Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Rockin’ the Moroccan Look

I am looking for a new rug for our family room and while I’ve looked at and considered many, many, many, many (many!) options, I keep coming back to a Moroccan Berber style rug.

I’ve had this picture on my “Inspiration Wall” in my office for months now …

 
It’s from the California home of Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays featured in Country Living and (unfortunately for me) the article says she got the rug in Marrakesh.
 
Hmmm. How can I get to Marrakesh?
 
I think these Moroccan style rugs are a great alternative to heavier traditional ones. The lightness and subtle pattern make them versatile and easy to coordinate with a variety of design styles. Plus, unlike many of the natural jute and sisal rugs that are popular for the same reason, these are typically super soft and cozy underfoot.
 
The Moroccan rug designs of which I speak are from the Beni Ourain people, who comprise 17 Berber tribes from North Africa. These rugs have distinctive designs, which range from ordered geometric shapes to more free-form, expressive patterns. They almost always are in a neutral palette (usually they have an ivory background with brown or black geometric lines), and they have a shaggy pile. Never intended to be decorative objects, the rugs were originally woven for practical purposes: It is cold in the mountains, so they were used for blankets, shawls and bed covers.
 
My favorites are the ones with just a simple, subtle large scale diamond pattern that aren’t too shaggy.
 
 Wouldn’t you agree these rooms are all rockin’ the Moroccan look …
 

 
Emily Henderson for Design Love Fest
Erika Brechtel
 
 
There are some that are a little more funky too …
 
Jenna Lyons Brooklyn office in British Vogue
 
Pinterest

1st Dibs
 
Original Beni Ourani rugs cost a small fortune so, aside from hopping the Atlantic, where can you find great reproductions?
 
 
Restoration Hardware features some in their catalogs … although when I checked them out in-store they were much shaggier than they look in photos.  I was somewhat disappointed to see how matted down they were in person. Granted, they withstand a lot of traffic, but I’m not sure I want to take the risk for that price.
 
Dara Moroccan Wool Collection
 
This one from Clayton Gray is a beauty…
 
http://www.claytongrayhome.com/item.php?item_id=1408
Beni Ourain style diamond rug
 
The one Emily Henderson used in the example above was from Rugs USA:
Moroccan Shag Ivory Rug

 

 
I also really love this version from Shop Furbish …
 
Cream Moroccan Rug
 
This one from All Modern is a little different, but very pretty too.
 
Pasargad Moroccan rug
Even Pottery Barn and West Elm carry variations on the theme …
 
Souk Wool Rug
Beni Ourain rug
 
 
Once something hits mainstream stores like West Elm and Pottery Barn, I worry that it is a trend waiting to die.  But I’m not so sure about this.
 

A long line of designers and taste makers have had a love fest with these rugs. In Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, designers used Moroccan rugs for their modern yet ethnic look. A couple decades later, mid-century modern designers were known to use these same fluffy piled rugs as a counterpoint to their sleekly designed furniture. In 1972, designer Billy Baldwin chose a room with a diamond-patterned Beni Ourain rug for the cover of his book Billy Baldwin Decorates. 

When something has been a staple in the decorating world for almost a century, I don’t think you can call it trendy. I think these rugs are timeless. What do you think? If you have a Moroccan-inspired rug in your home, send me a picture! I’d love to see how you are rockin’ this look!