Recently I bought this boucherouite rug to add some colour to my house. The colour and texture of this rug is amazing and it looks a piece of contemporary art. I thought I would share some of the background information about this type of rug.
Moroccan tribes create boucherouite rugs from are created from pieces of material, the name come from the Moroccan Arabic 'bu sherwit' meaning a piece torn from pre-used clothing or a scrap. Materials for these rugs may include wool, cotton, synthetic fibre, lurex, nylon and plastic. Development caused change in the economic, social and cultural patterns of rural Morocco, people no longer followed a nomadic style of living but instead used settled farming and became involved in other rural forms of employment. As a result wool became less available as a primary material for weaving and people looked to other sources. Boucherouite rugs were first created in the 1960's and 1970's and are woven by the Berbere women. Unlike European weaving techniques where designs are based on a specific pattern, the Berbere women weave without a drawing or preconceived design, it is simply coming straight from the mind of creator much like an artist with his brush. Traditional knotted-pile carpets can be attributed with a regional style unique to the area, however these 'rag rugs' have no such definition and are now made all over Morocco. Boucherouite rugs are free from any rules and must be enjoyed!
Here's a close up of my rug, the diversity of the materials and colours is very striking. The composition of these rugs has been likened to Pollock, Kandinsky, Klee and Mondrian. If you would like to buy one go to www.boucherouite.net or visit www.larusi.com to make an appointment with Souad.
