Does the magic of lighting makes your heart sing? Do you love rich color, textured fabrics and natural materials? Your global design style may be Moroccan!

What is a Global Design Style?

Global styles are all about your worldly adventures and telling your story! They are usually very colorful, rich in bold designs and natural textures, patterns, colors and arts and crafts of various cultures. Each piece has a story and becomes a conversation starter.  Treasures are displayed without rules or grouping by the part of the world each piece is from. Antiques mix with modern pieces, and natural objects such as animal horns, plants and rocks add to the charm. While global design styles are eclectic and may mix and match items from a variety of countries, you may be drawn to the colors and cultural artifacts of some countries more than others.

What is Moroccan Style?

Moroccan design is filled with intricate carvings, arched doorways, beautiful tilework and vibrant colorful textured fabrics, baskets and accessories. Beautiful Intricate metal lanterns and pendant lights create amazing and magical patterns of light in your room. Mosaic and ceramic sinks create luxurious bathrooms

Moroccan homes use bright colors, such as red, blue, orange, turquoise, pale ocean blues and green mixed with gold. Interiors are filled with carved furniture pieces, poufs, floor cushions, textured vases, exotic figurines, Moroccan-inspired Berber, Kilim and Azilal tribal rugs, metallic details and natural elements, such as wood and stone.

Designs reflect the diverse culture of Arabs, Berbers, Europeans and African immigrants.

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Here is an example of an eco-friendly Edesign I did for a Moroccan style living room,  highlighting traditional Moroccan pieces mixed with modern elements such as mixed metals and furnishings.

Concept Board

Here are some of the products and finishes I used for this design. Some products may contain affiliate links meaning I may receive a small commission if you purchase something at no additional cost to you.

Inspiration and Products

The inspiration and color scheme for this design came from this gorgeous Moroccan Kilim rug from Atlas Weavers. Kilim Rugs are tapestry weaves that date back to the fourth century and have a flat weave as well as bold designs and colors. They are made with natural dyes. Usually made of wool, they are not only beautiful, they are eco-friendly. A great piece of art for your floor that can last a lifetime or more. And you can get 20% off this or any other rug or non-sale item by using the code “Northern Lights” at check out!

I decided green would be a perfect third color to go with the beautiful brown and white of the rug to give the room a natural color scheme. I chose PPG’s color of the year, Night Watch for the walls and Sherwin Williams Alabaster for the trim. Other shades of deep green could also work well, as I mixed and matched various shades of green for variety in the furniture and pillows. Generally, all greens play nicely together.

Furniture

This eco-friendly sofa by Medley Home Furniture is made with organic latex cushions and eco-wool pillows. Medley Furniture offers wonderful eco-friendly and sustainable furniture. And, you can get 5% off anything with code NLS5 at check-out.

I selected eco-friendly furnishings and materials as much as possible to go with the design To learn more about Eco-Friendly Interior Design, see my blog article on the Edesign Tribe website.

This simple but beautiful copper coffee table is made in Mexico, but I selected it to pull in an element of eco-friendly copper to enhance a modern element of mixed metals that ties nicely to the Moroccan art and lighting below.

Art and Lighting

For art, I selected beautiful, authentic hand crafted mirrors, windows or doors from Morocco available at Berber Imports. Click on the link to Berber Imports to see all the following pieces. The center piece of art is an aged wrought iron window with traditional Moorish design in a carved cedar wood frame. It is flanked by two Moroccan mirrors, made from wood and beautifully decorated with hand carved white brass in the shape of old Moorish arches. 

This gorgeous Moroccan door from Berber Imports is made from reclaimed cedar, all hand carved,  with raised three dimensional brass carvings and with two tones of camel bones with an  antique finish. It can be used as an indoor or outdoor door or just as a piece of art.

The elegant arch and the almoravids hand knockers give it a beautiful moorish touch!

Moroccan style often incorporated intricate lighting that creates absolute magic in a room! This hand hammered Moroccan Lamp from Berber Imports is made of traditional heavy fez brass in a modern style. Motifs are consistent with traditional jewelry design often used in a women’s mdamma or gold belt.

