With Moroccan rugs being one of this year’s essential home accessories we felt it time to take the deep dive. Our conclusion: buyer beware.
Not all rugs are created equal, most rugs now sold in Morocco, and especially in Marrakech, are made brand new for a tourist market, even Walmart and Target have jumped on the trend, selling their version of this popular style. While the history and individuality that made this art form so desired in the first place may be diluted with inferior substitutes, we here in Portland have a silver lining, Kat + Maouche.
Kat + Maouche specialize in one-of-a-kind authentic vintage rugs hand selected from the rural villages of Morocco. Portland Native, Katen Bush & her Berber-American husband, Latif Bezzir pride themselves on being very meticulous about who they purchase their rugs from and how. Educating customers on the culture and communities they procure their collection from elevates the rugs from a utilitarian object to a piece of history. Katen admits, customers may get more information than they bargained for, but their knowledge of these rugs and the Berber culture is what sets them apart from other dealers. Chelsea & Leland Duck of Revive Upholstery & Designs, use Kat + Maouche rugs in their showroom and say, they “love that they buy direct and make it a point to learn the full history of every rug. Their knowledge is unparalleled!”
So what makes these rugs such a hot trend anyways? Personally, I think the rebelliousness in it’s free-form patterns, bright colors and opposition to elegance taps into our wild side. This is not your grandmother’s rug (unless she’s amazingly cool and ahead of her time); think of them as a Picasso in comparison to a Monet. Katen feels their popularity also coincides with Marrakech being a cool destination (again) for American tourists. “I could list five places every lifestyle blogger on Instagram is going to these days and Marrakech would be high on it.”
Visit their shop on 23 NW 4th or online at katandmaouche.com and decide for yourself what it is you love about these vintage works of art.
