I have recently become more and more interested with Orientalism and the style Boho chic. It it very popular right now if you have seen the top fashion lines for spring. Many familiar interior designers and architects are also bringing the influence of Morocco and India into their work. The style is characterized by the use of natural materials and the integration of complex motifs and detailing. With that being said, I wanted to talk today about Kilim carpets and Rugs.

The name is Kilim is Turkish and “and comes from the Persian gelim ‘to spread roughly’, which is probably of Mongolian origin.” The construction of a Kilim is want makes them unique because their extremely delicate. They do not have a pile to protect the warp and weft and therefore are very rare because such few originals have remained over time.

I am not an expert with the technical terms if weaving, so I am going to let wiki do the talking: “Kilims are produced by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat surface with no pile. Most kilim weaves are “weft-facing”, i.e., the horizontal weft strands are pulled tightly downward so that they hide the vertical warp strands. When the end of a color boundary is reached, the weft yarn is wound back from the boundary point. Thus, if the boundary of a field is a straight vertical line, a vertical slit forms between the two different color areas where they meet. For this reason, most kilims can be classed as “slit woven” textiles. The slits are beloved by collectors, as they produce very sharp-etched designs, emphasizing the geometry of the weave. Weaving strategies for avoiding slit formation, such as interlocking, produce a more blurred design image. The weft strands, which carry the visible design and color, are almost always wool, whereas the hidden warp strands can be either wool or cotton. The warp strands are only visible at the ends, where they emerge as the fringe. This fringe is usually tied in bunches, to ensure against loosening or unraveling of the weave.”

These rugs typically have a lighter coloration then those rugs that your see coming out of the east. The motif design is often geometric and almost tribal looking with a simple motif woven in around the border. It used to be that collectors prized pile carpets as opposed to Kilims but recently Kilims have become more desirable and can be very pricey. Of course like everything, if you want a Kilim imitation rug for cheap there are always places to find them. A kilim rug is definitely a unique alternative to the overused oriental rug. Consider purchasing one from your breakfast room or study.

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