There’s nothing like having authentic art pieces from artists to display in your home. It shows your sense of class and willingness to support local makers in their trade. You can achieve this by buying authentic Moroccan hand-spin rugs.
The artisans who create Moroccan hand-spun rugs are recognized by their tribe names. Present-day mass producers of Berber rugs employ a loop pile construction. The finished product of hand-knotting is visually similar to rugs made using the conventional method of tying and weaving.
The Right Material
Old Moroccan carpets were typically woven from 100% sheep wool, with the pile height and thickness varying by area. Rugs with higher wool pile heights were designed for the snowy Atlas Mountains. However, thinner flatweave rugs are produced to counter the Sahara's heat.
These days, most Moroccan rugs are mass-produced using a wide variety of materials, including synthetic fibers like nylon, cotton, and olefin, in addition to traditional wool.
The Preparation
The procedure begins with procuring wool from sheep native to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Sheep's wool is next washed and combed to remove any oils it may have absorbed during the shearing process.
The next step is to hand spin the wool. The wool is transformed into yarn using this method. Through this process, the resulting spun fibers from the wool are of superior quality weaving yarn.
After that, the rug needs to be knotted. You can watch master weavers and knotters at work as they create stunning carpets and rugs. The intertwined pattern is then colored with natural dyes before completion.
The Time Needed to Finish
How long does it take to create one of those beautiful Moroccan rugs? You must complete various steps before the finished product is revealed. Two or three weeks are needed for all the knots to be tied. Within that time, the wool would also be threaded by a team of weavers. The final product is a stunning work of art.
While making the rug, the woman and her coworkers only had a tiny pattern photo. As a result of instinct and the teachings of their Berber mothers and grandparents, they can recognize the beginnings and endings of lines and shapes.
The Genuine Rug Test
It's not uncommon for high-end Moroccan rugs to be among the most expensive works of art used in interior design and haute couture. To prevent being duped, it is crucial to recognize the telltale signals that the rug design you will purchase is genuine.
Feel it to make sure it's quite gentle to the touch. All high-quality wool will be shiny. Authentic Berber rugs from Morocco can be expensive, especially considering their diminutive sizes. Because of this, you should exert care when shopping for inexpensive rugs.
Conclusion
The Moroccan rug-making process is a fascinating and intricate one. The wool is dyed and spun into yarn, starting with high-quality sourcing wool. While the process can be time-consuming, the results are stunning and worth the price. Moroccan rugs are known for their vibrant colors and unique patterns, adding a touch of luxury to any home.
Atlas Weavers is a leading provider of genuine Moroccan decorative rugs and a fair trade artisan project. Azilal carpets, Moroccan rugs, and Beni Ourain are all available through our company, and we ship them all over the world from the High Atlas Mountains, where they are woven. We have what you need if you're hunting forauthentic Moroccan rugs. Look at what we have to offer from our online store today!
Birdie’s wallpaper is up and we are both just so excited about every single inch, wing, and leaf of it. In case you haven’t caught up on what it’s like to give a lot of design control to a very color-driven and highly opinionated almost 7-year-old, read this post (and this post about my current philosophy on designing my kids’ rooms). I’m trying to involve her so much, celebrate her style and enthusiasm for color while not having it look like a unicorn-pokemon-lava-lamp-showroom (I’m not being mean, their interest in that stuff won’t last). So after much deliberation (and of course me curating), we both agreed on this incredible wallpaper by Schumacher (Butterfly Baudin) and I was ELATED that we had a jumping-off point that could keep us focused on a color palette and style while giving her SO much color and the life that she really wanted. She’s even saying things like, “Well, maybe this should be our bold moment and keep that quieter” which as you can imagine is filling me with so much joy (and yes, of course, I realize that is my ego talking – but you can’t help but feel good when your kids want to be like you and talk like you). So today we’ll show you a few other things in the works for this room, which might include a turquoise dresser 🙂
Before – TWO YEARS AGO!!!
Of course, this took a long time to get where we are today. We thought that the second floor could be just updated with new carpet and paint until we realized that all the electrical had to be updated. Then once the walls were opened to rewire the house, we dialed it in with the right insulation, reinforced it in every way, and installed fresh drywall, electrical, and plumbing.
