Colours and patterns in the Kasbah.
Des couleurs et des motifs dans la Casbah.
Image: Joelle Desparmet
Showing posts with label zellijs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zellijs. Show all posts
Monday, 7 March 2016
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Doors and knockers in the Kasbah-Portes et heurtoirs de la Kasbah
Traditional Moroccan doors fascinate me. They are thick and strong even when small and ornate.
Les portes traditionnelles marocaines me fascinent. Elles sont épaisses et solides tout en étant très détaillées.
This small green door has a magnificent hand carved plaster surround. I love those big contrasting nails.
Cette petite porte verte a un magnifique pourtour en plâtre ciselé à la main. J'adore ces gros clous.
Two doors, one renovated and the other "raw", with braid-like door jambs and antique metal knockers.
Une porte bien entretenue et l'autre non, avec chacune un motif tressé et un beau heurtoir ancien.
Une porte bien entretenue et l'autre non, avec chacune un motif tressé et un beau heurtoir ancien.
Trompe-l'oeil door leading to an imaginary courtyard.
Porte en trompe l'oeil donnant sur une courette imaginaire.
Blues and greys in a zellij tiled corner.
Effet de différents bleus avec un seuil en zellij dans un angle gris.
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Moroccan home decor
Moroccans are very proud of their houses and go to great length to decorate them inside and out. Moroccan decor is everywhere of late: traditional black on white Beni Ouarin carpets adorn every other home in magazines as do zellijs tiles (see a previous post: The zellij of Morocco) used on kitchen back-splashes and bathrooms. Hand-hammered metal lamps are painted and hung in groups for extra effect.
However, one must differentiate between traditional moroccan decor and Morocco-inspired interior design.
In Morocco, most if not all entertaining is done at home. A traditional living room must be big enough to accommodate large families and numerous friends. Typically, there is a wrap-around sofa and small tables placed here and there in front of it. The walls are often lavishly decorated and the fabrics always rich and colourful.
There is often no formal dining room and guests sit all around the room for dinner. Food is served on the small tables, sometimes in big tray-like dishes where everyone digs in. When you enter a house for the first time, you are offered warm milk (almond, goat or camel depending on the region) and some dates as a sign of welcome. You will also drink mint tea, what locals call "Moroccan whiskey".
In more modest houses the long sofas also serve as beds and every room is called a "salon" (drawing room) even if used as a place to sleep.
We once arrived early for lunch at a Moroccan house. We did not understand that "midi" (noon) meant well after one o'clock in the afternoon. We found some members of the family still sleeping on the sofas while the grandmother prepared the meal. Once they got up and cleared the sofas, we all sat down for a delicious chicken and vegetable couscous at around 2:00. No plates, everyone ate with their fingers from the serving dish. We were given spoons (it must have been the puzzled look on our faces). It was one of the best meals I have had in Morocco.
Then there is Moroccan style: the interpretation by non-Moroccans of Moroccan decoration.
What defines Moroccan style?
It can be a simple architectural detail as below. If it were not for the white scalloped transom, this could be a room anywhere but that doorway and reading nook give the room a Moroccan "ambiance".
Sometimes a few pillows and a lamp will be enough to feel that you are in Morocco somewhere.
A hanging lamp, a colourful Moroccan carpet and a pompom-edged wool bedspread will have the same effect. The headboard, table lamps and fireplace are very modern but the room gives off a distinct Moroccan feeling.
Get the full effect with architectural elements like the arched doorway, the thick nail-studded wood doors, the floor lamps and the red Moroccan runners on terracotta tiles known as bejmat. Or go for broke and cover the walls and floors with rainbow coloured zellijs.
Images: www.freinder-catalogue.co, www.asilahventure, cherif-nassima-cherif.blogspot.com, http-//happinessisapinkfoodog.co, villa-maroc.com, Threshold Goods & Design, Kasbah Bab Ourika, Pinterest
However, one must differentiate between traditional moroccan decor and Morocco-inspired interior design.
In Morocco, most if not all entertaining is done at home. A traditional living room must be big enough to accommodate large families and numerous friends. Typically, there is a wrap-around sofa and small tables placed here and there in front of it. The walls are often lavishly decorated and the fabrics always rich and colourful.
There is often no formal dining room and guests sit all around the room for dinner. Food is served on the small tables, sometimes in big tray-like dishes where everyone digs in. When you enter a house for the first time, you are offered warm milk (almond, goat or camel depending on the region) and some dates as a sign of welcome. You will also drink mint tea, what locals call "Moroccan whiskey".
In more modest houses the long sofas also serve as beds and every room is called a "salon" (drawing room) even if used as a place to sleep.
We once arrived early for lunch at a Moroccan house. We did not understand that "midi" (noon) meant well after one o'clock in the afternoon. We found some members of the family still sleeping on the sofas while the grandmother prepared the meal. Once they got up and cleared the sofas, we all sat down for a delicious chicken and vegetable couscous at around 2:00. No plates, everyone ate with their fingers from the serving dish. We were given spoons (it must have been the puzzled look on our faces). It was one of the best meals I have had in Morocco.
Then there is Moroccan style: the interpretation by non-Moroccans of Moroccan decoration.
What defines Moroccan style?
It can be a simple architectural detail as below. If it were not for the white scalloped transom, this could be a room anywhere but that doorway and reading nook give the room a Moroccan "ambiance".
Sometimes a few pillows and a lamp will be enough to feel that you are in Morocco somewhere.
A hanging lamp, a colourful Moroccan carpet and a pompom-edged wool bedspread will have the same effect. The headboard, table lamps and fireplace are very modern but the room gives off a distinct Moroccan feeling.
Images: www.freinder-catalogue.co, www.asilahventure, cherif-nassima-cherif.blogspot.com, http-//happinessisapinkfoodog.co, villa-maroc.com, Threshold Goods & Design, Kasbah Bab Ourika, Pinterest
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Random Colours and Patterns of Morocco (Marrakech)
The colours and patterns of Morocco are an unending source of awe. From the spectacular mosques, riads and palaces to the most modest shop front or everyday objects, everything is painted, carved or sculpted in a range of soft pastels and minimalist motifs to ultra bright tones and intricate patterns and everything in between.
The side of the minaret of this small mosque in the medina of Marrakech is an example of a beautiful mix of colours, carving and shapes.
And as always the amazing depth of the Moroccan summer sky.
A similar soft palette on the entrance of a government building.
Shelves have received a coat of primary colours and await their final painted design in a shop in the medina.
The train station in Marrakesh boasts striking patterned granit floors (my toes decided to sneak into the photo)....
...perfectly geometric tile work on columns ...
...and the delicate calligraphy of these zellij tiles on the walls.
The breathtaking wrought iron and glass front entrance of the train station.
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