24.4.12
16.4.12
Tom Delavan & the Beni Ourain rug
Tom Delavan's work space at Gilt Home's offices recently appeared in the New York Times. A mix of modern lucite, white aluminum and a hand-woven Beni Ourain carpet, it is an idea that has been explored by early modernists such as Frank Loyd Wright and Mies Van der Rohe. Delavan floats his über controlled white rectangles on top of the creamy pile and atavistic black patterns of North Africa.
William Pahlmann, a legendary decorator of the 1950's, was another interior design pioneer who experimented with Beni Ourain rugs. He designed 'a living room with walls, ceilings and moldings painted deep neutral shade of cream'… and stained the floors 'an almost ebony color, a shade that contrasted boldly with a large ivory and brown Moroccan rug woven in a traditional manner'. *
He mixed the contemporary Beni Ourain rug with a pair of Louis XV fauteuils, a Danish Modern sofa and French and Spanish tables. His daring design was punctuated by vivid shots of color: robins egg blue, malachite green and coral ….
The evolution of Pahlmann's concept is present in Delavan's own brilliant mix of sheer tangerine, tropical green, pure white balanced against the neutral cream ground of his Beni Ourain rug from Imports from Marrakesh.
* Legendary Decorators of Twentieth Century by Mark Hampton p. 143-144
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| BO 1172 sold to Tom Delavan/ Gilt Group |
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12.4.12
Suppose you are given some rare or lovely jar.....and build a room around it
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'Suppose you are given some rare or lovely jar.....and build a room around it. I have had some such point of interest in every room I build, and think that is why some people like my rooms- they feel, without quite knowing it that I have loved them while making them. Now there is a little sitting room and bedroom combined in a certain New York house that I worked out from a pair of Chinese jars.' Elsie De Wolfe 'The House in Good Taste' |
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Imports from Marrakekesh is the design translator.... currently re-doing a custom order of intricate light green zillij tile was supposed to be the shade of the Pucci Kaftan (shown above) but the zillij turned out to have too much turquoise green...it is nearly impossible to rush the zillij artisans or a zillij tile glaze batch in Fez... |
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For an haute bohemian vibe why not try designing a room around a pair of Fez Vases? Our new collection of grand scale matching Moroccan urns just arrived... Imagine lounging in your Marrakesh wearing this light as a feather floor-length long-sleeved Pucci kaftan in a gorgeous pale Persian Green. The deep keyhole neckline is richly embroidered with antiqued gold braiding reminding us of the filigree Moroccan lanterns or an Arabic arch... |
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| Recently asked by an interior designer to create a custom zillij tile color inspired by a Farrow & Ball paint color... images: Pucci Kaftan, Dar Mektoub, Filigree Lantern, Babouche by Farrow & Ball |
3.4.12
Albert Hadley
Imports from Marrakesh is sad to hear about the loss of Albert Hadley. He was a very special client.
We met Mr. Hadley in 2006 when he purchased a Beni Ourain carpet... he said we were 'heading in the right direction' by focusing on this style of carpet and custom orders.... a few months later Albert Hadley Inc. sent us this picture and asked if we could reproduce an authentic Beni Ourain carpet 20'x 20'. It took nearly six years of research and work with our weavers in Morocco to finally create new Beni Ourain carpets in extra large sizes. Mr. Hadley inspired us to begin producing custom Beni Ouarain carpets and was a motivating force behind our idea to focus on creating custom Moroccan decor for interior designers.
As a generous sign of encouragement Mr Hadley even gave us an old Beni Ourain carpet from his warehouse...cream with brown and bits of soft pink...
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