If you ask me to propose rugs for my design intent of a project, I tend to veer towards kilims, afghan rugs and persians as we did in our last two completed projects. But recently we were introduced to a new company, My Medina, who imports vintage Moroccan rugs straight into Manila. Their selection is limited at the moment, but stocks are readily available in Morocco and can be shipped over if required. Their Beni Ourain rugs are wonderful simple weaves and they were the ones that mostly caught my eye. It's neutral tones and soft thick wool could cozy up even the hardest industrial spaces in an instant.
These rugs influenced the interior spaces of great influential architects such as Alvar Aalto who used Beni Ourain rugs in his famous Villa Mairea House as seen in the last two photographs below. Frank Llyod Wright, Arne Jacobson and Le Courbusier were others who chose Berber rugs for their spaces rather then Beni Ourains.
Historically, these carpets were by Moroccan nomadic tribes that used them to protect themselves from physical and metaphysical elements, believing that it would shield them from all evil. Each asymmetrical line and pattern created their own nomadic stories and craftsmanship. Nowadays, replications and copies are produced all over the world but as explained to me, with each uneven pattern and misshaped dimensions of these vintage rugs comes a story from the tribe that it belongs to.
I like that. I like it when there are stories to tell.
Click on photo for sources, this without links were sourced through Remodelista, Apartment Therapy + So Haute
