Inside a Tapestry Weaver's Workshop: The Tapestry of Aubusson

In a workshop in Aubusson, time runs on a different unit: it is counted in months. Tapestry, a UNESCO-listed craft, is returning to contemporary interiors — the exact opposite of the instant.

The low-warp craft

The weaver works from the back, following a cartoon (the model), passing the dyed wool thread by thread. A square metre of tapestry can take a month of work. Each shade is a different wool.

An art that returns

Long confined to museums and châteaux, tapestry is winning over designers and decorators again: contemporary pieces, artist collaborations, the return of warm, acoustic wall textiles.

How to spot a real one

Hand weaving (on the reverse, the coloured threads run free), natural wools, the workshop's signature. A printed "tapestry" has neither the relief, nor the depth, nor the value.

Spotted a textile piece? Scan it on Beyit.