The canonical Kashan composition, in navy

Of all the patterns the Kashan workshops have woven over the centuries, the one that became the city’s identity in the Western trade is also its simplest: medallion, corners, field, border. The medallion is centered. The corners (lachak in Persian) repeat the medallion’s design language at quarter scale. The field between them is left open — deliberately spacious — because the composition’s power comes from the relationship between figure and ground, not from field density. This piece is our 1200 Reeds reading of that canon, executed on a deep navy field rather than the more commonly seen Kashan red.

Why navy changes a textbook Kashan

Most canonical Kashans are red-fielded — the saturated madder ground is part of the Kashan visual identity. Navy is the alternate register reserved historically for buyers who wanted Kashan formality without Kashan warmth: cooler, more architectural, more compatible with rooms whose furniture isn’t already in warm-wood territory. The medallion and corners pop slightly more crisply against navy than against red, which makes the rug’s formal composition easier to read from across the room. Holds well under both warm and cool lighting.

Construction

1200 Reeds — شانه shaneh 1200, تراکم tarakom >3,000,000 knots/m²

Pile

66% Polypropylene / 34% Polyester on premium cotton warp

Tradition quoted

Canonical Kashan medallion-and-corner composition (19th–20th c. baseline) — design-language reference

Composition

Deep navy field, polychrome central medallion, four matching corner spandrels, classical Kashan border

Daily care

Easy household care. Vacuum regularly. Treat spills like you would on fine upholstery — blot promptly with a clean dry cloth, never scrub. Professional clean every 24 months. This is not a machine-washable rug.

Available sizes

Multiple sizes available from accent through full-room. See variant selector for current pricing.

Designer styling

The textbook Kashan navy fits the broadest range of interiors of any Kashan sibling: traditional, transitional, classical-revival, even calmly contemporary rooms with one or two classical references. Pairs with walnut, oak, ash, mahogany, brass, blackened steel, leather and velvet upholstery in cream, oatmeal, camel, deep red. Layers cleanly with antique kilim cushions or modern bouclé — the open field accepts companions easily.

Best for / skip if

Best for: formal living and dining rooms; transitional spaces wanting one strong classical anchor; bedrooms with antique or reproduction four-posters; foyers and reception halls; renters with mixed furniture who need a unifying piece.

Skip if: the room is full coastal or full Scandinavian-modern — the navy and the formal composition will read foreign. Try a Saraband or Silver-Mono register for those settings instead.

See it in our Sacramento showroom

The canonical Kashan is the rug new shoppers most often see in photos and most often misjudge in scale. Our Watt Avenue showroom keeps multiple sizes laid out so you can choose by sightline rather than by guess. Visit the showroom or browse navy Persian rugs.

Reed count and density. “1200 Reeds” (شانه ۱۲۰۰, shaneh 1200) describes warp density across the rug’s width; “tarakom” (تراکم) describes knot density. Our 1200 Reeds line exceeds 3,000,000 knots/m² — well above commodity machine-woven rugs and approaching mid-grade hand-knotted territory in fineness, though still a machine-woven design-language quotation of the traditions it references. Full reed-count guide.