We painted all the doors Upward SW 6239, chose the blue striped carpet and the white paint all before we had chosen the wallpaper (this is how it goes with renovation, they don’t wait for you to decide on future decor to choose other more permanent finishes that involve subcontractors RIGHT NOW, especially with lead times involved like the shades and the carpet). But I’m actually ok with it all for now – it’s working together fine. At times I wish the white paint of the window casing was a bit creamier, and sure, the blue door could be brighter to match the wallpaper but it’s not bothering me enough to do anything about it right now.
It’s just so sweet and magical:) It’s an immediate vibe, that is going to be so easy and fun to build on. Moving forward I just give her the paint deck and let her choose the color as long as it “matches” one of the colors on the walls. It’s almost like the wallpaper is solving a lot of our problems. Did I want a more subtle wallpaper? Maybe. Would I choose to paint a bunch of furniture hot pink, teal, and purple? Not for me. But this is EXACTLY how I was when I was little, really only changing in the last ten years.
I love the organic nature of the wallpaper with the striped carpet and the diamond window pattern – they all just contrast and work so well together.
What’s Next?
I found this bed on craigslist and snagged it so that we could paint it a wild color (I don’t want to invest in a new piece that is a wild color, so painting a thrifted find is a great compromise for my colorful little lady). It’s a full bed, Jenny Lind-style, and she loved it A LOT. I checked that box quickly (although, I now wish it were a queen so it could be a back up guest room for a couple if we needed, but oh well).
The Dresser…
Then I found this dresser (and its “tall boy” brother), $200 for both also on FB Marketplace. She is so cute and ready for a makeover. I’m giving Birdie again almost free reign on the color so we snagged our Sherwin Williams paint deck and she quickly chose hot pink, but has since changed her mind to purple.
She’s VERY into the purple world of violets, lavenders and not the grayer versions or aubergine. We are talking BRIGHT lavender. Jury is still out 🙂
the cool kids’ hair-tie and manicure “trend” from this designstar
The room is pretty darn sweet and this lady won’t stop doing cartwheels 🙂
We are planning on starting to paint the furniture next weekend, and I’ll likely do it wrong because I have poor patience. So I’m going to start on the bed (because its easier, despite the turned wood – it won’t chip as easily if done poorly) and then take more time with the dresser since it will get more manhandling. I hope you are ready for some wacky wacky colors 🙂 We are both VERY excited. xx
Ready for some schadenfreude-y fun? I’m writing this post from my childhood bedroom in the midst of an impromptu trip back to the east coast because – buckle up – there’s black mold in my LA bedroom! (Stachybotrys and Chaetomium, in case you’ve also been through this process. Advice welcome!) This morning, I’ll be flying back to LA at the crack of dawn to kick off the remediation process, which seems like it should be pretty quick and painless (thank goodness). But since a lot of things are up in the air right now – including me, if you’re reading this between 3 AM and 9 AM PST – it felt like an appropriate time to shake things up a little bit. I know that this post is normally called “What You Bought Last Month,” but going through our data brings me a lot of peace (gotta love the stability of numbers when everything else is a mysterious mess, you know?) so the team let me spin up the September edition up a little early. To that end – let’s all indulge in a little escapism as we count down *this* month’s Top 10 Best-Sellers (just go with me on this, please – your girl needs a win!!!). HERE WE GO…
I mean…it’s a huge ceramic semi-flush mount for $100. (And it comes in brass, too!) If you’re looking to swap out those boob lights but you’re also sticking to a budget (oh hey, been there), these are an INCREDIBLE deal. Mal had this to say: “I genuinely love this light from Target so much – I’ve been shopping around for lighting for my entry so I ordered this one. When it came I was SO impressed with the size and scale (and it looks WAY more expensive than it is). All in all, we wanted a light that gave off a softer glow for our space. Now, since it’s our only hardwired ceiling light in our entire apartment we hoped it would give off a little more light than it does but it’s SO pretty that we’re fine with it. That’s what lamps are for right?? If you have an entry or hallway that needs a new light fixture and doesn’t need a ton more light, this fixture is so beautiful and only $100!!“
A few weeks back, we rounded up and reviewed our 11 favorite sneakers. I’ve since rounded up and reviewed the data (see what I did there?) and the results are in: Y’ALL LOVE SOME DAYBREAKS. It helps that both Ryann and Em had nothing but good things to say. Here’s Ryann’s take: “These are my favorite sneaker to wear when I am running errands, want to look cute and stylish, and also am living on a prayer that I’ll get myself to the gym at some point. They really are so versatile as they can be worn with so many outfits but are also supportive and comfortable to walk or even run in. I have them in an off-white and tan colorway with the orange swoosh. I truly wear them constantly and cannot recommend them enough!“
It’s not too late to hop on the Halloween decor train (if you want, that is!) This lil’ spooky soy candle has a burn time of nearly 50 hours (!!!) so you can have some nice mood lighting every night in October. Ryann shared this after spotting it on TikTok – she’s still considering doing a witchy/dark academia Halloween setup in there this month (“grown-up Harry Potter meets Dead Poets Society” was her design description.) Wouldn’t this candle look just at home in her little built-in nook?
