Ah, Paris! The city of lights! Or so begins every tome ever written about the French capital city as if there are simply no other suitable pseudonyms. Amongst those that may remain unknown to you, as it was to me until recently, is the hippest slang moniker of them all: Panam! Derived from ‘Paname’, the name of the fashionable Panama Hats worn by Parisians in the early 20th century (owing to the French attempt to construct the Panama Canal I surmise), the name is indubitably de rigueur for francophiles attempting to blend in as francophones. It’s also the name of a stunning and impossibly French carpet from Chevalier édition: Mesdames et Messieurs. Je vous présente le tapis: ‘Panam Panam’. C’est magnifique!
‘Panam Panam’ designed by Claudio Colucci for Chevalier édition. Visualization of this colouration courtesy of Chevalier édition.
Reminiscent of a stunning wrought iron filigree gate the casual observer may be forgiven for immediately dismissing the design as yet another variation of a two (2) colour damask. Upon closer inspection the motifs reveal themselves not as delicate ironwork, but as elements inspired by the street scenes of Paris including of course: Les Parisiennes. That is to say in english: Fashionable Parisian women with improbably long and sensual sexy legs. The designer of the carpet Claudio Colucci has been inspired by the scenery of Paris, creating motifs representing everyday Parisian life, designing the piece much the same as a classical old carpet with the details masked, only to be discovered slowly over time. ‘Panam Panam’ is available in three (3) sizes all well suited in scale for your pied-à-terre.