Suzani is roughly defined as a hand-woven cotton or wool fabric with silk threads that usually represent floral, plant or geometric motifs. Its origin is goes back to medieval times in ancient Persia, but today they are still manufactured regularly in some Central Asian towns, mainly Ukbekistan or Kazakhstan. Its name comes from the Persian word "sozan" which means needle, and traditional fabrics could take up to 18 months to make, in a contrasting color combination that used to use red as a background, applying earth tones, aubergine, gray or gray. white.
Formerly they served to commemorate important dates in the life of a person and their family, to adorn in celebrations or as a form of artistic or spiritual expression for the women who carried them out. Its use extended to all the elements textiles: Garments, tapestries, bedspreads, saddles or carpeting, and depending on their function they used to be finished off with fringes, trimmings, jewelry, bells ... Today these period pieces are listed as works of art, although current models are the most susceptible to customization for decorative uses.
There are two different aspects: New western and contemporary style suzanis with colorful graphic motifs with an ethnic air, and others with a more classic aspect that refer to Asian folklore with symbolic decoration and darker tones. What brings true status to a suzani (ancient or not) is the depth and texture; The more relief it shows, the more its value is appreciated, something that is achieved by varying the direction of the needle, alternating the thickness of the thread and playing with the color ranges.
Aesthetically there are also two clear trends; the most common is to use it as the main piece in a room where the rest of the furniture and accessories contrast for their cleanliness and neutrality, as in the bedroom on the right. However, it can also be a valid option to create a certain decorative variegation overlapping different fabrics suzani in the same environment, taking care to select similar shades and formats for all fabrics; In the image on the left they have opted for the rhombus as the main element and a wise combination of warm and cold ranges on white.
Another effect of the prevailing eclecticism is the recurrent initiative of coat and customize old furniture and accessories with unique upholstery, which has given suzani a new life as it is a very flexible and adaptable fabric that adorns itself: Armchairs, chairs, cushions, curtains, shoes, magazine racks, consoles and a long etcetera, with numerous and original proposals on the net.
More information - Rugs that bring new uses
Sources - Once upon a tea time, decorum, Katy elliott, Decostyle12, JPM Design