Styling Inspirations - Marble and Mint

AUTUMN - TIME TO COSY UP….

Posted on 23rd September 2016 by admin

After a long hot Summer, Autumn is finally here and time to think about long cosy evenings ahead. Bare floors are great in the warm weather, but when this time of the year comes, we all want something nice and soft to sink our feet into, next to the sofa in front of the fire, or to welcome you when you take your shoes off in your hallway.

Changing or adding a rug with the season is a great way to instantly update your room, adding colour, texture and warmth. The colour purple is set to be the next big noise in interiors, following on from Autumn/Winter 2016 catwalk trends. We have some beautiful vintage Boujaad rugs available now in soft aubergine and purple tones, originating from the Haouz region of the Middle Atlas Mountains. Investment pieces to see you through this and the coming Winter season. A little early to be thinking about Christmas, but the jewel tones in these rugs would be just perfect for the festive season too!

MID-CENTURY MODERN

Posted on 9th August 20169th August 2016 by admin

If you’re as much a fan of Moroccan rugs as we are, you will know that they were first introduced to the world of interior design by mid-century modernists such as Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames and Frank Lloyd Wright, who used (now classic) Beni Ouarain carpets in his design of Fallingwater House. So what is mid-century modern? It’s a term which describes architecture and design for a period of roughly three decades, from the 1930’s to the 1960’s. The abstract art of Berber rugs was used by these mid century designers to create a complete contrast to the sleek, modern designs of furniture and buildings of the period.

The mid-century vibe is currently enjoying a bit of a revival, although it never really has gone out of style. Mixing pieces of re-claimed or re-invented pieces of mid-century furniture and accessories can make a contemporary home completely unique. Vintage Moroccan rugs do of course fit perfectly with this aesthetic! Most vintage pieces found were woven from the 1950’s to the 1970’s.

Mid-century New York Apartment. Photo credit mid-centuryhome.com

Read more about how to give your home mid-century appeal with Livingetc. (see their Facebook page). We love the etagere by Jonathan Adler for displaying a treasured vinyl collection!

TAKING THE INDOORS OUTDOORS - MOROCCAN RUGS

Posted on 31st July 2016 by admin

I came across this image from Houzz today, what a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and I love the camel print on the tepee! The only thing missing is a nice Moroccan rug spread out on the sand…..and so it inspired me to think more about using rugs outside….

We don’t always have long sustained periods of sunshine in the UK like we had recently, but when we do everyone wants to get outside, to lock up the house and change to outdoor living. Even if you only have a small outdoor space, such as a balcony or small courtyard, you can still create a cool and stylish area to sit, eat and enjoy the weather. There’s nothing I like more than being able to eat outside, to see the sun rising with breakfast and setting with dinner.

So why not embellish your outdoor seating arrangement with rugs and cushions, to make it a complete outdoor living space. Vintage Flatweaves and Boucherouite rugs are perfect for this. They are easy to roll up if there is an unexpected shower, and easy to wash….place one in front of an outdoor sofa or underneath a garden table for a really cosy setting. Add a few other accessories such as lanterns or string lights and it will be a place you’ll never want to leave! If you like to sit on the grass and eat - picnic style - spread a few different rugs out with cushions….so much more stylish than a picnic blanket!

Decorating Children’s Rooms

Posted on 24th May 201624th May 2016 by admin

Designing a child’s room should give you an excuse to be wildly imaginative. There are no rules, just a few basic principles to consider. Think about storage, that’s essential, somewhere to put everything away at the end of the day to restore a restful atmosphere for relaxation and sleep. It’s also good to give some consideration to the flexibility of the room as your child grows, the addition of interchangeable accessories will make the transition easy. Although practical can sometimes be a little boring, it’s also good to consider how easily the wall and floor surfaces can be cleaned!

Image from Pinterest

A child’s room is perfect for playing around with colour, but do think about your child’s personality. Research into the psychology of colour suggests that certain colours affect our moods. Just looking at the primary colours, for example; Red energises and excites, but can over stimulate a restless child; Yellow aids concentration; Blue is calming and soothing. A colour palette using a backdrop of subtle or neutral colours, combined with bold colour accents is a good choice.

Image from Pinterest

I delved into Pinterest to find some images of Boucherouite rugs used in children’s rooms. They are just the perfect addition. They add texture, interest and bold colour splashes and are of course completely washable! They’re very versatile and will move easily from a room created for a child to a teenager’s room, and still look exceptionally stylish!

Vintage Boucherouite rug from our collection

Moroccan Rugs and Coastal Cool

Posted on 11th May 201611th May 2016 by admin

Having been lucky enough to spend quite a lot of time in Dubai recently, and working with Jo at Tribe Dubai (tribedubai.com) I’ve learned that interior trends are a little different to those here in the UK. Coastal cool is the name of the game, and it’s easy to see why….this is what works best in a country where everyone needs a retreat from the heat of the desert sun.

