Shopping for carpets!

It is almost impossible for me to walk past a carpet shop in morocco without at least having a look
and
strange as it may sound,
possibly even stroking the odd beni, azilal or boujaad!!
Luckily I am planning a trip to Assilah and Tangier in the next few weeks - and I will most definitely be wandering around the souks and medinas to stock up on a few pieces for shouf!{look!}

So . . .

if you are looking for a particular design

or colour

size or shape,

just let me know.

I would love to do some personal shopping for you while I am there.

x

Follow me on INSTAGRAM to see the places I go and the people I meet.

shouf!

There is a chill in the air as autumn settles in here, which has prompted me to try and cosy up the shop

ochre mountain boujid rug

some new, things some old favourites . . . still very much a work-in-progress!

ewwel sugar bowls

Please follow the link and have a look -would love to know what you think!

www.shouf.co,uk

vintage cushion

xPauline

shouf! {look!} SUMMER SALE

I am getting busy and trying to get organised as September looms and life shifts up a gear!

So with this in mind

shouf!{look!}

 SUMMER SALE 

 its time to clear the shelves to make space for new stock coming soon!

SHOP: www.shouf.co.uk

simply use code: shoufsale at checkout for a 20% DISCOUNT

while stocks last only

#madeinmorocco #sale #shouf

A little natural inspiration

It was this image below that got my attention . . .

I have been looking at ideas for lampshades and I love the organic shape and material of this one.
And then I started paging through all the images - some lovely things showcased in beautifully simple moroccan interior!
I thought you might like to have a look as well.

ALL IMAGES AND MORE INFORMATION VIA:

 http://www.vosgesparis.com/2016/04/a-beautiful-moroccan-home-decorated-by.html

a boucherouite & a helping hand

The Boucherouite carpets, traditionally made from scraps of fabric by the resourceful women of Morocco, have been on trend and featured in magazine shoots and Pinterest boards for some time now.

And at the risk of sounding a little cliched, 

they are, in my opinion, the perfect element to add a colourful note of "boho-chic" to a contemporary home far away from the Atlas mountains.

 I have sent personally sourced rugs from the medina of Assilah to America, South Africa and England where they sit prettily in their foreign surrounds.

image via 

With this in mind I thought I would try a little boucherouite designing myself in collaboration with Darna Womens Community Centre in Tangier which provides both a safe harbour and a training centre for women and girls in the community. 

And this is what we came up with . . .

A taupe, chartreuse and chocolate boucherouite which is beautifully woven and is as pretty underneath as it is on top - traditionally sides were changed according to the season.

This Boucherouite is now on sale in my shop SHOUF! and can be proudly labelled FairTrade!

and

10% of Boucherouite sales will go straight back to Darna and their training programme.

more information and images of Boucherouite carpets can be found HERE and HERE

x

Shouf!{look!} - a giveaway!

I am unashamedly and unreservedly
asking for your help in turning my bright idea
into a reality.
Its all about footfall . . .  or so I am told!

via

I have been chatting about it quite a lot recently
so you might have visited already?
shouf!{look!}

I would love more people to have a look at the collection of carpets and textiles
so
with this in mind I devised this simple
GIVEAWAY
This beautiful necklace made up of scented soap (yes soap!) beads
created by L'Art du Bain,
 could be yours.

It couldn't be easier!

simply tweet, pin, share on facebook or any other social media platform

that floats your boat!
Straight from SHOUF into the social media network of your choice.

The more shares, the more chances you stand of being the lucky winner!

5 tweets = 5 slips of paper with your name of it in the hat!

etc etc . . . 

so remember
individual items on shouf must be tweeted, pinned and shared
 I will make sure to check there  and enter your name in the draw where ever I see it!
x
thanks for your support
and do keep an eye on the shop as I hope to extend our range as soon as possible
good luck
Pauline

it would be great if you shared this post as well - and would MOST DEFINITELY count as an entry!

just go straight to the share tabs below

SHOUF! {look!}

shouf-shouf . . . 

come and look! 

 the merchants would call as you walked past their shop in the medina!

image by Hassan Hajjaj via

It has been a process of some internal debate - but I have decided to venture back into the domain of merchants and makers selling their wares on this amazing world wide web of ours.

