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We've got it covered in Istanbul!
Posted on 24 Apr, 2015
Constantinople is a very long word but I can spell it! Not so sure about Kayseri, Kirsehir, Aksaray and Erzurum - regions of Central and Eastern Anatolia known for producing the beautiful flat woven rugs known as Kilims.
We have long been fascinated by these beautiful textiles with their geometric patterns and glorious vegetable dye colours and have just returned from a hectic 48 hour buying spree in Istanbul where we stocked up on vintage kilims ready to upholster our signature chairs and sofas.
Kilim covered furniture works very work as an aesthetic partner to our leather furniture. Both are robust and full of character, but kilims have ancient tribal patterns that add richness to any decorating scheme.
When upholstering our furniture in kilim rugs, we use exactly the same traditional techniques as with our leather, but there is a little more hand stitching needed and each kilim has to be backed with strong black calico to prevent the gap between the two blocks of colour from moving. This slitweave, as it is known, is the most common hand weaving technique, allowing the weaver to work on one colour block before moving onto the next.
Our hard work haggling in the 'hans' (wholesale markets) was rewarded by a delicious lunch of grilled meats, borek, (salty filo pastry with cheese stuffing) and lahmacun, (flat bread with a spicy meat topping), accompanied by a salty yoghurt drink and a smiling Kurdish carpet dealer!
Not sure who was at the best end of the deal financially but we do know that our choice of kilims in terms of style, age, quality, size and colour is true Turkish Delight and our first kilim covered pair of Lansdown Chairs should be in our shop soon. Please buy them so we have an excuse to go back !
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