Palazzo Rugs: The Weaving Tradition Behind the Pattern

Palazzo is a real place in the history of carpet weaving, and the name on a modern rug is a reference to a specific tradition rather than decoration. Here is what it refers to, and what the pattern is actually saying.

Where the design comes from

A European rather than an Eastern name: the grand Italian town house, where Anatolian carpets arrived through Venetian trade and were laid on tables rather than floors because they were too valuable to walk on.

In our range this sits in the European Classic collection. Ornament from European interiors rather than Eastern looms — architectural borders, quiet centres and rugs designed to hold a large room in order.

How to read the pattern

Formal symmetry with a strong centre and a deep frame — a design meant to be read from a doorway, and to hold a large room in order.

Palazzo in a machine washable rug

European decorative design puts its weight in the border and keeps the centre quiet, which is the opposite of the Persian instinct. It makes for a rug that furniture sits on comfortably.

Our Palazzo designs are woven in chenille polyester on a woven cotton backing with a non-slip finish. That construction is what makes the rug washable at 30°C in a domestic machine — there is no latex or rubber layer to crack, and no wool to felt. It is a genuinely different object from the hand-knotted rugs the name refers to, and it is meant to be: one is an heirloom, the other is a floor covering you can put in the wash.

Colours it comes in

We currently weave 6 Palazzo designs, across 7 colour families — blue & navy, mink & brown, grey & silver, black & anthracite, green & khaki, cream & white and red & burgundy. Prices run from £50 for the 60 × 100 cm to £185 for the 200 × 300 cm, with delivery to the UK and Europe included.

What size to buy

A formal medallion design wants to be seen whole. That argues for the larger sizes — 155 × 230 cm or 200 × 300 cm — where the centre is not hidden under a coffee table.

Every design is woven in all ten sizes: 60 x 100, 80 x 150, 100 x 200, 120 x 180, 80 x 300, 100 x 300, 155 x 230, 200 x 300, 160 round, 200 round cm. We would put Palazzo in the living room, the bedroom, the dining room and the hallway before anywhere else.

Common questions

Is this the same as a hand-knotted Palazzo?

No. A hand-knotted Palazzo is a different object entirely — tied by hand in wool or silk, often over months, and priced accordingly. What we make is a power-woven washable rug that uses the Palazzo design vocabulary. The pattern is the inheritance; the construction is modern.

What colours does Palazzo come in?

7 colour families — blue & navy, mink & brown, grey & silver, black & anthracite, green & khaki, cream & white and red & burgundy. We file a rug under the colour it reads as across a room, not the colour covering the most area, so an ivory ground with strong blue motifs is listed under blue.

Where should a Palazzo rug go?

The living room, The bedroom, The dining room and The hallway suit it best. Anchor the sofa and coffee table. Because it washes at 30°C, the rooms most people avoid putting a rug in — kitchen, hallway, under a dining table — are the ones where it earns its keep.

Living with it

• Machine washable at 30°C on a gentle cycle — sizes up to 120 × 180 cm fit a standard 7 kg drum.
• Non-slip woven cotton backing: no separate underlay needed on wood, tile or laminate.
• Low pile, so robot vacuums pass over it without snagging.
• No latex, glue or rubber crumb — nothing to break down into dust.
• Dry flat or over a rail. Never tumble dry.