For interiors
Khayamia textiles for interior designers
Hand-stitched appliqué panels from Cairo's tentmaker tradition — specified by scale, palette, and motif family — for residential and hospitality interiors that need a focal piece with documented cultural depth.
Specifying Khayamia
A Khayamia panel is among the few textile objects that functions simultaneously as wall art, cultural artifact, and acoustic surface. The dense cotton construction — multiple layers of hand-stitched appliqué on a cotton backing — absorbs sound without the associations of a rug or the fragility of a painting on canvas.
Panels are available in a range of standard sizes from 30 × 30 cm to approximately 150 × 200 cm, and can be commissioned to custom dimensions. The standard format is a single rectangular panel with a central motif field and a border. Diptych and triptych arrangements are possible for larger wall spans.
The design vocabulary is genuinely flexible. Geometric compositions read as architectural and abstract; floral work reads warmer and more domestic; figurative panels introduce narrative. Calligraphic work is appropriate for hospitality projects in Islamic cultural contexts or where a client specifically requests it.
Palette and Scale
Khayamia's traditional palette runs from deep madder crimson and Nile indigo to warm ivory and terracotta — colours that work with aged plaster, natural stone, and dark-stained timber. Contemporary workshops also work in muted, studio-ready palettes: warm greys, dusty rose, sage, and off-white on a linen-coloured ground.
For large-scale residential or hospitality installations, we coordinate directly with the workshop on palette matching. Bring us a finish sample or a paint reference; the tentmaker will source thread to match before cutting begins.
The geometry is doing structural work in the room — it creates a centre, organises the eye, and gives the space a reason to be still. You can't buy that effect with a print.
Interior designer, London, on specifying a Khayamia commission
Working with Us
We work directly with interior designers on specification, lead time, and installation. Trade pricing is available for design professionals; contact us with project details to discuss terms.
Lead times for commissioned pieces run four to twelve weeks depending on size and complexity. We provide progress photographs at the design-approval and midpoint stages, and ship on the same terms as gallery pieces: archival tube, acid-free tissue, full insurance, Certificate of Authenticity.
For recurring project needs, we can establish a standing relationship with one or two workshops on your behalf — ensuring consistent quality, a known point of contact in Cairo, and priority position in the commission queue.