Hand Woven Treasures - Kilims

Good morning and how are we doing today??? I'm so glad to be back to blogging.........

This week the spotlight is on KILIMS. It's high time I share my obsession of Kilims with you'll. My love for kilims can be seen here in my Indian style living room. I've layered the space with an Indian kilim. It helps define the space, adds instant color, texture and a well traveled feel to any space. It's a versatile  and flexible material to work with. And by that I mean, you could use it as a rug to layer a room, hang it up and you have instant wall art, or just drape it over the couch to add interest to the space. And kilim cushions - you can never have too many of them, can you????? 

Kilims seem to be everywhere ..........

     The Kilim Trend

Join me as I drool and lust over these beautiful hand crafted pieces that are steeped in a millennia of heritage. As expensive as they may be but once you understand how time consuming and labor intensive the entire process is, the cost is something you will over look. Kilims are a great investment from a decor perspective.They have been around for a while now and are here to stay............These flat weave rugs are easy to clean, and are great for high traffic areas. Original vintage kilim rugs are organic in nature - they are hand made and the weavers use natural dyes to color them. Kilim patterns are rectilinear in design.The patterns are exclusive to the weaver's traditions, beliefs and environment. The colors and patterns on kilims help identify the genesis of the particular region producing them.

The history of kilims is fascinating......carpet knotting is thought to have initiated in Central Asia more than 3000 years ago. Migrating tribes of this region, pioneered in making dwellings to protect themselves against bitter weather. They preferred using goat hair to sheep hair as it  produced a flat-weave technique, that yielded virtually waterproof tents. The process was then applied to design floor coverings to sheathe the floor of the dwelling from humidity: thus the first kilims were born.

          Layer It

           Hang It

         Pile It On

 

How about a larger Berber Moroccan Kilim Pillow from the Loaded Trunk.

         Pouf It Up

Use Kilim poufs or floor cushions to create extra seating options......

In addition to the brief history on kilims, I thought I'd also include a quick guide on how to identify a GOOD QUALITY Kilim. After all they are big investment pieces and one ought to know what to look for:

• Focus on the dyes used in a kilim and the color fastness of the material. If the quality of the kilims are good they will not fade in time.To guarantee the color fastness apply a damp white cloth to the kilim, the color should not bleed onto the wet cloth.
• The greater the number of threads, the higher the quality.When pulling the kilim apart to check it's quality, ensure that it does not stretch easily.
• The rug should be woven densely and white warps threads should not be visible.
•The lighter a kilim, the better is it's quality.

Now, don't you'll want a piece of this for yourselves ???? Not to worry, I got you'll covered. Coming up is a wonderful store straight from the heart of Turkey that's going to leave you wanting for more...........You have a wonderful day!!!!

Images:  Boots, Purse, Coasters, Pouf, Kilim Symbols all other images via Etsy, Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest, Apartment Therapy, Tumblr and Tumblr.