Spirited, colourful, textured and unapologetically joyful, our continuing love affair with Suzani's sees no end. Suzani the Farsi word for needle encapsulates the embroidery that has long been integral to the lives of the Uzbek people, with bright colour and elaborate patterns at the heart of this traditional art.
There is no doubt if you follow us on Instgram you have seen the array exquisite embroidered Suzani's thrown casually over a Victorian chaise longue or up cycling a battered old armchair; hanging on a wall and draped across a bed. They are colourful and joyful and a truly spectacular piece of interior design that elevates any space.
Christie’s Islamic Art specialist Xavier Fournier explains "A suzani is a large, hand-embroidered textile panel; the word comes from the Persian word suzan, which means needle. Originating from nomadic tribes in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries, suzanis have become highly collectable and valued for their beautiful decoration and fine craftsmanship."
A fertile beginning.
The love story begins in the ancient villages where the Suzanis were woven by the women of the villages as dowry pieces. Each woman in the family would be given a strip to embroider – usually in silk, onto a cotton foundation – then the panels would be joined together. Decorated with flowers and fruit, the symbols of fertility, the finished pieces were originally used in tents as decorative dividers and floor spreads.
Interior designers best friend.
The love story continues today, where Suzanis are now a seriously hot design trend. Championed by the likes of Susan Deliss and Swedish Interior Designer Beata Heuman, the ancient mystery that is entwinned in each embroidered individual piece are collectors items and many go for thousands of pounds at auction. These works of art, born from a creative vision by talented and skilled crafts women, creating something as simple and beautiful today as it was two hundred years ago. On the bed, the sofa the table or the wall. Could there be a more flexible interior friend?
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