YAY!!! It makes me SO HAPPY when y’all are able to take advantage of the deals that I share each big holiday weekend. Those posts are behemoths to make (my mom can attest – I am not cute when it’s midnight and I’m posted up with my double monitors alongside a bunch of half-finished water bottles while panicking about linking the best deals) so it means a lot to me that y’all actually, like, find them helpful! The scale of this table is awesome (47″ x 31″ with a pedestal base, which makes it perfect for those L-shaped banquettes out there!) and the price is even better (even today, when it’s not on sale). If the wood was a little bit warmer, I also woulda brought this home over Labor Day weekend – it’s a really good find!
It’s been 2 years since this huge mirror made its debut on the blog! Julie originally sourced it for this bedroom makeover – there was no overhead lighting in the room (classic LA), so a big mirror was essential to bounce both daylight AND lamplight around the space. I’m happy to see that so many of you took advantage of Rejuvenation’s Labor Day promotions and brought this home while it was on sale – hope it looks just as great in your home, too!
PS. Word on the street is that Em also just scooped this mirror for her closet at the Farmhouse. (Source: I was on an email thread where she wrote, “I just placed an order for this.” INTREPID REPORTING!)
The famous Emily coffee table may have fallen a few spots from last month’s #1 but top 5 ain’t bad! It’s truly such a great piece for a shockingly good price. And if you want to snag one I would hurry up because right now they are on backorder until NEXT FEBRUARY!
LOVE THE BALBOA COLLECTION. Y’all, I am obsessed with this dining bench – it was a frontrunner for my dining room banquette, but I decided against it as I don’t think my cat has the self-control required to live in a home with this much woven material. My loss is your gain, though!!! Serena & Lily had an INCREDIBLE Labor Day Sale (their holiday ones have been awesome this year – genuinely huge savings, beyond the normal 10-15% we usually see at other retailers) and I’m so excited that the Balboa bench was the right choice for some of your homes! Please send pictures once you receive – I’ll still be here, crying over the cute little brass-capped feet and thinking about all the things we do for the love of our pets 🙂
Y’all, we are weeks away from this freakin’ contraption being on the best-seller list for a SOLID YEAR STRAIGHT. Who knew that Em’s sauna blanket review would end up being this popular? Who knew that a sauna blanket would be a top-selling item on an interior design blog? Shoutout to the Google algorithm for all the search traffic, I guess – this list wouldn’t be the same without this sauna’s omnipresence, you know?
These are perfect for fall, right? Here’s what Em thinks: “And these boots – oh these boots. I thought I had all the boots that I needed, but I didn’t have any (except clogs) that have a heel anymore. And y’all it’s been a while since I’ve worn heels and forgot what it does to your legs (and confidence). These are really comfortable and don’t feel like I’m wearing “heels” yet they give you the lift that is nice to have, visually. I’ve worn them so many times since I bought them (you can snag them on sale right now – they are typically over $200). I wear them with shorts and cute socks and they look utilitarian enough to even wear with stretch pants and an oversized sweatshirt without looking try hard. Big fan here.” CUTE. AGREED!
