From Egypt to the streets of Paris and beyond, Kiliim takes the local craft of flat- or slitweaving and offers it to the world via a collaborative model that takes the strain and stress of marketing and selling off of the artisans.

As the images show, these are rugs of excellent quality. Flatweaving is a method of incorporating the design and coloration throughout the warps and wefts, in contrast to the cheaper pile rugs, which knot together small strands of different colors.

In fact the word “Kiliim” translates to “woven rug” and is generally associated with the weaving styles of North Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.

Kiliim is based in a small Egpytian village situated along the lush Nile Delta: “Our craftsmen come from a long line of kilim artisans who consider the craft as part of their heritage.”

See Kiliim at Maison & Objet through September 16. And go here to find out more.