Custom Moroccan Kilim for Jess Keys

 

Today I’m excited to share a post that is VERY overdue–I get so many questions about my living room rug, and I’ve never had an FAQ’s post to point you guys to, so… that ends today–huzzah! 

This rug is quite possibly my #1 favorite item in our home. I custom designed it in partnership with Atlas Weavers (this isn’t sponsored by them but I was gifted the rug in exchange for an honest review), but the best news is that now YOU CAN BUY IT NOW! They just added it as an option to purchase directly on their website! How amazing is that!? So, if you’ve been wanting to buy my exact rug, now you can! 

I had been searching for an authentic Moroccan Kilim rug forever, but hadn’t found the right one. I wanted it to be colorful but not feminine–something that was cool, stylish and bold, but not over the top. Something that really pulled our room together. I saw a rug on Pinterest (I wish I could find the original photo–I can’t now!) that had combinations of burnt orange and french blue, and knew they would be the perfect colors to bring our living room together–so I sent a note to Atlas Weavers and their lovely founder and designer, Roz–who said, “Yep! We can design something like that for you, no problem!” 

It was better than I could’ve ever dreamed of–not only is the rug beautiful, but it’s very high quality, has upheld extremely well (so far–it’s been about two years!) and I really love everything the company is about! Excited to share more details on it below. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST, WHAT IS A KILIM RUG? 

WHAT’S SO COOL ABOUT ATLAS WEAVERS? 

I first discovered Atlas Weavers years back and have always swooned over their beautiful rugs–they’ve since grown to develop a full-fledged e-commerce website. (Also–they have free shipping! Do you know what a money saver that is on a big rug!?)

Authentic rugs made in Morocco: 

Atlas Weavers specializes in creating bespoke Berber rugs woven by a community of women in the Atlas mountains. This special weaving technique is passed down from one generation to the next. It is truly an art form and a means of creative expression and intricate storytelling–each weaver bringing a fresh perspective, and each rug a new story to tell. No two are exactly alike! With both Berber and American roots, Atlas Weavers’ founder, Roz, first launched the company as a sidewalk vendor in New York City back in the nineties–and it has only grown from there! Talk about the American dream! ]

Giving back to the local community, fostering jobs for women, and education for children: 

One of my favorite things about the company is that they don’t just make pretty rugs–they give back to the Berber community! Atlas Weavers creates jobs, reinvests in the local community, and even provides schooling so weavers’ children can learn to read and write. Each rug sold helps support these women, their families, and ensures the ancient Berber weaving tradition continues to live on from one generation to the next. 

A Kilim rug is a flat weave, hand-woven, low pile rug (meaning it’s quite flat). The weaving techniques used to make Kilim rugs are rooted in quite a few places–spanning from the Middle East to Central Asia (which is why you’ll find Moroccan Kilims, Turkish Kilims, etc). They are best known for their geometric designs in bold colors, but can also feature more neutral, simple designs as well. They’re made of wool, and despite the low pile, they are still soft underfoot (at least I personally think so), and were originally created to be used as carpets or floor coverings. 

HOW TO STYLE A KILIM RUG? 

I often get asked, “How did you and Neal mutually agree on a design style that wasn’t too manly or too girly?” I think the right rug is really the key to finding that design harmony, and that’s why I love Kilim rugs so much. They have so much personality and bring a bit of old, a bit of new to a room. They also strike a tasteful, androgynous balance that both of you can agree on! My biggest piece of advice (and all designers will agree!) that if you find a beautiful rug you like, snap it up, and plan everything else around it! A rug is truly the heart of any room. 

Kilim rugs are great pieces for any area of your house, big or small–whether it be a living room, bedroom, hallway runner–whatever. I think the coolest thing about them is that you can find a Kilim in whatever color scheme you like–from bright and colorful to neutral blacks and whites with interesting tribal patterns. 

I recommend letting your Kilim do the talking, and choosing furniture and accessories that really let it shine. If you choose to go with a bright rug, you don’t really want anything else competing with it–which is why the rest of our furniture is pretty neutral–mostly whites/creams/and leather and wood accents. You can also layer your Kilim with a larger, less expensive rug (like a jute rug) for added interest–it’s a great way to make a smaller rug work for a larger room, too! 

