Coral Gables Antique Restoration Shop: Royal Rug Gallery

Royal Rug Gallery, at 450 S Dixie Hwy in Coral Gables, is the antique restoration shop to call when a Persian rug has a hole, a fraying edge or a dog's chewed corner. The showroom is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm. The company was incorporated in South Florida in 1982.

Most of the floor is a rug store. The collections run from hand-knotted Oriental and Persian rugs to transitional pieces and modern designs, plus a custom line, and the gallery promotes made-to-measure staircase runners. The antique rugs are described as rare vintage pieces with their own history, and that stock is the clue to the workshop side: a dealer that sells old rugs needs people who can reweave and wash them.

Besides selling and repairing, the gallery offers rug appraisals and design consultations, so the same visit can answer whether a rug inherited from a grandparent is worth restoring. The team says it can give an accurate appraisal of valuable rugs, which matters before you decide on a reweave that may cost more than a machine-made rug is worth. Ask for the appraisal first and the repair estimate second.

The gallery's blog is still active, with a post from January 2026, and its guide to buying hand-knotted rugs explains that each one is made by a weaver working by hand on a vertical loom for the whole process. That is the standard a repair has to meet. The site also has pages for customers in Brickell, Pinecrest, Bal Harbour and South Miami, which shows how far people drive for the service.

The rug repair page lists six common jobs. Fringe can be repaired or fully replaced. The side cords that hold the edges, which the site calls sedge, can be rebuilt. Holes are rewoven, frayed ends are secured, faded or bleached areas are re-dyed, and water damage is treated, including mold and mildew removal. Pet damage is a service in its own right, which every dog owner with a chewed Kazak corner will appreciate.

For full restoration, the gallery describes a process that begins with a detailed inspection, moves to a deep but gentle wash, and then rebuilds missing or heavily worn areas. Its weavers use traditional methods and similar materials to reconstruct the area while preserving the original design and weave. The last steps are precise dye and color matching, blending dyes to the rug's original palette, and a final quality check before the rug goes home.

Cleaning is where many repairs start, because dirt hides weak spots. The gallery recommends professional cleaning every three to five years, and more often for rugs in hallways and other high-traffic areas. Its six-step routine is an inspection to choose the wash, a cleaning plan for stains and repairs, a careful wash, a full rinse to remove soap, drying and a final inspection before pickup or delivery.

The drying step is the detail that sets the place apart: rugs hang in a custom-engineered drying balcony two stories high, rather than lying flat on a warehouse floor. Extra services include steam cleaning, hand cleaning for delicate textiles and tapestries, urine decontamination and deodorizing, Scotchgard and moth deterrent treatment, and storage or packing for shipping, which helps snowbirds who close up a Miami apartment for summer.

Roll the rug with the pile facing out, never fold it, and tie it loosely with cloth strips rather than tape. Bring photos of the back, where the knot count and the condition of the foundation show, and note any spot treatments you have tried, since some household cleaners make color restoration harder. If the rug is too big for your car, ask about pickup when you call, rather than dragging it across a parking lot.

Be honest about the rug. A tufted or machine-made rug with a latex back is rarely worth reweaving, and a wash is the most it needs. Hand-knotted wool and silk pieces are a different story, and an antique Heriz, Tabriz or tribal rug with a hole is exactly the job a reweaver is for. Ask the gallery to quote the repair and the cleaning separately, so you can decide what to do now and what can wait.

The gallery sits on South Dixie Highway, the stretch of US 1 that runs through Coral Gables with the elevated Metrorail line alongside it, so it is easy to reach by car from Brickell, Kendall or South Miami. Look for parking at the building rather than on the highway shoulder, and bring a helper for a large carpet for anything room-size, since a rolled wool rug is heavy and awkward to carry alone.

Close by, the Shops at Merrick Park is an open-air mall with fountains, shaded walkways and restaurants, a comfortable place to wait while a rug is inspected. Head north on Ponce de Leon Boulevard and you reach the shops and cafes of Miracle Mile in downtown Coral Gables, and a little further on the Biltmore Hotel, whose bell tower has watched over the city since 1926.

Address: Royal Rug Gallery, at 450 S Dixie Hwy, Coral Gables, FL 33146. Email: info@royalruggallery.com. Hours: Monday to Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm. Appointments are available, and rugs can also be brought straight to the showroom. Services: rug repair and restoration, cleaning, appraisals, consultations and custom rugs. Incorporated: 1982 in South Florida.

Best for: antique Persian and Oriental rugs with holes, worn fringe or frayed edges, faded areas, flood or pet damage, and tapestries that need hand cleaning. Bring photos of the back of the rug and any appraisal you already have. Ask the Karpo APP for a lunch on Miracle Mile or a coffee near Merrick Park while the team looks your rug over.