Staff Pick – Donya
This week’s staff pick, Donya, comes from our Mosaic collection. Carefully balanced, this design contains multitudes in its intricate design and the infiniteness of the circles contained within. Continue reading to understand why Ben chose Donya as our Staff Pick.
In Farsi, Donya translates to “the world” or “The World’s Universe.” Upon looking at the design, “The World’s Universe” superbly suits this carpet’s design. The circular design in cream and light grey wool pops off the carpet’s dark grey background. Within that orb, latticed rectangular motifs echo detailed tile work on a ceiling of a mosque. The different sizes and directions the motifs lay provide a sense of depth within the carpet’s two-dimensional design. Crafted with the same care as traditional Persian carpets, and containing a harmoniously repetitive pattern and captivating depth, Donya is truly a one-of-a-kind piece.
This carpet is nearly square, measuring 8’1” x 8’4,” and crafted in Orley Shabahang’s own Cheshmeh weave. Like all Orley Shabahang carpets, Donya is hand-knotted using all-natural, hand-spun wool. Using traditional Persian weaving techniques, the yarn is dyed, washed, dried, faded, and then woven into the carpet. With only 3 different shades of wool, three master weavers took a total of 8 months to weave Donya. Each thread within the pile is knotted by hand onto the carpet’s cotton warp. The weaver follows the designs’ parameters, and when the row is finished, the master weaver then carefully layers and pounds in the carpet’s cotton weft. The knotting and layering of the weft allows Persian carpets to hold themselves together without the use of toxic adhesives or latex, which is not only safer for you, but also the weaver.
Our process of crafting the world’s best modern Persian carpets involves continuing this proper weaving tradition, which involves much more than just the hand-knotting of the carpet. This includes sustainably cultivating wool from our very own Persian fat-tailed sheep, which is then handspun, dyed, and prepared for weaving. On a more fundamental level, Orley Shabahang prides itself on working directly with individual weaving families in order to keep traditional weaving villages intact and to not displace families into factories.
Every carpet in Orley Shabahang’s collection is created with the same craftsmanship as Donya. If this carpet interests you, make sure to check out the rest of our Mosaic Collection on our website or take a peek at what’s new to our 1stDibs digital storefront.