Thailand & Laos

The Mekong valley, a floor loom, and a pattern tied into the thread before weaving begins. Thai and Lao textiles are woven in silk and cotton on those floor looms. Lao weavers are known for supplementary-weft patterning and mat mi ikat, in which threads are tied and dyed before weaving; sarongs, the tubular sinh, runners and woven panels carry nagas, elephants, tigers and monkeys among diamond lattices. Karen weavers in the hills of Thailand and Burma use back-strap looms and seed decoration. Thai silk, with its slubbed texture and iridescent cross-dyed color, became known worldwide after the Second World War.

Silk runners on a dining table, ikat cushions on a sofa, a framed panel above a sideboard: jewel color, hand-spun surface, no instructions required.