Just take a glance at the photos he's put on the screen saver of his computer, and you'd call Feroz Qureshi a restless soul touched by romanticism. Icons of the '70s decorate his screen: boxers, singers and artists of the past, complementing shots of the present day - his marriage, his friends, his life.

His shop Sidhartha Gallery, Suite 236 in OP Place, pretty much mirrors his interests. Rugs of ancient provenance hang alongside rugs made just last year.

From Turkey, ancient Persia and other parts of Asia are rugs hundreds of years old that grace Sidhartha's walls.

Even to the untrained eye, these rugs are extraordinary, strands of silk, wool, camel hair and other natural fibres woven into thick piling and heavy knots that bring out vibrant colours in striking designs.

Some of these designs incorporate depictions of animals, such as the self-assured chickens that strut across the diamond designs of one rug.

All these rugs are handmade. All were woven for particular uses - camel blankets, storage bags or pillow coverings - and now they hang on walls to be admired for their beauty.

"Look at them," Feroz says. "They're not static. They move."

These rugs really do move. Colours expand and contract as you gaze at them. You move too, prompted closer to stroke the textures and wools.

These rugs are "collectibles", those with the origins and value that make them collectors' pieces. Sidhartha offers only collectibles. No machine-made throw rugs need apply for space here.

Feroz won't say how much one of his collectible rugs might go for, however. "It's better to look at the aesthetics," he says.

When he and Kin moved from Singapore and opened Sidhartha just last February, they knew that in Bangkok, the market consisted of an extremely narrow niche. "There are no more than a handful of real collectors here," he says a bit ruefully.

He thinks, however, that with a bit of training from him and other experts, the public might come to appreciate the value of collectible rugs.

"They're my passion," he says.

Feroz has lived most of his 34 years in Singapore, spending his school holidays in the family's rug business his grandfather started in 1955. "He was tall, loud, enigmatic," says Feroz, "and I loved him."

Feroz himself came to love the rugs but not the business, and 12 years ago, finally bought his first rug, an Afghan one for which he paid his grandfather US$250 (Bt9500). His collection has gradually grown, along with his passion.

"Kin and I were working in corporate Singapore," he says. Feroz was a management consultant, Kin a public- relations executive. Eventually, their pastime as aspiring collectors proved much more compelling than their jobs.

"We know the business. We have the passion. So we opened Sidhartha, just to see if we could make a go of it," he says.

Then he smiles. When they first opened the shop, Kin suggested featuring some contemporary collectibles, a concept that Feroz felt went against the grain. "I thought we should stick with the traditional," he says.

Luckily, he gave in, because the works of Asha Carpets are proving the most popular in the shop, especially with local corporate offices. Designed by New York-based artist Joanna Michailowicz, these rugs, made with New Zealand wool and occasionally Chinese silk, feature modern designs, some quite restrained in colour contrasts, compared to their traditional brethren.

They move, too, and stroking them is equally pleasurable.

Feroz should have already realised just how clever Kin is, merely from the way she met him. Four years ago, Kin, Malaysian-born, was visiting friends in Singapore who happened to know Feroz, who invited them all to his flat for a meal.

He cooked it himself ("a small talent", he says modestly), whipping up Thai dishes - tom yang goong, pad tai and some other dainties. Kin was impressed enough to marry the chef, an astute move.

At Sidhartha, Feroz doesn't promise you a homecooked meal, but you'll be moved by the experience. Do drop by and stroke a rug.

Laurie Rosenthal

The Nation