Moroccan rug motifs influenced designers such as Ivan Da Silva Bruhn and Vladimir Boberman. American Interior Designer Francis Elkins used them in some of her most notable interiors in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

By Roz,
“Language is the essence of one’s ethnicity, one’s roots”… hence the reason my father wanted me to learn how Berbers communicate. When I was in fourth grade, he sent me to live with my Aunt in the high mountains, the area now known as the Middle Atlas. As an artisan weaver, she tasked me with measuring the living rooms of her customers. With pride and curiosity, I walked heel-toe across the rooms just as my aunt had taught me. She and her artisan friends wove the finest rugs and as I watched them work the looms, sometimes pulling thread gracefully and other times forcefully, I learned not only the spoken language of the Berber, I learned the visual language.

CUSTOM MADE 

For most discerning rug buyers, we fulfill custom orders for rugs produced from scratch. If you have a specific size and design in mind, please inquire.

RETURNS

Our customers have two weeks return policy, one year trading policy.

source https://atlasweavers.com/blogs/news/custom-moroccan-kilim-for-jess-keys

Moroccan Kilim

Moroccan Kilim 

Moroccan vintage Kilims, are flat weave tales is intentionally channel inherited knowledge into the loom. It is pure coincidence in the flat weave Kilim, with their simplistic form and geometric purity, appear modern to the Western eye, as each one is deeply rooted in ancient history. Pattern work extends the physical borders. Many examples of woven Moroccan Kilim show shifts in the pattern, reflecting a change and a spontaneous creative expression.

source https://atlasweavers.com/blogs/news/moroccan-kilim

Moroccan Berber Rugs

The new Orient refers to the Berbers of North Africa. Drawn on by the allure of the exotic, the traveller found in the Maghreb Al Aqsa, 'the land farthest west' , a whole other world of colour and sensuality. Artists such as Delacroix and Matisse were heavily influenced by the colors of the Moroccan  Berbers. Matisse, who spent several years there, drew inspiration and techniques of Berber rugs and textiles.

Weaving is perhaps the greatest of Berber artistic traditions , it is also one of the oldest. When the Berbers first inhabited the plains and mountains of the Atlas around 1500 BC, they are thought to have brought rudimentary weaving skills with them .

Technical improvements came with commerce. Shawls, blankets , rugs and tents were traded with the Africans of Mali, Senegal and Nigeria and the Arabs from the east,and from the Phoenicians the Berbers learned more about the art of vegetable dyes . The process was accelerated by the need of Moroccan Berber kilim rugs as blankets. United by a single religion, North Africa became one huge marketplace for the woollen cloths, brocades and silks woven in Morocco. Religious influence also brought new symbols and motifs, especially in the form of the rigorous geometries that distinguish Berber rugs.. Portuguese and Berbers ledgers from the first sultanate confirming the new status of Moroccan weaves as currency -textiles had become an integral part of the economy. Profit, however, was not the village weave's sole motive. Rugs and carpets are said to contain BARAKA, or ' beneficent psychic powers'. Vibrant colours are used to offset the darkness of dimly lit rooms, but the actual motifs are related largely to superstition .The most common of these is the hand of Fatima, used to ward off the 'evil eye' and the d'joun. Other motifs are believed to have the power to draw in the Berber universe. Interestingly and the traditional prohibition on figurative representation, tribal weaving still incorporates the Berber vocabulary of animist symbols, albeit in a disciplined, geometric form.

source https://atlasweavers.com/blogs/news/moroccan-berber-rugs

Berber weave of the atlas mountains and Moroccan rugs in rural areas

Berber weave and Moroccan rugs in rural areas,

Weaving still follows the rhythm of village life. The men of the village tend the sheep while the women do the weaving, besides carrying out the preparatory steps such as washing, spinning and dyeing. For these women, who sing together and tell tales of superstition as they work, weaving is a skill that can increase their 'dowry price ' substantially. Stylistically, the rugs of these villages share an earthy simplicity and graphic boldness, despite the fact that the weavers may use entirely different colours and motifs. To the collector or connoisseur of Moroccan rugs and textiles, these are the most valuable. Largely flat-woven, they are often embellished with symmetrical knots. Colour is used in strong bands across the rug. In addition, or sometimes instead, Moroccan kilims feature symbols arranged in bands, as if to mimic the ubiquitous stripe. Broadly speaking, the classic flat stripes woven predominantly in the south are referred to as GLAOUA, a term derived from the name of the most powerful Berber tribe in south Morocco.

