We here at Christiane Millinger Handmade Rugs are pleased to announce the arrival of several new designs from Italy's Battilossi. We selected these designs while on a trip to New York in September and have been eagerly awaiting them since. Needless to say, Battilossi has again exceeded our expectations by continuing to produce some of the most interesting concepts and original area rugs available on the market today, and we consider ourselves fortunate to be able to bring them to you, our clients and design partners.
Akira in Owl from Battilossi
One thing that becomes very apparent whenever we show these rugs is that Battilossi are the premier manufacturer when it comes to modern and innovative textures. Several of their lines are a combination that begins as one of their proprietary weaving styles, plus a set of design elements, and then an exquisitely refined palette of color. Each factor is also interchangeable by their expert weaving partners in Pakistan and Nepal to be configured and reconfigured into near endless combinations, yet always maintaining a distinctly signature look and feel. The surface of their pieces can be pile, or flat-woven, or even some combination. This ability to adapt and modify their designs has made them one of our favorite recommendations for sophisticated, contemporary interiors and for clients looking to play with modern textures and interplay with select materials.
Romolo Battilossi discussing rugs in early 1960's Italy
But far from being a newcomer to the rug world, the Battilossi story really begins in Italy during the late 1950's. Romolo Battilossi felt that his time apprenticing as a restorer in a well known Turin carpet shop had finally prepared him to pursue a dream. This was a dream to strike out on his own and open his own store showcasing a collection featuring only the finest antique rugs, carpets, and textiles seen. This passion and drive eventually places Romolo among the premier rugs dealers, not only in Italy or Europe, but the entire world. This eye for unique and rare carpets also sparked the same passion and appreciation in his two children, Maurizio and Marina. The pinnacle of Romolo Battilossi's affinity for rugs takes place in 1998 as Christie's features one hundred and twenty two of their finest rugs and carpets ever to be seen at auction, netting record prices, and firmly cementing the Battilossi name among the true purveyors of fine antique rugs.
Around this time Maurizio and Marina set about to conceive an entirely new chapter in the Battilossi story. They begin to explore the possibility of creating not just original contemporary rug designs, but an entirely new philosophy in rug making. However, access to the knowledge and insight gained with their father as they accompanied him to markets, bazars, museums, and auctions did not come without a price. Romolo Battilossi, a true curator and pillar of the antique rug world, was so distraught that they would rather choose to make new rugs rather than continue the legacy he had created that he refused to speak to his children for four years. Though even Romolo eventually accepted that while their designs were indeed like nothing seen before, their rugs did continue a deep appreciation of the heritage and spirit of the timeless classic rugs so dear to his own heart.
Storm in Cactus from Battilossi
These original rugs that Maurizio Battilossi has produced were also like nothing Christiane had seen in her near 30 years of working with fine textiles. During a meeting in Hamburg, Germany during the Domotex global rug convention in 2019 it was agreed that we would finally be able to bring these amazing rugs to the Pacific Northwest. After a brief delay in 2020, we were finally able to offer these incredible contemporary looks, textures, and styles to our clients and have enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive response to them. It is not unusual for us to hear that Battilossi rugs are like nothing our clients and designers have ever seen before.
Battilossi is quickly becoming one of our more popular contemporary lines for both the residential and design communities. We have commissioned several custom projects to suit interior designers as well as walk-in clients and even produced some of our own signature versions of their patterns for our own curated collection of available rugs. Please enjoy a preview of our Battilossi collection on our site, or see them in person at our showroom located at 2037 NW Lovejoy St in Portland, Oregon.