Moroccan Inspirations

In honor of my last post, I thought I'd put up some images of the exquisite interiors that are Moroccan or Moroccan inspired... just to get the flavor across.

Moroccan style can mean a lot of things - from small and intricate patterns in your tile or fabrics, the style of your wood or metal furniture, the choices of colors on your wall, and the shape of your doors and windows. And it doesn't have to be all these things all the time. That hint of global influence, the mix of cultures, is often what makes a space all the more amazing. Being creative and integrating a mix of the places you love is often exactly what will make you walk into a room and think 'ahhh, now this is home.'

Look at this absolutely beautiful Living Room designed by fashion designer Daniella Helayel and featured in the Daily Mail. In London's exclusive Chelsea district, this room, complete with Balinese bed and Moroccan rugs, cushions and tables, beautiful fireplace... well, what can I say, she knew exactly what she was doing!

Talk about an entrance, Candian design duo Munge//Leung did it up right with this walkway to a Toronto restaurant Ultra with all the hanging lanterns - draws you right in. And this second image is of I don't know where, but wouldn't you love to call that hallway your own?

This is a Living Room in a Westchester, NY home designed by Kate Ridder, featured in Elle Decor... I love that something like this might be so unexpected from the outside of a typical 1920s suburban home. The colors and patterns really make you want to inspect every inch of the space. And what's more, it's not the whole house that looks like this, so it's not overwhelming either.

When something's hot, it's usually done by some famous someone or other - and Marrakech's famed La Mamounia hotel definitely had that famous someone, i.e. international man of decorating, Jacques Garcia, do it up, Moroccan style. Here are images of the hotel's new dining room, and it's old one... yes, it's now an indoor pool. Damn this place is hot!! Now that's what I call a vacation!

This home, shown on Living Pod, demonstrates the beautiful Middle Eastern mix achieved for this Dubai home. Brining together the Persians, Moroccans, Turks, tribal Arabs and who knows what else, these rooms exemplify Middle Eastern luxury and style.

And here are just a few more images I loved, for their color, the pattern, and the imagination.

Please, who wouldn't want to go to the bathroom in rooms like these?

Of course, many of these interiors are often filled with environmentally friendly elements due to the nature of the country and how some of their products are still produced, and many are not. But finding antiques, locally and hand made textiles and carpets, produced with vegetable dyes, or finding the similar and equivalent products made with environmentally friendly resources, is always your best bet for recreating this look without compromising values... easier said than done, right? The point is, inspiration doesn't have to mean copying something... putting some bright colors on the wall with eco-friendly paints, finding hand made non-toxic tiles and creating an interesting and intricate pattern, going to antique markets or 1st Dibs and buying some really cool antique pieces, buying old textiles, or new ones made with Moroccan inspired patterns and non-toxic dyes... These are all ways to bring a little of that world into yours.