Wednesday, June 20, 2007

(untitled 153)


More stories from work:

The building is nearing completion, which means it's finally time to put the floors in. Most of them have already been installed, such as the marble floor in the atrium and most of the first floor (which looks really nice, but is going to be a pain to clean) and the basic carpet on the second and third floors. They've been holding off on the really expensive stuff, though, so it doesn't get sawdust and the like all over it. One of the expensive floor coverings was a Persian rug that cost about $27,000. (They decided to wait until the dedication to lay down the $30,000 rug.) They have black plastic covering the rugs so they don't get dirty before Saturday, so it looks like the rugs are covered in enormous garbage bags. The other carpet they were waiting on was for the gallery, and it's nice stuff. It's also extremely furry stuff; I was vacuuming the room today and managed to fill two (two!) vacuum bags with carpet fuzz. It took me nearly an hour to clean the thing out.

The carpet gets progressively more expensive as you climb the corporate ladder here, too. The basic carpet costs $30 a square yard, if I remember correctly. The vice presidents get nicer carpet in their offices; this stuff costs about $90 per square foot. It's quite a jump. The jump from the vice presidents to the gallery, however, is even more impressive. The gallery carpet costs a whopping $270 per square foot. I hear they imported it from England, which, as we all know, is renowned worldwide for its superior carpet. It's nice stuff, but I don't imagine I'll purchase it for my own home. I did like it enough to snatch a bit (about two square inches) of it and take it with me. This piece of carpet would have cost me around four dollars.

Maybe I'll go home and rub it against my face or something to get my money's worth out of it.

3 comments:

Emily said...

$270 per square foot?!

What, did the children tie it with their teeth?

Ben said...

Irish Orphans, specifically, tied it with their teeth.

Anonymous said...

Hey there Optimistic...your figures are a bit off. You have to remember that generally...no one pays RETAIL when it comes to rugs and carpets. I have close knowledge on this one, and trust me, your numbers are quite inflated. :) But it IS pretty stuff. Those Persian rugs average about 6 people in one family or tribe working for 4-5 years. They ought to be paid well for their labor. And those rugs will last 100 years. And...seriously...at least 40% off retail would be average. As for the standard "tile" carpet...and even the "VP" broadloom...I've seen the PO. They are not that different in price. The tile carpet, I would point out, is the standard carpet used all over campus. Now the Axminster...that is a beautiful piece of crafstmanship. But it is not, I promise you, $270 per square foot. Not even close. It is, however 100% wool, woven in england, custom designed, transported by boat. Seriously nice stuff.