Few table settings carry a Persian household’s elegance quite like a hand-finished termeh runner laid across the centre. This Persian termeh tablecloth, named Shokoh Lajvard (‘Lapis Majesty’), measures 100 x 100cm and is woven from four-colour silk termeh in a deep lapis blue, making it suited to a coffee table, console or Nowruz sofreh alike. Persis Collection ships from our London base and sources pieces like this directly from artisans who still hand-embroider using techniques passed down through generations, giving second and third generation Iranians a tangible link to a tradition many grew up around but rarely own themselves.
Authentic Persian Tablecloth: Materials, Craftsmanship and Care
The tablecloth is cut from four-colour silk termeh, a dense jacquard-woven fabric traditionally reserved for formal Persian textiles, then finished with hand-embroidered sarmeh-douzi along two adjoining edges. The 10cm-wide border uses corded padding beneath the stitching, so the floral, leaf and boteh jegheh motifs sit raised above the surface and catch the light as the cloth moves. Every stitch is worked entirely by hand, and the reverse is finished with a quality lining for a clean, structured drape. Because silk weave and metallic embroidery threads are delicate, avoid machine or hand washing altogether; have the cloth dry cleaned only by a specialist familiar with fine embroidered fabrics, lift dust with a soft dry brush, iron solely the plain sections from the back on a low setting with a protective cloth between, and store it away from direct sunlight, damp, perfume and alcohol.
The Artistic Story Behind the Shokoh Lajvard Design
Shokoh Lajvard takes its name from the lapis-blue ground that anchors the design, a shade long used in Persian art for its association with depth and richness. Across this background, rows of boteh jegheh, the teardrop paisley motif rooted in Persian textile history, repeat in warm golden tones that stand out gently against the dark field. Where the two embroidered borders meet at the corner, a single large boteh jegheh worked in sarmeh-douzi forms a focal point rather than a continuous repeat. The flower, leaf and paisley stitching along the border reflects a craft tradition still practised by hand today, as explained in this overview of termeh weaving. For a Nowruz table that carries the same spirit, it sits naturally alongside pieces like our Evil Eye Ceramic Haft Sin set.
Specifications:
- Material: four-colour silk termeh fabric
- Size: 100 x 100cm
- Weight: 900g
- Colour: lapis blue with gold-tone embroidery
- Design: Shokoh Lajvard, boteh jegheh with floral and leaf motifs
- Technique: hand sarmeh-douzi embroidery with corded raised work
- Lining: quality lining on reverse
- Shape: square
- Care: dry clean only by a specialist
