Just back from a recent trip to Morocco, I am feeling both inspired and refreshed. While there, I spent quite a bit of my time exploring the labyrinth of alleys and lanes that make up the famous souks. Craftsmen and artisans have shop after shop set up and sell practically everything – textiles, pottery, shoes, clothing, and of course, carpets. Moroccan carpets come in a variety of designs and are embroidered or woven or both. Historically, the various tribes have each created their own distinctive style. To the shopper, this basically means piles and piles of choices.
The past year or so I have been seriously lusting over the Beni Ouarain rugs, which are known for their cream/beige color and shaggy pile, however they tend to run on the expensive side in the States. Recently some of the bigger home furnishing stores such as West Elm and Anthropology have started carrying Beni Ouarain rugs as well, however the ones they carry tend to be the less traditional styles and designs. Well, with this in mind, I knew that this was certainly something I wanted to look into while in Morocco. And look into it I did! I probably went to at least 6 different shops inquiring about these rugs. I definitely found a few gorgeous pieces that had the traditional Berber designs. Unfortunately a few that I loved were still a bit over my budget. Normally I would probably convince myself to splurge in that situation, however since I have a somewhat uncontrollable 11 month old puppy at home, I did not want to get too carried away with my “dream rug.” With that in mind, I managed to snag 2 lovely Beni Ouarain’s which fit perfectly in my apartment. I also brought back a traditional Touareg rug which has the most beautiful colors.
For more information about the Beni Ouarain rugs, visit Berber-Arts or Breuckelen Berber. Also, be sure to check back on the inevitable updates such as Removing Red Wine or Pet Hair from my Beni Ouarain rug!!
collected and curated 