Beni Berber | 295 x 254 cm | Nr. Z-1348

Modern Beni Berber, cream white with Scandinavian pattern

Origin	Pakistan
Dimensions	295 cm x 254 cm (= 7.49 m²)
Construction	hand-knotted
Material	Pile: wool (hand-spun, natural dyes) Weft & Warp: cotton
knots per m²2	60.000
Pile height	5mm
Year of manufacture	2022
Colour	Cream white, light grey
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

 

Origin

Berber rugs were traditionally knotted for use in the home. The weavers, mostly women, played freely and spontaneously with shapes and colours – without any pattern templates – following their own ideas and their individual intuition. That is why the traditional pattern of Moroccan Berber rugs typically consists of geometric, sometimes colourful, abstract shapes and lines on monochrome backgrounds. Modern designers such as Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Charles and Ray Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer and Arne Jacobsen valued the naive, clear design of these high-pile Moroccan nomad rugs. That powerful, artistic expression has an extraordinary presence and makes Berber rugs – quite apart from their fluffy feel – one of a kind.

 

Pattern

The clear, abstract design of this contemporary rug speaks especially to people who love simple, modern interiors and architecture. The design idea for this rug comes from Europe. Free from the rules of traditional rug patterns, it was developed for Western art and interior styles. That is not an entirely new development, though. The roots of European rug design go back to Art Deco rugs, which were made to Western specifications between the late twenties and the fifties.

The pile is a single colour throughout, in cream white. The plain design is understated, yet it can also set a wonderful decorative accent. The monochrome look of this rug fits beautifully into any setting.

The abstract, geometric composition is what gives this Beni Berber its understated elegance. The pattern flatters the design of the room and never draws attention away from the furniture, the décor or the architectural details. It creates a pleasant atmosphere without dominating the style of the room.

Scandinavian patterns from the 50s are enormously popular at the moment, benefiting from renewed interest in the modern aesthetic of that era. The values of that movement – clean lines and understatement – find exemplary expression in this small rug.

 

Material

This hand-knotted Berber rug has a dense, fairly high pile. That makes it very cosy and hard-wearing. Traditionally, Berber rugs – like Lori or Gabbeh rugs – were used for sleeping on. They invite you to sit and sprawl in the living room, but they are also excellent for hallways and dining areas. The warp and weft yarns of this Berber rug are cotton; the pile is wool that is dyed with natural dyes and hand-spun. The hand-spun wool is what gives the Loris their soft surface. The weft and warp threads of this Beni Berber are cotton. This versatile material is tear-resistant and elastic and therefore particularly well suited to a hard-wearing foundation.