These first landed on my radar in 2019 after I spotted Jess wearing them at the office (RIP office – you were fun while you lasted!). I grabbed a few pairs (they’re my go-to cut now!) and then learned that they’d been EHD classics for years – Em’s been rocking these for nearly a decade! Here’s her review: “They are stretchy and therefore comfortable but without the feathering near the crotch (we really shouldn’t do that) that makes the stomach look like it’s protruding out. I find them very slimming (I wish I could have shown you all the jeans that I tried on that DIDN’T look good on me, but it’s not in my nature to go around bagging on myself or on other styles of jeans). So you’ll have to trust me that after trying on 12 pairs of jeans, these are the ones that were a solid “HELL YES” in both comfort, fit, and style. And I know that I’m not supposed to care about clothes that are “flattering” but I do, and these just are it you are into that. Right now I’m a solid 6, (I think) and first tried on the 28s (Madewell’s sizing is confusing), and they fit ok, but strangely the 26s were not tighter, just better scaled and more flattering. That’s all to say to size down a little bit in these (and they definitely stretch out).” (I co-sign this BTW – my normal size 30s have been AWESOME through all my quarantine weight fluctuations. Huge fan!)
This hereby concludes our September roundup (though we may need to amend a bit – yesterday’s post was a hit, y’all. Expect some shakeups in the year-end standings!!!). Wishing you a happy, easy, black mold-free Thursday. Anyone wanna chat? xx
We moved into the farmhouse a couple of weeks ago and while we are still organizing and decorating (obviously), I am so incredibly happy to show you some sneak peeks into the house along with some of our new essentials that we needed styled out for all of our viewing pleasure. After moving, you realize that you don’t have all the little things that help you complete your space – like bath mats, sponges, candles and bringing in your old gross ones feels sacrilegious. So I went to Target and shopped for the things that we really need to function (things I typically don’t want to splurge on) and when I got home I was like, “Oh this stuff looks so good and needs to be shot”. This post is sponsored by Target, and I’m thrilled to say my new partnership with them will look different from years past. I’ll be shopping Target for stuff we need, and shooting it organically in our house rather than having larger shoots that are 100% Target. It’s such an incredibly lovely shift that just makes so much sense for both of us. While I still really want to buy vintage and locally made when possible, there are many things that you must buy new (towels, bathmats, butter dishes :)) and I will forever feel good about spending money with and promoting Target because it’s such a good company that is striving to do the right thing at every turn and making pretty things for all budgets. I am THRILLED about being part of their family in a new way 🙂
So today you are going to see some of my Target essentials (all linked up in my new Target Store Front) that we needed after moving in and how we styled them in the new house (along with pieces I already had). I can’t TELL you how satisfying and easy it was to be able to shoot here. All my obsessing over making the rooms full of natural light really paid off and it was such a fulfilling day finally shooting in our new home. Here are some sneak peeks.
Basics That Make Your Kitchen Look Better
There are some things that never made it into our rental, left at the mountain house and I didn’t feel like replacing them last year because I didn’t want to bring in more stuff that we would just have to move. A spoon rest and butter dish are two of those things and it sounds so dumb, but having them makes the kitchen feel just so much more pulled together (and practically speaking I use them every day).
We are “room temp butter people” (for eggs and toast) and have been using an upside-down bowl covering the butter on a plate for the last year. YAY to having a proper butter storage situation again (I usually face the “butter” labeled side against the wall, BTW because I like it simpler). There is also a matching spoon rest but I went for the marble one because it looks more high-end and just works really well in the kitchen. I’ve had that cutting board forever from Target and use it more as a tray in here, rather than a board (it’s too heavy to use on a daily basis, but good for charcuterie for sure).
Paper Towel Holder (In Our Moody Pantry!!)
