Kilim Cushion Meltem 66x38cm

The traditional and timeless patterns of Anatolia make our vintage cushions very special. These mystical symbols from a millennia-old nomadic tradition are believed to bless the home and its inhabitants with love, blessings, and protection. High-quality materials like hand-spun sheep's wool, goat hair, or cotton connect us with the energy of Mother Earth. This cushion cover was lovingly sewn in the Wild Heart Free Soul atelier in Istanbul from a fragment of a hand-woven Midcentury vintage Kilim. The back is made of recycled cotton and features a high-quality zipper. The Kilim was professionally cleaned before being repurposed; age-related wear and natural irregularities are inevitable in unique, handmade vintage rugs.

Anatolian kilims are far more than mere textile utility items – they are woven memories, personal messages, and an expression of lived culture. For generations, women from nomadic tribes and villages wove their wishes, hopes, and stories into the fabric – freely, intuitively, and full of symbolic power.

This kilim, too, was woven in an Anatolian home – from the wool of their own sheep, shorn, washed, combed, and hand-spun. The yarns were often dyed with natural pigments from madder, reseda, walnut, or indigo – but from the 1950s onwards, synthetic dyes increasingly found their way into the villages. The world became faster, more colorful – not every kilim remained purely plant-dyed. Many pieces from the 1960s and 1970s bear in their tones the traces of a cultural transition: between old and new, craftsmanship and modernity.

Weaving was a ritual act – accompanied by songs, stories, silence. Often, several women sat together at the loom: mother, grandmother, sister, neighbor. Every knot, every line, every symbol carried meaning – protection, fertility, connection, strength. Symbols like the eye (Göz), the cosmic mother (Elibelinde), or the scorpion became bearers of deep messages.

They were used, loved, passed on – and some of them slept long in chests until they one day saw the light again.

Today, we clean and restore these pieces with the utmost respect: washed with olive soap, dried in the Antalya sun, repaired in our Istanbul studio.

Some pieces are with us for only a few months, others accompany us for years – because we rush nothing. Every kilim is restored with time, care, and respect. Some await the right restorer, the summer months to bathe in the sunlight – their quiet transformation back into a living work of art.

A kilim from Wild Heart Free Soul is not a product.
It is a heritage. A woven wish.
And perhaps a companion for your home of tomorrow.

A kilim is a long-lasting companion – if treated with love and cared for mindfully, it can endure for many more generations. It doesn't require elaborate care, but rather the right kind of care.

We recommend gently vacuuming or shaking out your kilim once or twice a month to remove dust and dirt. Please do not use a rotating vacuum cleaner for this, but ideally a brush attachment or a gentle handheld device. Too frequent, intensive vacuuming can eventually tire the fibers.

Every few months, it's worth turning the kilim over and vacuuming the back as well. If you gently rotate the rug once a year, it ensures even wear and maintains the balance in the weave.

For basic cleaning, we recommend professional hand washing every 3 to 5 years – with pH-neutral shampoo or olive soap, gently worked in by hand and thoroughly rinsed. Please never put your kilim in dry cleaning or steam cleaning – this would damage the fibers. If you need assistance in choosing a suitable cleaner, we will be happy to advise you. We work with experienced oriental rug specialists and are happy to pass on our special conditions.

And if an accident does happen: Dab fresh stains immediately with a clean, dry cloth. If necessary, carefully dab with a little olive soap and a slightly damp cloth – without rubbing, without soaking. For stubborn dirt, please consult a professional directly. Liquid that spreads along the fibers can become permanently trapped, especially in flat weaves.

Dried food residues can usually be carefully scraped off or brushed out – ideally with a steady hand and without haste.