The urban weaving tradition , most probably growing out of the influx of craftsmen after the fall of Granada in 1492, is responsible for an entirely different product . The style of the rugs and carpets produced in Morocco's cities inspires imaginations and motifs and colours are observations.
Often knotted as opposed to flat-woven, these more sumptuous but less original designs are distinguished by the symmetrical placement of their geometric and floral motifs, their clearly defined borders and their quite pronounced dominant colour, the most popular of which is red.
Whether of rural or urban origin, Moroccan rugs are the product of a unique country and people , whose sense of beauty was poignantly celebrated by Delacroix: They are closer to nature in a thousand ways, their dress, woven Moroccan rugs is a beauty that has to share everything. The Berber hand knotted Moroccan rugs often have a bohemian style of colors and designs.

source https://atlasweavers.com/blogs/news/berber-weave-of-the-atlas-mountains-and-moroccan-rugs-in-rural-areas

MOROCCAN RUG MAGIC AND THE BARAKA EXPRESSION

THE BARAKA OF THE HANDMADE MOROCCAN RUG MAGIC

By the late 19th century Orientalism was a well- established phenomenon in Europe. The new Orient refers to Morocco, and North Africa. Drawn on by the allure of the exotic, the traveller found in the Maghreb Al Aqsa, 'the land farthest west' , a whole other world of colour and sensuality. Artists such as Delacroix and Matisse were heavily influenced by the colour of Moroccan life. Matisse, who spent several years there, drew inspiration and techniques of Moroccan rugs and textiles. Looking back on his career, he wrote in 1947 that ' revelation thus came to me the 'Orient'.'
Weaving is perhaps the greatest of Moroccan artistic traditions , it is also one of the oldest. When the Berbers first inhabited the plains and mountains of the Atlas around 1500 BC, they are thought to have brought rudimentary weaving skills with them .
Technical improvements came with commerce. Shawls, blankets , rugs and tents were traded with the Africans of Mali, Senegal and Nigeria and the Arabs from the east,and from the Phoenicians the Berbers learned more about the art of vegetable dyes . The process was accelerated by the need of Moroccan kilim rugs as blankets. United by a single religion, North Africa became one huge marketplace for the woollen cloths, brocades and silks woven in Morocco. Religious influence also brought new symbols and motifs, especially in the form of the rigorous geometries that distinguish Berber Moroccan rugs
Portuguese and Berbers ledgers from the first sultanate confirming the new status of Moroccan weaves as currency -textiles had become an integral part of the economy. Profit, however, was not the village weave's sole motive. Rugs and carpets are said to contain BARAKA, or ' beneficent psychic powers'. Vibrant colours are used to offset the darkness of dimly lit rooms, but the actual motifs are related largely to superstition .The most common of these is the hand of Fatima, used to ward off the 'evil eye' and the d'joun. Other motifs are believed to have the power to draw and then dissipate evil in the six directions of the Berber universe. Interestingly , despite centuries of Islamic influence and the traditional prohibition on figurative representation, tribal weaving still incorporates the Berber vocabulary of animist symbols, albeit in a disciplined, geometric form. 

source https://atlasweavers.com/blogs/news/the-baraka-of-the-handmade-moroccan-rug-magic

What’s Inside Guns N’ Roses Drummer Matt Sorum’s Sanctuary

 

Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum has been a rock and roll icon for over three decades. His iconic drumming style and ability to bring intense energy to the stage have made him one of the most sought-after drummers. He's toured with some of the biggest names in music, from Slash and Duff McKagan to Ozzy Osbourne and Velvet Revolver.

 

However, long gone are those nights when Sorum would travel from city to city, performing in front of thousands of screaming fans. Today, the drummer is content to stay home and enjoy his sanctuary with his wife, Ace Harper. Apparently, during the pandemic, they left their home in LA to build their family's "own happy place" in Palm Springs.

From authentic Moroccan rugs to intricate home interiors, let's look at their Palm Springs family-friendly sanctuary!

 

Matt Sorum, Ace Harper, and their daughter Lou Ellington Sorum photographed in their living room. Their french bulldogs Ella and Bowie lounge on a Moroccan rug from Atlas Weavers.
Source : https://www.architecturaldigest.com/

 

Why Did They Pick Palm Springs for Their Sanctuary?

 

Sorum and Harper picked Palm Springs for their new family home because they married at the Colony Palms Hotel in 2013. Since then, they've been going back and forth to Palm Springs to visit and appreciate the area's beauty. With its desert landscape, views of the San Jacinto Mountains, and great restaurants, the city was a natural fit. 

 

The couple also wanted to create a sanctuary for their family and friends. They wanted a place where they could relax and enjoy the area's natural beauty. They were also looking for a place to escape the hustle and bustle of LA. The Palm Springs area offers a peaceful and tranquil environment, making it the perfect spot for Sorum and Harper to create their little oasis.

 

And so, after a year of renovations and pandemic delays, they finally built their new home. This was also established to celebrate Christmas for their baby daughter, Lou Ellington Sorum.

