Our favourite ways that interior designers take inspiration from Morocco
The debt that the design world owes to Morocco and its architectural and design traditions is a vast one. As a place where for centuries cultures have overlapped and exchanged ideas, what we now associate with ‘Moroccan design’ is a rich blend of Arab, Berber and European influences that is nevertheless completely distinctive. The export of Moroccan pieces to British houses accelerated hugely in the middle of the 20th century when the country became a destination for a host of creative (and rich) British and American expats, from Yves Saint Laurent in Marrakech to Barbara Hutton in Tangier, and it has only become more of a feature of our interiors in the years since. Recent fashions for Berber rugs, made in a centuries-old style by the tribes of the Atlas Mountains, and traditional zellige tiles mean that Moroccan craft (or imitations of it) are practically ubiquitous, but that doesn't mean they have become any less beautiful. We've gathered ten of our favourite inspiring images of the more accessible elements of Moroccan design, to see how to use it in an interior without falling into pastiche.