Berber: Fine Moroccan Home Furnishings

Accessories

I adore these pillows from Bryar Wolf!  Each is one of a kind. Local villagers harvest the leaves of the Sabra Cactus plant and loom the filaments into textural canvas with patterns of ancient motifs. Made with natural botanical pigments, each pillow cover gets its unique, burnished character from washing and drying under the Moroccan sun. And you can get 5% off everything at Bryar Wolf with code northernlightsstaging5 at check-out.

This Bohenian Chic pillow adds a touch of white to go with the rug and adds and element of beautiful softness and texture.

This white cotton pillow from the Citizenry is handwoven by artisans in Kerala India, and block printed by a master printer in Jaipur, each pillow can take up to 4 days to complete. Not from Morocco, but a beautiful design that adds to the global style of the whole.

This beautiful Moroccan Poof from Berber Imports is made from soft Moroccan leather.

This hour glass from World Market looks like a vintage piece and is made in India, not Morocco.  I thought it would add a element of old world charm and would tie to the brass and other mixed metal accents.

These copper vases from the Citizenry are handcrafted in India by the artisans of Senapati. I selected this to mix different metal elements and harmonize wit with the copper table. Copper goes beautifully with all greens.

Get Inspired

Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration on global style and eco-friendly design. Check out my board on Moroccan  style for daily inspiration on this beautiful style!

Create your own Moroccan Oasis

Ready to create a Moroccan style room in your home?  Check out my Online and Edesign services. I would love to help you. The project above was an example of Full Service Edesign. Learn more about what Edesign is and how it works in my article, How can I work with an Interior Designer on my budget. Learn more about Full Service Edesign and how it works here. Feel free to give me a call at 907-362-0065 to see if Edesign would be the best option for you!  

What’s Your Global Design Style?

Are you curious about your global design style? Take the quiz and find out which style might be right for you.

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What is Mexican Style?

Mexican interiors are full of color, are welcoming, warm and there is often a sense of playfulness and whimsy. A mix of colorful, exotic Spanish and Indian handcrafted items and practical things add old world charm.

The furniture is made from solid wood or leather with designs from the Spanish and Mayan cultures. Most are made from pine, walnut and cherry. Sofas, beds and tables often have a rustic look. Rugs are usually hand woven and brightly colored. Multicolored cushions and geometrical patterns for the curtains are common.

Accessories are colorful and bright and include candles, vases and mirrors, painted wooden animal figurines, wall hangings, clay pottery, woven baskets, traditional masks and paintings.

Colors are bright. Red is common and Yellow is also used heavily in shades ranging from bright lemon yellow to deep earthy golds. Terracotta is common. Blues are commonly used in art and accessories.

Mexican style is a global design style. Global styles are all about your worldly adventures and telling your story! They are usually very colorful, rich in bold designs and natural textures, patterns, colors and arts and crafts of various cultures. Each piece has a story and becomes a conversation starter.  Treasures are displayed without rules or grouping by the part of the world each piece is from. Antiques mix with modern pieces, and natural objects such as animal horns, plants and rocks add to the charm. While global design styles are eclectic and may mix and match items from a variety of countries, you may be drawn to the colors and cultural artifacts of some countries more than others.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Living Room

Here is an example of an eco-friendly Edesign I did for a Mexican style living room. The clients were a retired couple that loved to travel and enjoyed collecting art and figurines from Mexico and other countries. They wanted a space rich in color where they could relax, read, watch TV, entertain and share their love of travel and ethnic art. They also wanted a space that was as eco-friendly as possible.

Before Photos

The clients had just moved into a new home. Here is what it looked like before their new design. They provided these photos and floor plan to create the design from and information on what they liked in term of style and color and how they wanted to use the room. The only things that would be staying in the room from the photos was the flooring, which was new.

 

 

After

This project was a full service Edesign. These after pictures are 3D renders of the finished design which they received with a concept board, shopping list and set up instructions. As you can see, I changed the wall color, and used PPG’s color of the year for 2020, Chinese Porcelain which I extended into the entry way to create a feeling of more space. I changed the front door, window treatments, lighting and furniture.

Get the Look- It’s Healthy and Great for Entertaining

The products I used are all sustainable and healthy for your indoor environment.  See my article on “Eco-Friendly Interior Design- Why You Should Care” on the Edesign Tribe blog.  All the items are made from natural materials such as wood, cotton, wool, copper, iron, sheepskin, clay, ceramic, palm and leather. Here is the concept board I created for the clients.

