Designer Ben Soleimani’s goal for his textile company is an impressive one: to offer “revolutionary pricing for the quality of the design.”

After years of designing for others, he decided it was time to create his own brand, launching the eponymous Ben Soleimani line in February 2019. “I saw an opportunity in the market to bring design-center quality directly to consumers at unprecedented pricing,” he says.

And it was a business with which he was very familiar. A fourth-generation designer and purveyor, Soleimani’s family owns Mansour, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious antique rug dealers (they have a royal warrant from the Prince of Wales, which means they’ve designed for the royal family). So growing up, Soleimani’s world was fibers, textures, and weaves. Born in Iran and raised in London, he was already drawing designs at the tender age of 7 to pass the time at school; by 8, he could identify any rug by origin.

As a young man, Soleimani, 47, opened an outpost of Mansour in the U.S. and ran the business for decades before leaving to partner with Restoration Hardware, where he launched a collection in 2010.

Now, Soleimani’s new direct-to-consumer business sells superior-quality rugs, pillows, and throws without going through a middleman or compromising on quality. His company is the source, enabling him to keep costs down—his rugs range from $445 to $2,595. He also offers special pricing to industry professionals through a dedicated trade program.

Based in both Los Angeles and London, the company produces designs that are “modern, but timeless and practical,” Soleimani says. “I stick to a neutral palette most of the time. I want my offerings to be as beautiful today as they will be decades from now.”

Soleimani’s inspiration comes from “nature, travel, contemporary art, and the seemingly mundane, like the patina of a weathered wall, or the way the sand is shaped by the water,” he says. And his approach to design is rather minimalist: “I take all my inspiration and knowledge of an item and try to translate it into something that is vastly simplified. I appreciate traditional design, the care and quality, but I lean toward the simple and beautiful. I redefine and simplify—it is one of my signatures,” Soleimani says.

For his creations, Soleimani works with a wide variety of materials, including wool, silk, wood, stone, brass, leather, and linen, all of which he sources himself. His rugs often take months to make, since they are handwoven by expert artisans. Styles include contemporary, traditional, Moroccan, indoor/outdoor, and flat-weave designs.

While right now the business is only online, there are plans to open brick-and-mortar stores in key cities across the country in the near future. But first, Soleimani is focusing on the launch of his furniture collection.

“The offerings are contemporary, with natural materials, good lines, and attention to detail,” he says. “It’s both your foundation pieces and designs that are showstoppers.”