Since the 1930s designers such as Le Corbusier, Alvar Alto and Charles & Ray Eames have been using Moroccan Berber carpets to add a luxurious feel to interiors. Their soft deep pile, bold geometric patterns and often strong vibrant colours can really personalise a room.
Moroccan tribal weaves were mostly created by women from tight-knit communities with strong cultural traditions. As such we are most moved by vintage carpets developed at the whim of the weaver whose only instruction was her ancestral traditions, cultivated in their semi-isolated nomadic communities. The dense deep pile carpets were used not just as floor coverings but also as mattresses, seating and blankets. The female weaver could take years to create a carpet and would often show the story of her life. They are filled with symbolism, mysticism and motifs from nature and their surroundings.
Moroccan carpets range from graphical to monochrome, incorporating bright, saturated colours as well as natural muted tones and for these reasons they are all unique.
Geometric designs are characteristic of single knotted, heavily detailed, #Azilalcarpets. Lacking a written language, ancient Berber weavers wove ancestral myths into the designs using images and symbols often in crazy patterns. For example, the lozenge shape is used to represent the female.
There are hundreds of examples of vibrantly coloured carpets with vintage examples often featuring subtle graduations created by the different dye batches. Traditional dyes are made from local vegetation or minerals and some colours from shells, particularly deep blues and purples. The colours themselves have their own meanings; red for strength, blue for wisdom, yellow for eternity and green for peace.
There are many #BeniOurain tribes in the Middle Atlas Mountains, each with their own distinct style, which is why one sees so many variations on the form. The weaver uses natural wool typically creamy in colour for the background and use black sheep’s wool or henna to dye the wool for the geometric patterns. Although there are now many replica carpets available on the market when you experience an authentic piece there is a richness of colour and silky texture that has evolved over time and cannot be replicated. Adding a unique vintage carpet created by Berber women can really add some soul to your room.
#Kilims and #flatweaves are flatwoven textiles originally from Turkey. These lightweight carpets were used in warmer months. Designs often have vibrant stripes of colour through natural earth tones.
#TuaregMats made of palms and reeds were stitched with designs in camel or goat leather often a deep red-brown colour. These mats were designed to be rolled up and transportable with the Nomadic Desert tribes of North Africa. The patterns are often very geometric in design and sometimes beautifully intricate. Antique and vintage pieces have a great charm and richness in time worn colour of the material.
Understanding the market for Moroccan carpets is key to your purchase. There are basically three levels of carpet; Original vintage pieces which are harder to source but exhibit all of the unique features of a one-off carpet. Carpets which can be made to order to any size, which remain at a high quality and still made by weavers living in the Atlas villages and using natural materials and dyes. The third are copies or derivations of the original, these are not necessarily produced in the natural materials and often factory manufactured. At #WeaverandFound we specialise in sourcing original vintage carpets from our network of carpet sellers and are able to source one off carpets to a high quality which are often snapped up by our clients looking for larger carpets to suit Interior Design projects.
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