Recently I returned from a trip to Morocco, a destination which had been for a long time on my wish list. Marrakech, the red city of Morocco, inspired me. The colors of the walls in my living room will soon get a new color, some ethnic pillows will be added on the sofa to create a stylish room in warm desert colors.
courtyard La Villa Nomade - Koutubia mosque Marrakech via blog by joyce
Getting lost in the small streets of the medina, which is the walled part of the city, with many narrow and maze-like streets. This type of quarters you will find in a lot North African cities. No, or very few cars, but you have to take care not to be run over by one of the many scooters which rush through the narrow streets. But than you turn a last time to the right, go through a very dark corridor to open the doors of your riad, a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden. It feels as arriving in an oasis after all the hectic in the medina. We were welcomed with the traditional mint tea and biscuits at our arrival in La Villa Nomade.
metal tray El Ramla Hamla - tea time and corridor La Villa Nomade
When we think of Morocco we often think of bright colors, blue and green tones with colorful yellow and red accents. And you will find a lot of them, sometimes you can take a quick look inside when the front door is open. In Villa Nomade a very relaxing ambiance was created by using all the warm neutral colors of the dessert. Sand tones, dark wood and some red accents. Every detail was designed with so much care, every day I discovered some new details. Beautiful chosen, heavy sculpted, antique furniture pieces. Refined accessories in the room and bathroom.
picture in the back La Villa Nomade - vintage Moroccan rug Woven - floor pillows Maison Marrakech - daybed via Fromosa Casa
I am a fan of ethnic rugs, at home I have a few Romanian rugs, in case my suitcase would have allowed the volume of a rug for sure I would have come home with a Moroccan rug. Ethnic flat woven rugs, are trendy these days to make pillows, poufs, or to upholster armchairs and ottomans. The wool is natural dyed, which makes that the colors will never be to strong. Graphical motifs will make every piece unique. An ethnic rug fits different style of interior decoration, you can easily combine it with a modern sofa as well as a more classical piece of furniture. It will add a bohemian touch to the room.
frieze Fez Cole & Son - wallpaper Zellige Cole & Son- lanterns BurkeDecor
Ethnic styles are trendy, Cole & Son launched this year a collection of wallpapers inspired by Moorish designs. Would look great in a bedroom, combined with some candle holders are the typical light fixtures which will transform each room in the evening in a room out of a romantic movie. The neutral tones make it fitting in whatever city you live. If you would use here the more stronger colors it would feel maybe to much as a holiday home.
floor tiles at La Villa Nomade
Natural colors and natural handmade materials for the floors and walls at La Villa Nomade. Terra cotta tiles in combination with zellige are used for the floors outside as well as in the rooms and bathrooms. Sophisticated combinations in natural tones, warm dark red with olive green fits perfect with the wood of the doors. Tadelakt is a typical wall finish in Morocco and not only for the bathroom. Your walls will be finished with an amazing patina, the colors are getting a depth you can’t obtain with paint and the touch is as a velvet surface.
More about tadelakt and zellige in some of my blog posts: Sample Room
bathroom La Villa Nomade - Zellige Emery et cie - tile Persian Star Kibak Tile
The Moorish architecture is rich in graphical motives. The cutting of the zellige tiles requires a strong and steady hand, the final work will be a piece of art. As those tiles are made by hand you will see some imperfections, but these are part of their beauty. Sculpted plaster work will frame the window in an decorative way. You can still find a lot of craftsman in Morocco, working in their small atelier in the souk.
shower faucets Kallista - wash basin faucets Bath Vanity Experts - candle via The Style Files - tadelakt image in the back - bathroom La Villa Nomade
Tadelakt for the bathroom walls, brass faucets and brass accessories will turn each bathroom in a hammam inspired room. Add some line towels with fringes, to complet the look. Rattan baskets can work very well to keep your laundry. Natural materials will always feel more comfortable when you walk in with bare feet.
Walls painted in a darker sand tone, a wooden head board, brass wall scones for an intimate bedroom. Leather poufs are available in different natural colors as well as more fancy tones such as pink, red, turquoise. The stitches will enhance the cuts of the leather, with or without decorative embroideries on top.
room divider Berber - big mirror Moroccan Decor - small mirrors Berber - carved cabinet Casbah Decor - bed cover Heddle and Lamm
Did you ever think of using an ethnic screen divider as headboard? You can find beautiful sculpted screen dividers, or you can look for some antique sculpted panels. I don’t like big mirrors in the bedroom, but a mix of small Moroccan mirrors could add a lot of character to the room. Add them in an uncomplicated way on a chest of drawers, not fixed on the wall. Some candle holders or a beautiful lamp to finish the decor of the room.
Moroccan tassel via Slim Paley - small key tassel via Fritzroy
The moroccan style will make us dream of another world, a kind of poetic world with all the old palaces, riads. The small streets in the souk filled with different aromas, some pleasant, others less pleasant to the nose. The play of colors of the spices, the fabrics, the baboush. You will find tassels in the rooms to keep the curtains in place, use some small ones and add them to the keys of your wardrobe, chest of drawers to add something extra to the furniture.
brass hardware La Villa Nomade - metal grill Tazi Designs - door knob as towel support similar at Manyarahome
Important and heavy brass hardware will give an extra accent to the doors, cabinets and furniture. Use a heavy door knob as a support for the towels in the bathroom. Sometimes it can be very interesting to use things for other purposes than they were designed for.
light fixtures and courtyard La Villa Nomade
The Moroccan hanging lamps and wall scones will turn your room in the evening in a room which will feel as if you are in the middle of “Thousand and One Nights”. Add still candles to enhance the atmosphere. They will decorate your walls as they are covered with lace.
Moroccan style could be something for you?
warm neutral colors
brass accessories
natural materials - handmade tiles
flat woven rugs
dark wood, sculpted furniture, heavy brass hardware
typical light fixtures
small mirrors in bathroom of bedroom
Add some ethnic elements, or travel souvenirs, in your home for a bohemian touch.
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