I already had this paper towel holder and can vouch for how solid it is (and if you like sets it goes with the cutting board and spoon rest – and there is also a utensil holder and tray that match). I snagged more of my Target dish towels (which are great – just wash them to make them more absorbent which isn’t uncommon). I also snagged thatbowl because it’s just so pretty (no, I didn’t need need it but look how pretty it is in here?), and inside are some of the apples from our orchard (I cheated and supplemented some from the store but you can see the “real” ones with the leaves and bird holes 🙂
I know that many kitchens are integrating a built-in paper towel holder slot into the cabinetry, but I try to do as little of that as possible because I fear that in 15 years that might somehow date the cabinetry or say we stop using paper towels altogether (ideally). But having a roll of paper towels just on the counter is a bummer so if you don’t have one of these, I promise it seems like a non-essential but it just helps everything feel more pulled together.
Lastly in the kitchen, I wanted a pretty refillable soap dispenser (I can’t handle looking at a cheap plastic one) and sponges. The head of that bottle washer also pops off and can be replaced if needed.
Dinnerware and Drinkware that are Simple and Very Durable
The glassware is also something I’ve talked about for a while now – modern and straight, but thick enough that they are still durable (Brian doesn’t let me buy those thin ones that stylists love so much anymore because they ALWAYS break and he’s totally right).
Once again I’m singing the praises of our crazy affordable and long-lasting glass plates and bowls. I only needed to buy one set (so we have 12 of each) because we had 8 already, but here’s my pitch if you haven’t heard it yet. These plates are extremely flat, lightweight, and durable which means that the kids can easily set the table, do their own dishes, and easily load them into the dishwasher (it’s so satisfying, I’ll be doing a reel about it soon). While I love handmade pottery plates, those are more like the modern-day “fine china” – great for special occasions. But for day-to-day, I will only use these – little bowls for cereal in the morning, side plates for lunches for them, and dinner plates for everything else. They also have a large pasta bowl (not shown) and you’ll see the Threshold soup bowls in there (not glass, porcelain) as well that we’ve had forever (soup bowls have to be deep IMHO to keep the soup warm and thick so they don’t heat up too much).
I needed a few things for in here (I can’t wait to show you this room). That lamp is vintage (and the tray and planter are old), but everything else helps pull this area together. The big canister is for our dryer balls, the little canister is for lint, the bowl for lipsticks and change from pockets, and the wicker tray for mismatched socks. P.S. The lamp has to be wired for American outlets so we just clipped the cord off so we didn’t have a huge rolled-up coil). Our washer and dryer has built-in detergent, btw 🙂 and not shown is this new laundry basket I got for the kid’s room (I didn’t want to give too much of the mudroom away yet, so we couldn’t do pulled-back shots).
One of the first things I did when we moved in was take a year-long awaited bath (our rental didn’t have a usable tub and I AM A BATHER). But without a tray, I couldn’t do my full set up (which involves that candle). I even bought the same candle that I had at the mountain house because the smell is so incredible and it makes me feel so nostalgic for that year living there. They were out of the larger version, but I’m going to buy it the next time I see it as it lasted two years of using it 3-4 times a week and smells so great.
I needed bathmats and towels for all three bathrooms (I’ll show you the other two soon) and Target’s colors are so good. I bought 10 of these bath sheets in that pale gray because I’m currently boycotting white towels (do they ever stay white?). We opted for the large bath sheets but I’m going to go back for the smaller size towel for the kids, too (the sheets are almost too big for the kids and take up more space in the laundry). I’m using the vintage rug near the vanity but needed a mat for stepping out of the bath and love how this blue worked with the floor (and again, I’m nervous about buying white anything, especially until the construction/dust is down outside).
The little square garbage can is a really heavy faux marble that looks great (and is not something I wanted to spend real money on). And if you are staring at those huge knobs on the vanity know that once again I ordered the wrong size of something and these (while super cute) are going to be returned for the smaller versions. Whoops 🙂 The denim shirt and shorts are also Target by the way (I’m wearing a medium shirt and sized up to an 8 in shorts so that they were roomy).
Everything is linked up in this storefront (amongst other things I love but didn’t buy yet). Check it out!
This post was sponsored by Target but all words and opinions are all mine🙂 #targetpartner #targetfam
