Definition, History and interior design styles of the Beni Ourain rugs.
Beni Ouarain or Beni Aourain carpets are considered the most prestigious rugs in the world, handmade from the very finest wool, every piece you take is the only piece, one of its kind. These rugs are luxurious and perfect for any interior design.The Beni Ouarain off-white carpet can be used in many decorating styles, not overloaded with colours and patterns: They put more value in the furniture, whether antique wooden furniture, leather lounges or design furniture.
Let's have an idea about Beni Ourain carpets,
The below video is Presented by: Saif Tribal Rugs
Actually, Beni Ouarain rugs are made of pure sheep’s wool of high quality featuring shining pile of golden and ivory highlights ; one of this best organic wool is produced out of a unique rustic Berber sheep breed around the ancient race called ‘Marmoucha’. The Beni Ouarain tribes excel in selecting softer and silkier wool during a harvesting that could last several years before gathering enough wool to make some rugs.
The Beni Ouarain rugs very artistic designs have inspired many European artists such as Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier (who matched the Berber rugs with sleekly designed furniture), Paul Klee and , as well as most famous modernist architects in the 1920’s and 30’s . They got trendy by Henri Matisse, who called them “The huge whites”
“I don't see them as trendy; I see them as timeless” and ‘’this quirkiness is exactly what makes these rugs appealing to interior designers. They give a room, particularly a cold, modern room, warmth and patina as well as a dose of ethnicity,” said Timothy Whealon of Timothy Whealon Interiors in New York about the Beni Ouarain rugs.
The charm, luxury and simplicity of these Berber rugs make them the most famous and appreciated carpet in Morocco and a worldwide interior design reference. These tribal rugs seem to combine a modernist taste for minimalist linearity with the graphic symbolism of primitive art. The tribal graphics pair well with contemporary and traditional space designs.
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| Kips Bay Show House decorated: Timothy Whealon implemented Beni Ourain as floor covering |
They would be amazing next to a fireplace, to spend a cosy night lounging on its incredible plushness...Its colour and texture will make all your room furniture look unique and beautiful...
They will work in a neutral colour, traditional bedroom, as well in the brightest and edgy of the living rooms. Wherever they are,they feature a very chic decorative flooring accent. The thickness of the carpet gives them sufficient weight to stabilize it on the ground. Contrary to the finest carpets that bend easily and they must be constantly readjusted.
Beni Ouarain rugs are authentic tribal rugs fully hand-woven by women of the Beni Ouarain and other neighbouring Berber tribes that reside in the North-Eastern Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco, in the current Moroccan Tazekka National Park.
Winter is rough in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains where the lowest temperatures in Africa are observed. To protect themselves from the cold, Beni Ouarain tribes, who lived in traditional tents, had no alternative other than to produce thick wool rugs to insulate themselves from an hostile environment.
The Beni Ouarain rugs were not intended to have a
decorative purpose, they were traditionally used as bedding and blankets
to keep them warm with their thick pile.Few decades ago, the Beni Ouarain rugs were confined in Berber tents of the Atlas Mountains, this confinement is definitely broken in the early twentieth century under the French protectorate. Nowadays, they are used all over the world in refined interior decoration, as a very chic and fashion floor covering.
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| Morocco High Atlas carpet barns |
Because of their landlocked and mountainous location in the northern Middle Atlas, the Berber tribes of Beni Ouarain have never been influenced by the Arab-eastern designs .Their rugs have kept their originality, reflecting archaic appearance of minimalist designs, composed of black and brown asymmetric patterns of diamonds,lines and triangles, in an off-white, cream background.
The Beni Ouarain tents have a rectangular form, the carpet should normally cover the complete tent interior space. Nowadays, Berber houses have long narrow rooms so the rugs tend to be long and not very wide. As a result, these rugs are approximately 4 meters long by 2 meters width.
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| Nothing compares to their luxurious feeling of Beni Ourain carpet under your feet. |
The weight ranges from 40 to 65lb. and the height of the wool spread from 25 to 50 mm. Logically, a rug of more than 2.20 meters width is not an antique Beni Ouarain carpet. Nowadays Beni Ouarain rugs are becoming increasingly popular in contemporary homes as they can be weaved in any size to meet your home interior design.
To read more about Beni Ourain rugs, please visit a Beni Ourain website expert: moroccan-berber-rugs
This Beni Ourain rugs article is a contribution of Moroccan-berber-rugs.com