Inspiration and Products

The following products were used in this design. Some are trade sources in which I was able to work out a discount for you if you like them and order directly yourself. Others may be affiliate sources, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase them for sharing them with you, at no additional cost to you.

The inspiration for this room was this mural from Anthropologie. The whimsical, crewelwork-inspired motif is based on an embroidery style created by the Otomi people of central Mexico and is filled with pre-historic symbols based on native flora and fauna, local beliefs and even primitive cave drawings. Animals, were thought to be bearers of important news. This piece inspired the color scheme, the purple couch, the colors of the leather chairs and velvet pillows on the sofa.

Eco-Friendly Accessories

The animals in the mural inspired the collection of painted wood animal figurines on the book shelves which I got from La Fuente and Wayfair. The ones from La Fuente are Oaxacan Woodcarvings. The wood carvers of Oaxaca Mexico create whimsical designs in festive colors, are carved by hand from the wood of the copal tree. They are painted in stunning detail with acrylic colors. The carvers believe their figures will bring good luck to the potential owner. The figurines from Wayfair are representations of these, which I chose because I loved the colors and some of the cats were just too cute!

 

This purple cat had some nice colors that tied in with the purple sofa and colors on the wall and mural.

The whimsical mural’s focus on plants and animals also inspired the use of the ceramic masks which feature plants and animals.

 

I found these gorgeous eco-friendly baskets made in Mexico from palm leaves, at The Citizenry.

I found the velvet cotton pillows at Bryar Wolfe, where you can get 5% off with code northernlightsstaging at checkout.

Eco-Friendly Furniture

The sofa uses natural latex cushions, wool stuffed pillows and hardwood frame from Medley Furniture which specializes in eco-friendly furniture.  Get a 5% discount on all their products with the code NLS5 at check out. They use sustainable materials such as certified hardwoods and bamboo, no harsh chemicals or fire retardants. Cushions are made of latex foam, pillows are stuffed with wool, cotton, hemp or down. The furniture is custom made for you within 6-8 weeks and they offer free returns. And they have some beautiful fabrics and colors! Who doesn’t need a purple couch!

I love these copper tables, made in Mexico, from La Fuente. Copper is a great option for incorporating unique, authentic and eco-friendly furniture in your design. I found the coffee table, console table and side tables, all made in Mexico there, and loved the color and the petroglyph cut outs on the console table. I thought it related nicely back to the pre-historic elements of the Otami art.

This picked this end table from Mexico because it was made from reclaimed wood and re-purposed hammered copper on the top and the drawer.

 

I loved this small floating hardwood and iron table made in Mexico from The Citizenry because it did not take up a lot of space and was perfect for the reading area I created near the bookshelves.

These beautiful leather chairs from The Citizenry are unique and made in Mexico

Eco-Friendly Rugs and Throws

The beautiful wool Moroccan Azrou rug is from Atlas weavers. I could not find an eco-friendly rug that fit the design from Mexico, but this one from Morocco is simple and has that folkloric look that worked nicely with the design.

Atlas Weavers will give you a 20% discount on their beautiful authentic new or vintage rugs, made from wool or animal hides.  Use the code “northern lights” at check out on any non-sale item. To learn more about Moroccan rugs, see my blog article on the Magic of Moroccan Rugs.

 

At Arhaus , I found the sheepskin rug  and throw to add a feeling of softness and create an atmosphere you just wanted to snuggle up and relax! Not made in Mexico, but eco-friendly!

Eco-Friendly Lighting

I also found the iron and onyx chandelier, and the clay sconces, made in Mexico at La Fuente.

Plants are Great for Indoor Air Quality

A nice touch to add beauty to your room and to help filter your air is to use plants. I found these clay and marble pots and vases, made in Mexico at The Citizenry as well, where you can shop “by country”.

 

Are You Inspired to Create your own Mexican Oasis?

I love the way this design came out. It seems like a happy, magical space where you can sit back, relax, and tell stories about the wonders of your travels to exotic lands.

If you need help in creating an eco-friendly, global style room in your home, check out my Online and Edesign services. I would love to help you. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration on global style and eco-friendly design.

Wondering what your Global Design Style is? Take the quiz and find out!

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