale, I was the newcomer. The wholesale rug market was dominated by people who had done this for twenty years. I hadn’t,” Cyrus says. “But I felt something for the Scandinavian collection. Jahanshah Nazmiyal believed in it. I saw the reaction. And I knew—it had potential.”

It wasn’t long before this “Scandinavian baby,” as he lovingly refers to it, began to grow. From just over a dozen dealers in 2015 to over 200 accounts across the country, the collection has become a cornerstone of the Rug & Kilim universe.

“Scandinavian design is clean, versatile, decorative—yet durable and fashionable. It’s the perfect starting point for a first time homebuyer or a homeowner decorating their third or fourth home.” It sits at the crossroads of antique and modern, nostalgia and novelty.

But it’s not just about popularity. It’s about preservation. “This category deserves to live,” he says with quiet urgency. “We’re not just selling rugs—we’re keeping traditions alive through new textures, new constructions, new colors.”

Rugs, Not as Decor—but as Dialogue
Cyrus and Jahanshah’s fashion-forward philosophy that redefined an ‘old-school’ trade.

One might expect an atelier like Rug & Kilim to exist in a reverent whisper of time gone by. But under Cyrus’s guidance, it pulses with creative energy. “People used to call us old-school,” he says. “But Jahanshah Nazmiyal had a vision that struck me deeply: this isn’t a rug business—it’s a fashion business.”

Rugs, like couture, follow the rhythms of taste, reinvention, and return. “Look at our Art Deco collection,” he says. “Launched 30 years ago. It’s now one of our most in-demand lines. Same quality from Nepal. But it’s been reborn.”

This forward-meets-foundation approach is what makes Rug & Kilim singular. “We’re not an antique rug shop. We’re not just custom rugs. We’re a fashion house for the floor,” Cyrus says, his eyes lighting with conviction.

The Soul of the Past: Antique Rugs as the Ancestry of Design

In the quiet, golden hush of a well-aged rug, there lies a whisper of history. A prayer murmured centuries ago. A footprint of artistry that refuses to fade. For Cyrus Nazmiyal, antiques are not just collectible treasures—they are the emotional architecture of Rug & Kilim.

“Our love for antique rugs isn’t just romantic,” he says, with the reverence of someone who has run his hands across centuries of weaving. “It’s foundational. The antique informs everything we do.”

While trends may ebb and flow—mid-century minimalism rising, Art Deco returning in sculpted waves—the antique remains the soul of the atelier. Even as market appetites shift, Rug & Kilim remains steadfast in its belief: the past will return, not as a relic, but as a reimagined rhythm.

“Some say antiques aren’t what the market wants right now,” Cyrus concedes, “but fashion changes. And when it does, it circles back. What’s rooted in deep craftsmanship and cultural memory always finds its way forward again.”

This perspective is more than optimism; it’s a strategy of reverence.

The antique collections at Rug & Kilim are lovingly preserved, actively sourced, and thoughtfully offered—not because they are simply beautiful, but because they anchor every new collection in a lineage of meaning.

Take the Scandinavian line, his “baby,” as he calls it. Its innovation—new textures, colors, and constructions—is inspired by the very essence of antique pieces. The Moroccan, Oushak, Burano, and Art Deco collections? All carry the imprint of ancestral technique—an homage to the artisans who came before, and a dialogue with those who will come next.

“To understand an antique rug is to understand the patience of beauty,” he reflects. “It teaches us what lasts. And in doing so, it elevates everything else we create.”

There is a quiet rebellion in this commitment—to stay devoted to legacy even when the world craves the next new thing. Rug & Kilim doesn’t resist change; it roots it. And in that rooting, the antique becomes not a thing of the past, but a timeless compass pointing toward the future of textile art.

Heritage and Heart: The Family Behind the Atelier
A dynasty was not inherited but shaped.

There is, of course, the grandeur of legacy behind it all. Jahanshah Nazmiyal is not only a titan in textile art but a man of startling eloquence and grace. “He’s careful with every word,” Cyrus says. “Measured. Generous. And wise.”

And yet, for all his careful tutelage, he never imposed the family business. “He let us find our way back to it.”

Today, Cyrus, Sina, and Brittany are not merely heirs to a business—they are stewards of a vision. “My father built a foundation. It’s our job to give it voice in a new world,” he says. “To take the brush from his easel and continue the painting.”

That painting now spans new mediums—furniture, books, objets d’art—each one a node on the constellation of fine living. “We’re thinking differently about what a home can be,” Cyrus says. “And how rugs, as heritage and fashion, are at the heart of it.”

The Business of Belief: A Note from the Operational Soul
Not always gentle, but always genuine—Cyrus on conviction, care, and customer loyalty.

Behind the romance, however, lies something rarer still in the world of fine design—rigor. Cyrus’s background in private equity left him deeply operationally minded. “I’m not the most eloquent. I’m not the poet my father is. But I get things done.”

He acknowledges his intensity—sometimes mistaken as pushy. “To all the dealers who’ve found me too forward: know it comes from belief. From love for this work. I apologize if I’ve ever been too much—it’s just that I care. If you bring in our collection once, you always bring it back.”

His work ethic pulses through Rug & Kilim’s technological muscle as well. Their inventory, website, and e-commerce operations are now at the cutting edge, bridging the centuries-old art of rug-making with the instant elegance of digital access. A wishlist function is launching soon, allowing designers to curate projects with ease.

“We’ve made it easier to dream,” he says.

Digitizing the Tangible: An Empire Beyond Walls
The inventory that became architecture, the website that became the gateway.

Rug & Kilim has translated its tactile soul into a seamless digital experience—without losing the poetry of the loom. What was once considered a barrier for many legacy ateliers—a world of texture too rich to digitize—has become for Rug & Kilim a canvas of innovation.

At the heart of this transformation is a philosophy: make timeless beauty accessible, intuitive, and inspiring for the designers who live in fast-paced realities but dream in details.

“Our inventory is not just a database of over 6000 designs—it’s a curated gallery,” Cyrus Nazmiyal says, his tone equal parts pride and precision. “It was built over 45 years, and now, we’ve made it effortlessly navigable, beautifully functional.”

The website, now a central artery of the brand, bridges continents daily—thanks to a dedicated e-commerce team managing updates, logistics, and client queries with a rare blend of speed and soul. Each rug, each kilim, is no longer hidden in a showroom drawer or lost in catalog pages—it lives, breathes, and beckons from the screen.

But it’s not just about making what exists more visible. It’s about imagining what’s next. In the coming months, Rug & Kilim is launching a Wishlist Function—a dynamic tool designed especially for interior designers and architects. “It’s not just about saving favorites,” Cyrus explains. “It’s about helping our community organize projects, select curated options, and bring their visions to life with confidence and clarity.”

The experience will feel like a private studio meeting, distilled into digital elegance—allowing creatives to pin, plan, and personalize selections in a space that respects their pace and process.

And in an industry where exclusivity often means inaccessibility, Rug & Kilim is doing the opposite. They are crafting a rotating feature collection—a spotlight of handpicked pieces, few at a time, that invite exploration. A slow, deliberate unrolling of art, echoing the gallery walls of SoHo or the intimacy of a private collection.