I have loved creating tea-in-tangiers, and immersing myself in pretty pictures and {at times} poetic words . . .  but over the last few months I have had this nagging pre-occupation to turn it into something a little more economically viable.

And so this - along with the fact that I am unable to walk past a carpet shop without touching, remarking, and generally wanting to re-home all the merchandise,

resulted in  . . .

http://shouf.bigcartel.com/products

For a collection of both traditional and contemporary Moroccan textiles and design.

 I am starting off in the realm of carpets but plan to broaden our horizons in the near future.

I cannot take any credit for the name.

Omar, who has taught me pretty much all I know about Moroccan carpets, came up with the name  when we were discussing the idea of me getting back into the market place.

He explained how in days gone by this was like a catch phrase for traders trying to catch the passers by - shouf-shouf, come and see . . . 

So please stop by

shouf

have a look

image via

And share - your support would make my day!

x

Pauline

shouf.bigcartel.com

Looking for a Beni Ourain?

Wether on Pinterest, Instagram, or the latest edition of your favourite interiors glossy, you cannot miss the trend for these beautiful handwoven rugs made in Morocco.

 One of the reasons (I think . . .) for the appeal of these carpets is that despite often having strong patterns marching across the pile, the natural colours raise them above trends and allow them to fit seamlessly into a range of interior  - especially the modern Danish look that is still right on trend.

You just have to have a quick look at the Pinterest board I share with my friend Urban Boer to get the general idea.

via

So with all this in mind, when I walked past the shop I often work with in the medina and saw this glorious display of  carpets in the winter sunshine I had to do the Instagram thing - but then decided to take it a step further

 just in case one of you wants one of these, 

right now, 

    in your home . . .

All you have to do is let me know, and we will get it to you

by hook or by crook as they say!

so
"shouf - shouf"
{have a look}
and see if you find the perfect beni for that space on your floor.

#1: dimensions 194cm x 113 cm

      price ex postage - $815 /  Euro:687

#2: dimensions 262cm x 153cm

      price ex post - $938 /  Euro:791

#3: dimensions 245cm x 112cm

     price ex post - $818 /  Euro:690

all prices excl postage

please feel free to contact me with any questions and queries about these carpets or any other carpet you might be looking for.

via

 if you want to find out a little more about these carpets have a look here where Gebhart Blazek, specialised dealer and curator in Moroccan textiles shares some of his extensive knowledge.

x

The Boucherouite

the slightly more bohemian cousin of the Beni Ourain . . .?

via

I was going through some photographs yesterday - the ones still sitting on my camera  . . .      

    (yes, organising images is yet another thing to add to an ever-growing 'to do' list)

 when I saw these pictures I took last year of some Boucherouite rugs on the medina wall of Assilah.

 The wall is an extension of my friend Omar's carpet shop, 

 a place where I have spent many an hour wading through his seemingly endless collection of carpets!

A far cry from the trendsetting heavyweight of Moroccan rugs, the Beni Ourain,

 but a bit more fun possibly?Now  I must confess to initially having been a little unsure of the often crazy designs, the wildly tangential colours, not to mention the whole rag thing . . . 

 But I am now a convert, and in no small measure I would suspect this is as a result of seeing them transformed when taken out of the medina and placed in less cluttered and more contemporary environments.

via

via

I think they are perfect for childrens rooms  - the bright patterns, the rags, can all take a bit of wear and tear and even the odd spatter of fingerpaint without a family crisis ensuing . . .

via

if you want one for your own home
 have a look  and shop here

If you want to know a little more about the history and production of these particular rugs,

 have a look here 

This website www.berber-arts.com 

is a great reference site for these and other Moroccan carpets

for links and credits, as well as more images

 have a look at our Pinterest board Moroccan Style and Design

or pop across to SF Girl by Bay 

and read her post : You Say Rug, I Say Boucherouite