 

The Interior Design for Their Palm Springs Home

 

Sorum and Harper focused on creating a modern and inviting space for their interior design. They wanted to create a pleasant and inviting atmosphere welcoming to family and friends. To do this, they chose a mostly neutral palette of whites and beiges, with touches of warm colors like red, orange, and yellow. It's quite evident on several items, like their authentic Moroccan rug, that the couple has an affinity for bold colors.

 

They also incorporated a lot of nature and natural materials, such as wood and stone, into the design. This gives the home a rustic, cozy feel. The couple added a lot of greenery to the home, from hanging plants to potted plants to succulents.

 

The couple also included artwork and antiques, such as vintage furniture and old-fashioned bookshelves. This gives the home a lived-in, eclectic feel. All in all, the couple's Palm Springs home is a beautiful and inviting space that perfectly captures their style and personalities. It's a space they can be proud of and enjoy for years.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Matt Sorum's sanctuary is an amazing place that reflects the multi-faceted drummer's creative talents. From the handcrafted furniture and authentic Moroccan rugs from Atlas Weavers to the art collection, every aspect of the home is a testament to Sorum's passion for art and design. With its eclectic décor, animal sanctuary, and relaxing pool, Matt Sorum's Palm Springs home truly reflects the drummer's creative vision.

 

Atlas Weavers provide an extensive selection of authentic Moroccan rugs that you can incorporate into your home to make it look just as amazing as Matt Sorum's. Shop from our wide selection of Moroccan rugs today to give your home the perfect finishing touch.

source https://atlasweavers.com/blogs/news/what-s-inside-guns-n-roses-drummer-matt-sorum-s-sanctuary

Qualities of Moroccan Rugs That Make Them So Popular

Moroccan rugs have been around for centuries and have become increasingly popular in the modern world. Their history dates back to the 16th century when people primarily used them to decorate palaces and homes of the wealthy. Today, they are a popular choice for homeowners and commercial spaces. With their unique designs and vibrant colors, these rugs have a lot to offer in terms of style, quality, and craftsmanship.

 

Here are some of the qualities that make them so popular:

 

Material

 

When choosing the right rug for your home, the material is one of the most important factors. Not only does the material determine the rug's longevity, but it also affects the overall look and feel of the room. With so many different materials available in the market, it can take time to make the right choice.

 

Luckily, rugs from Morocco have been proven to be durable since their material is made from natural fibers like wool, cotton, jute, and even silk. The fibers are known for their strength, making them perfect for high-traffic areas.

 

Design

 

Have you ever wondered why many people prefer rugs with designs for their living space instead of plain-colored rugs? The answer is simple: rugs with designs can be an excellent way to add a bit of personality and style to your living space. Not only do they add a unique aesthetic to the room, but they can also be a great way to make a statement without committing to a large, expensive piece of decor.

 

The beauty of Moroccan rugs is that they come in various designs, from geometric and floral patterns to abstract designs. Whether you're looking for an intricate pattern or something more subtle, you will find the perfect rug for your home.

 

Thickness

 

When choosing a rug for your home, there are a few important factors to consider. One of the most critical of these is thickness. A thick rug is ideal for a high-traffic area, as it can withstand heavy foot traffic, spills, and other wear and tear. Luckily, rugs from Morocco are usually quite thick and durable, making them perfect for any space.

 

After all, the thickness of these rugs usually depends on the type of wool used to make them. For example, rugs made with higher-quality wool tend to be thicker and more durable than those made with lower-quality wool.

 

Size

 

Of course, the bigger the rug, the more impact it will have in your room. While a large rug may make a small room look cramped, a large rug can make a large room look much bigger. Good thing rugs from Morocco are customized to any size, allowing you to get the perfect fit for your space.

 

Price

 

Finally, consider the price. While Moroccan rugs are more expensive than other types, they are usually worth the investment. They are incredibly durable and will last for years, so you won't have to worry about replacing them anytime soon.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Moroccan rugs have countless qualities that make them popular among rug collectors and interior designers. Their bright colors, intricate geometric designs, and high-quality craftsmanship have been praised worldwide.

 

Not only are they stylish and beautiful, but they are also highly durable and will last for many years. With their unique characteristics and quality construction, Moroccan rugs will continue to be sought after for many years.

 

Atlas Weavers provide a wide selection of intricate and appealing Moroccan rugs that can add a touch of elegance to any home. With our high-quality craftsmanship, you can find the perfect rug to fit your needs. Shop from us today!

source https://atlasweavers.com/blogs/news/qualities-of-moroccan-rugs-that-make-them-so-popular