Enter cave for surprises

In one of Hong Kong's premier furniture malls, often too little attention is paid to carpets - with one major exception. CarpetBuyer owner Nadeem Butt has put together an Aladdin's cave of carpets, the perfect finishing touch to an interior project and one of the few soft furnishings that can truly express an individual's personality.

CarpetBuyer, which occupies more than 3,000 sq ft on Horizon Plaza's 17th floor, stands out for its dedication to carpets. Butt also departed from the traditional Persian carpet route to start a contemporary carpet business.

"He wanted to set himself apart from everyone else in the Persian carpet business, which his family started in 1967," says Heena Mir, who joined the company as a consultant, bringing 25 years of experience. "At his family business, he gained some valuable experience and, with no one really doing modern carpets back when he started, it was a niche he filled and successfully continues."

From running a carpet shop in Central, Mir has been instrumental in expanding the brand's range and using her expansive knowledge to assist clients. She also operates on a consultation basis for personal, corporate and overseas clients.

"Our philosophy is to give good-quality carpets that we pick up as stock lots at good prices, and we continue to bring in new collections from all over the world. We work with everyone from designers to nomads who are making tribal carpets," she says.

"We have carpets from Iran, Pakistan, China and Tibet, and continue to look for new and interesting items as the world of carpets keeps evolving through the colours of fabrics and upholstery. It's constantly changing, so we keep our feelers on alert.

"Our hottest items, introduced

a few months back, are the patchwork and pop art carpets. We think they will stay for a while as they have brought a breath of fresh air into the everyday rug with vibrant colours and interesting mix of patchworks."