Midnight Garden Banarasi Silk Table Runner

It's a handwoven pure-silk table runner patterned in the Tanchoi technique, where the design is built from multiple coloured silk threads woven into a smooth satin ground — not printed on. The result is a fine, lustrous runner with a clean finish and a subtle play of colour that dresses a table beautifully. It's a refined, tactile piece with a genuine weaving tradition behind it — an effortless way to make a table feel considered.

Pure silk. Silk gives the runner its satin sheen, fine drape, and smooth surface; the pattern is formed entirely from coloured silk wefts woven into the silk ground.

Yes — both faces are finished, so the runner looks refined from any angle and can be turned for two looks. Tanchoi is especially suited to this because its clean, float-free reverse makes the back a finished surface in its own right.

Yes, entirely. It's handwoven on a traditional handloom in Varanasi — the coloured silk wefts are interlaced into the satin ground on the loom, not printed or applied afterward. Tanchoi is technically demanding, and a finely patterned runner takes considerable time at the loom. Power-loom imitations exist but lack the fineness, supple hand, and clean reverse of genuine Tanchoi.

Tanchoi is a fine silk brocade technique woven in Varanasi (Banaras). According to its widely told history, it reached India in the mid-19th century, when a Parsi merchant sent three weavers from Surat to China to learn satin-brocade weaving from a master named Chhoi — the name combines 'tan' (three, for the brothers) and their teacher's name. First woven in Surat, it later declined there and was revived by the weavers of Banaras, who made it distinctly their own.

Heavier Banarasi brocades like Kimkhab and Gyasar are built up with dense metallic zari, creating a raised, weighty, almost stiff cloth. Tanchoi instead draws its richness from coloured silk wefts woven into a satin ground — producing a smooth, flat, finely patterned surface that is much lighter and more supple, and drapes elegantly over a table edge.

With Tanchoi, the back of the cloth is the clearest tell. Genuine handwoven Tanchoi has a clean reverse with only very short thread floats, because the technique integrates the wefts into the weave — no long, loose trailing threads, even in complex designs. A printed or power-loom imitation shows hard-edged surface pattern, a blank or messy reverse, and lacks the same softness and drape.

Yes. Banaras Brocades and Sarees hold a Geographical Indication (GI) under Indian law, restricting the name to silk genuinely woven in the Varanasi region using traditional techniques. Tanchoi woven in Banaras falls within this protected tradition, and this piece is woven there. The GI exists to defend authentic Banarasi weaving against widespread power-loom imitations.

Dry cleaning is recommended for fine silk. On the table, keep it clear of direct contact with food and open flame, blot any spills immediately rather than rubbing, and avoid machine or hand washing, which can distort the weave and dull the sheen. Store flat or gently rolled. Cared for this way, it will hold its lustre for years.

Each runner is handwoven in small quantities — the weaver's time and the specific silk colourways limit how many can be made, and once a colourway is finished it isn't reproduced. Limited edition simply describes the reality of fine handweaving.

Beautifully — especially for someone who loves to host. Banarasi silk carries deep ceremonial significance in India, and a Tanchoi runner brings that heritage to the table as a refined, lasting piece. It ships within 24 hours, arrives gift-ready, and is delivered with duties fully covered for recipients in the US and Canada.