Berber Area Rug
The Moroccan Influence

Modern Berber area rugs are machine made and are not necessarily wool made, yet they are styled to echo the Moroccan Berber tribes’ rugs and carpets making tradition. Genuine Berber carpets are handmade from wool or from camel hair.

Traditional Berber Carpets

Picture attributed to Alexandre Moreau

The modern Berber area rug is a name for a popular floor rug style, a style that was influenced by the nomadic North African tribes culture, tribes that live in the Moroccan inland.

To these days, handmade Berber carpets are still being created in the rural parts of Morocco and its neighboring countries. The rugs find their way to local markets and to the Moroccan tourist shops and art shops. Traditional Berber carpets are made from wool and other natural fibers and are relatively expensive. Berber carpet style refers to the way the carpet is woven and to the governing color palette. Many Moroccan style carpets are dyed with light colors, occasionally darker colors can be found. The typical weave use both large tufts and small tufts creating smaller and bigger loops, bringing into view a pattern with a unique visual effect.

Modern Machine Made Berber Rugs

Wool is not the only material from which modern Berber floor rugs are manufactured. Nylon and Olefin are used extensively; Olefin is carrying the most affordable price tag. Berber rugs can be used for high traffic areas because they are more durable to wear and tear. Regular vacuum cleaning is advised; the rug will endure the vacuuming and will not show wearing signs. Cleaning however is not as easy if soil and spills were absorbed into the yarns. Dry cleaning or professional deep cleaning is recommended at least every 6 months.

Pricing tends to be based not only on material and on weave density. High density wool is more expensive than cheaper Olefin rugs. Olefin rugs are offered in a variety of colors and are very decorative. The life span of the cheaper rugs may not be as long as to meet your expectations, therefore see what is the actual expected life cycle cost before you buy. If you like more frequent changes, it might be a wonderful flooring solution for rooms that you may change in the future.

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