Karen Reddington-Hughes
Karen Reddington-Hughes is an Oriental rug expert with extensive experience working with corporate and private interior designers. She considers educating her potential buyers about rugs an integral piece of her business practice and strives to balance the rug buying experience for her customers. Between rug education, design services, repair work and her ability to stay under budget, Karen’s relationship with her clients is long term.
She began working in the rug trade 17 years ago, when she worked under Claire Hamrah Faulk at Hamrah’s. Under Claire’s tutelage Karen spent time visiting rug wholesalers and learning the trade. When she reflects on her years at Hamrah’s Karen often shares the “thrill” of selling her first rug to a young couple.
In 2004 Karen set up shop on scenic Main Street in Woodbury, Connecticut. Her store, Abrash Galleries Rugs and Antiquities, is an eclectic mix of Karen’s unique personality. Her peerless collection of antique, semi-antique and modern rugs is both her passion and her pleasure. She showcases her Persian, Turkish, Chinese, and Indian rugs alongside artwork that she’s collected during her travels around the globe, at auction houses, and estate sales.
Karen can often be found throughout Connecticut sharing her love of rugs and antiques. She lectures throughout the state on topics ranging from “The Art of the Oriental Rug” to “Building a Room from the Ground Up.” Her interior design services are regularly sought for designer show homes throughout the area.
Karen teamed up with her husband, John Hughes, in late 2004 to create a one-of-a-kind fragrance to compliment her growing rug collection. Her husband’s experience in the fragrance industry allowed them to model “Shiraz” – a scent reminiscent of the gardens of Iran’s Shiraz City which abounds with roses and orange blossoms. Not coincidentally Shiraz is one of the largest rug making centers in Iran.
Karen is an active member of the Greater Woodbury Community. She serves as President of the Woodbury Antique Dealers Association and serves on the boards of the Tribury Rotary, Woodbury Economic Development Council, and the Pomperaug River Wastershed Coalition. She enjoys blending her love of art and nature with her affiliation with the Art Committee of Flanders Nature Center.
She resides in Woodbury with her husband, John and their son, John Christian.