Photo credit Tribe Dubai

White walls, cool floor tiles and neutral coloured furniture and accessories just seem to be the best fit for the climate. Beni Ouarain rugs with their neutral colour palettes and simple designs complement perfectly this look, but adding a limited amount of colour can look stunning too. A white or neutral backdrop is great to display a colourful Boucherouite rug, either on the floor or as a wall hanging. The predominantly ‘grey’ light that we have in the UK can dull colours a little, but in the bright white light of the Middle East, the colours in these rugs look amazing. Go along and see Jo at Tribe for advice about buying a Beni rug, we have lots of stock on the ground in Morocco in addition to our custom made service. Or be bold and take a look at our collection of colourful vintage Moroccan rugs! We have some stock already in Dubai, but your choice isn’t limited to these, we can ship worldwide from either the UK or Morocco. http://marbleandmint.co.uk/product-category/dubai-collection/

House Tour - Rustic Moroccan Home

Posted on 26th April 201626th April 2016 by admin

Take a tour of this simple but absolutely stunning Moroccan home decorated by @couleurlocaleconceptstore for a photoshoot.

http://www.vosgesparis.com/2016/04/a-beautiful-moroccan-home-decorated-by.html

Full of beldi ware, it conveys a feeling of absolute calm, and I particularly love this image of an open corridor with a small Beni Ouarain rug. Take a look at the cedarwood writing tablets arranged on a wall. These were originally used by students to practice Quranic script. There are lots of nice examples to buy in Marrakech medina. Although not all are old like these, just distressed to appear so, they still make beautiful wall decorations. I also love the recesses in the stone kitchen wall for storing and displaying all sorts of traditional kitchen utensils and baskets. With it’s stone floors and plaster walls, this home must make a perfect retreat from the heat of the summer in Morocco.

Layering Rugs - Mixing and Matching

Posted on 22nd April 201622nd April 2016 by admin

Layering rugs is a great way of adding additional texture and colour to a room scheme. Placing a smaller statement rug on the top of a larger neutral one will create a frame for the smaller rug, increasing its impact. Colourful Moroccan rugs and kilims lend themselves perfectly to this idea. In this room (image courtesy of Apartment Therapy) a brightly coloured embroidered kilim has been used to define a dining area.

This is a really good tip for separating a large open plan living space into smaller areas for specific uses. You can still keep the look cohesive by making sure that the bottom layer rugs are all the same. Changing the top rug will instantly change the look whilst still maintaining the essence of the room scheme.

You can also layer rugs by just overlapping them slightly, placing them at right angles to each other. In this case pattern on pattern works really well. Nothing needs to match but you do need to choose shades and tones that work well together, although the design can be completely different. Be careful not to use rugs that are too thick, as this could present a trip hazard! Flat weaves are best suited to this idea. This image (also Apartment Therapy) illustrates perfectly how to do this. The stripes of the top rug are a really good contrast to the lozenge design on the lower rug whilst still picking up its ochre tone. The bright pinks in the stripes of the top rug also echoed in the cushion on the sofa.

PINK FOR SPRING

Posted on 17th April 2016 by admin

Should we be thinking ‘pink’ for Spring? Personally I love it, there’s not a room in my house that doesn’t have a splash of the colour somewhere. Pops of bright pink in my vintage kilim cushions, splashes of pink in a Boucherouite rug and even candy pink in my kitchen cookware. Blush pink is appearing in interiors as a neutral at the moment, which is lovely, but I’m more than tempted to add this rosy pink vintage Beni Mguild rug to our collection. It’s a bit of an investment piece, so look out for this one!

STYLE STEALING FROM THE CELEBS! MOROCCAN RUGS

Posted on 28th March 201628th March 2016 by admin

Solange Knowles - Zemmour Flat Weave We’re guessing if you’re reading this you’re already a big fan of Moroccan rugs…. Cindy Crawford - Beni Ouarain and you’re in good company! They continue to be a favourite of interior designers around the world. Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian - Beni Ouarain Colourful vintage Berber rugs and the classic geometric designs found on Beni Ouarain rugs are a favourite of celebrities too! Mario Testino - Vintage Berber Wool Rug So we’ve put together a collection of images of celebrity owned rooms featuring these timeless pieces so you can do a spot of style stealing! Naomi Watts - Vintage Berber Rug Vanessa Branson - Vintage Azilal Rug Pics 1 to 6 - Solange Knowles, Cindy Crawford, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, Mario Testino, Naomi Watts, Vanessa Branson

Changing with the Season - Moroccan rugs

Posted on 28th February 2016 by admin

Spring is just around the corner. Believe it or not, meteorological Spring starts this Tuesday, 1st March! The quality of light is already changing, the down side being that it reveals all the dusty corners you couldn’t see in Winter! Spring is probably the season when people feel most inspired to change the look of their interiors; saying goodbye to Winter and welcoming in the sunshine and longer days. Interchangeable accessories are an easy and relatively inexpensive to instantly update the look of your space, and what better way to do this than by changing your rug. Buying a statement piece rug will instantly change the look and feel of a room, as this will become a focal point to draw the eye. During the Winter I’ve loved sinking my feet into my thick, soft Beni Ouarain rug next to the sofa, but Spring ushers in the idea of adding something perhaps more simple, adding colour and interest. You may want to think about changing for a shorter pile rug with splashes of colour such as a quirky Vintage Ourika Valley rug, a flat weave Vintage Kilim, or a Boucherouite with a riot of colour. Check out our online collection, but if you don’t see something you like, please get in touch. We have a huge range of rugs available to us in Marrakech. We would love to hear from you! [email protected]