Palatial Rugs and Oversized Carpets

Palatial carpets — above roughly 15 m²

Carpets of this size were made for rooms built to hold them: reception halls, ballrooms, the long galleries of country houses. They were never everyday goods. A single antique palace carpet represented several weavers working at one loom for years, and the number that survive in good condition is small — which is why this part of the collection changes slowly and why individual pieces are worth waiting for.

We hold stock up to about 900 × 700 cm (roughly 50 m²) and weave to order up to approximately 200 m².

What comes in this size

Not every weaving tradition worked at palace scale. The ones that did are mostly the workshop centres with the looms and the organisation to manage it:

• Antique Persian workshop carpets — Lavar Yazd, Mohajeran Sarouk, Manchester Kashan, Halwai Bidjar and fine Tabriz
• Indian and Agra weaving — often the source of the very largest antique pieces on the market
• Ziegler and Sultanabad revivals — woven today in Afghanistan and Pakistan in softened palettes, and the practical choice when an antique in the right dimensions does not exist
• Contemporary commissions — designer work woven to any size on dedicated looms

For context on historic carpets at this scale, the Ardabil Carpet at the V&A is the best-documented example in a public collection, and Jozan covers the palace commissions in detail.

Commissioning at this scale

Most projects at palace size end up as commissions, simply because the room dictates the dimensions. We work from your measurements and references, produce a hand-painted strike-off for approval, and weave on looms built for the width — a carpet of this size is woven in one piece, not joined. Lead time is typically six to twelve months depending on size and knot density. Antique designs, Ziegler palettes, plain grounds and contemporary work are all possible. Made-to-measure rugs.

Practical realities — an honest note

At this size the carpet is a building material, and the questions are the same ones you would ask about a piece of furniture that does not come apart.

Weight and handling. A carpet of 30 m² weighs roughly 200 to 300 kg, and an antique Bidjar of that area rather more. Delivery and laying need four people and a plan. Once it is down, it stays down; turning it is a scheduled undertaking, not a Saturday job.

Access. The rolled diameter is what stops deliveries, not the length. Stairwells, lift doors, landings and tight turns all need checking first. Tell us the route in advance and we will work out whether it goes — in some cases the answer is a crane through a window, and it is far better to know that before the carpet is on a lorry.

Fit. Old buildings are not square and hand-knotted carpets are not exact. A piece can vary by several centimetres end to end. Where a carpet has to sit inside a fixed border or an alcove, we measure that specific piece at several points and give you the true figures.

Condition. Antique carpets of this size have usually spent a century in one room, which means uneven wear: bright and full where furniture stood, low along the walking lines. Ends and sides have generally been restored at some point. All of it is photographed and described, and none of it is a defect at that age — but if you want an even surface throughout, a new commission is the honest answer.

Cleaning. Very few plants can handle a carpet of 30 or 50 m². Establish where it will be washed before you buy it, not in ten years' time.

At a glance

• Size: from approximately 15 m²; in stock to about 900 × 700 cm (roughly 50 m²)
• Made to measure: to approximately 200 m², woven in one piece
• Weight: roughly 6 to 9 kg per m² — 200 kg and upwards at these dimensions
• Lead time for commissions: approximately six to twelve months
• Shipping: insured worldwide; delivery and laying arranged individually
• Documentation: written assessment of origin, material and knot count with every carpet

Advice and viewing

Pieces at this level are rarely bought from a photograph, and we would not expect you to. You are welcome to see a carpet at our showroom in Lohr am Main, we can arrange a live video viewing on WhatsApp, and for larger projects we come to you. For architects and interior designers working to a deadline, call us early — lead times and access are much easier to solve at the planning stage.

Enquiries: +49 170 3800587

Care

Vacuum in the direction of the pile with the rotating brush bar off the fringes and off restored ends. Felt pads under heavy furniture. Blot spills rather than rubbing; on an antique, call before treating anything, because old dyes can move. Professional hand washing every five to ten years. Customers in Germany can use our hand washing and restoration service; for carpets of this size we assess the piece on site first.

Related collections

Large room-size rugs · Persian rugs · Sarouk · Kashan · Bidjar · Made-to-measure rugs