How many interior designers get the opportunity to re-interpret something as exotic as a Moroccan tea room?
It doesn’t happen too often in my line of work, but I love being asked to create something I’ve never done before. So as soon as I heard those three words from my new residential clients, I knew I had to take the job. My mandate? To fully furnish a two-floor, two-bedroom condo in trendy Griffintown, Montreal – including a Moroccan tea room in the mezzanine between the two bedrooms – all in time for the owners’ return to the city at the end of this past summer.
Not only was this an opportunity to go somewhere different with my imagination, but it was a chance to virtually travel somewhere new. I started looking at photos of Morocco (somewhere I’ve never been) for pattern and colour inspiration. Oh, the colours!
After the initial discussions with my clients, I learned they wanted three, rectangular floor cushions to be positioned in a “U” shape with a small area rug and table in the centre. A flat screen television facing the seating area is what made me refer to this area as the “modern” Moroccan tea room, but the rest was up to me.
When sourcing fabrics for this room, I realized that some of the biggest on-trend patterns right now are actually Moroccan based. I have been using them for the past year on several projects – none of which were considered Moroccan in the least. You will find these patterns in bright Moroccan-inspired colours but you will see them in neutrals as well.
The inspiration: With so many colours to choose from, I knew I’d found my palette of blues and teals as soon as I stumbled upon this original painting on Etsy.com. This is often the case in the design process: one key element determines the rest of the space, whether it is a fabric, a painting or even a sink!
Don’t be afraid to fly around the world next time you are looking for design inspiration. Colours and patterns are yours for the taking – and, thanks to Google, you don’t have to leave your office to find them.
