In the above video, Paloma Picasso discusses her for zellige-inspired jewelry collection made for for Tiffany & Co. I’ve noticed lots of designers playing with Moroccan mosaic patterns as part of their jewelry collections.

The above piece is designed by Lee Angel (www.leeangel.com and reminds me of some of my favorite tile work. I bought the one in the picture on sale at bluefly.com. If this discount were deeper, I’d buy the red and white one too. I hope I love it when I meet it in person.

If you are lucky enough to travel to Morocco, don’t miss a visit to Chefchaouen. It isn’t an easy spot to travel to – there are no trains – but it is well worth the effort. When I think back on last summer in Morocco, I miss Chefchaouen the most.

And, if you are lucky enough to visit Chefchaouen, try the local goat cheese. It is fantastic. Get lost in the blue medina. Check out the local a carpet shops and apothecaries.

I wish I had bought a carpet in Chefchaouen. The sales people were convincing but gentle. I just didn’t have the money. The carpets in the picture reflect the unique style of carpets from Chefchaouen. But, the pictures I took in the local shop were dark and not worth of posting. A Chefchaouen carpet is blue like the city. I wish I had one in the my home – a bit of Chefchaouen to bring back with me.

I wish I knew about the “double barrel mint nostril device” when I went to Fes. Luckily (?) each time I’ve been to Fes my sinuses were so congested that I couldn’t smell anything.

Note how the price of a lantern dropped from 80 euros (over $100 dollars) to 200 dirhams (closer to $20). In other words, shopping in Morocco takes time.

Color is never shy in Moroccan design. Bold blues, rustic oranges, tropical greens mix with metalic accents. Flavors of vegetables like eggplant and olive, spices such like saffron and cumin, and fruits like the barbarian fig offer further color inspiration.

The African sun seems to pulsate a few inches above your head, and at noon the sun can bleach the world white. This is when you put on a hat and search for shadows. This is when Moroccan latice work shows its true brillance. From the shadows you can watch time pass as the latice work grows like a vine over the ground.

The African sun changes color. A good designer sets the stage so that the light of Moroccan day has the proper tools to play with. Alas, in DC I live in a three-story house that gets barely any natural light. I set out to duplicate a hint of the feeling of color and light in Morocco. Of course, this is impossible to do without the sun and its movement though the day.

I’ve read over and over again that dark colors make spaces feel smaller, but in the picture below what looks further away, dark colors of light?

Imagine how the archways in a mosque or medrasa would look without the contrast between light and dark? Would you feel the space at all if it were all an equal shade of white?

I say contrast is the key. Use it wisely. If the sun does it for you; great. If not, paint some contrast into your life.

The above color choices offer contrast and highlights that integrate custom Moroccan products store-bought goods in the States.

With a bit of contrast, a few bold shapes, and a dash of the unexpected, you can keep your mind a bit more engaged with your surroundings. May these colors bring a sense of grounding and haromony to your home as well as mine.

From the looks of Fall catalogs by Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn, jewel tones will be in supply for the winter. Now is a great chance to go Moroccan with you interiors. The multi-purpose function of a Moroccan salon suites modern lifestyles and fashion trends. Bring on Bohemian style!

I opened the mailbox and saw a little square package. Could it be? The return label read “Argan Oils…Chicago, IL.” Yes! My package of argan oils had arrived!

I was approached by Argan Oils to list their product on my website and wanted to test the quality first. If you purchase their product through my site, I get a commission on the sale.

Argan oil is made from the kernels of the argan tree, which only grows in southern Morocco. Extracting the oil is a labor-intensive process primarily done by Berber women in the Atlas region. For centuries the oil has been valued for its culinary, cosmetic, and medicinal properties. Only recently has it gained popularity in Europe and the United States as an eco-friendly, anti-aging ingredient.

Argan Oils

I don’t consider myself prone to hippie fashion. Perhaps this is a contradiction since I love Moroccan design and Morocco has a special place in hippie history. But something about patchouli, knotted hair, and dazed circle dancing has never resonated positively with me.

However, today I found myself broswing Hippie Couture’s blog and Etsy store. I snagged the above photo from a post on Talitha Getty. I discovered a latent yearning for parrot tops and vintage frog closures. Boho suites me just fine.

My favorite thing to do in Rabat is to take pack my daughter and her trike in the car and head towards the medina. In May and June the weather is nice, perhaps a bit too hot at midday, but the crowds are thin. As my girl peddles her trike I take in the visual delight of artisan shops. If we visit during lunch when some of the shops are closed I can admire the painted doors. Sometimes we cross the street to the kasbah Oudaya for more fun exploring the gardens and a cup of tea for mom and cookies for the girl.

On one such trip, I stopped by the Maison du Artisan. Just outside the medina across from the Bou Regreg waterfront, I had been admiring this building from the outside and wondering what could be held inside. An artisan co-op? Business assistance? We wandered into a vacant courtyard with a central fountain.

We wandered up the stairs, Mom carried the trike, and a femme de menage immediately smiled a she noticed my girl, gently pinched her little cheek, and then kissed her own finger tips. This endearing gesture is common occurrence when traveling in Morocco with small children.

I explained using my poor French that I was researching export opportunities. I was shown into a woman’s office who explained to me in perfect English (lucky for us both) that she is working to help standardize the artisan sector and that one of her colleagues works on export opportunities. She gave me a lovely hardcover English-language book promoting Moroccan handicrafts, specifically carpets, weaving, pottery, leather, metal, wood, candles, jewelry, furniture, clothing, architecture, and organic products.

Her colleague took me into another office where I explained I was conducting research on export opportunities. But without a specific product and investment amount in mind, I could gather little information on pricing or suppliers. The first woman had explained that the website has a catalog of artisan contacts, but the website was broken when I visited. It ends up that the web address www.maisonartisana.org.ma which is printed on the back of the book is out-dated. The new address is www.lartisanatdumaroc.ma.

There was an exchange of business cards, but no further contact. I got the sense that most of the assistance is being supplied to artisan in-country as part of the Vision 2015 objectives, which include standardizing the artisan sector and getting more artisans to participate at trade shows and the like. I imagine there will be much improvement in the artisan sector within the next seven years.

If I do get around to importing Moroccan artisan products into the United States, I imagine I will do so by the container full instead of by working with individual suppliers. That said, if you are a Moroccan artisan seeking export opportunities to US markets, please contact me at sarah at moroccandesign.com.

In the medina of Chefchaoen there is a tiny shop where a happy guy knits the night away making funky hats, scarves, legwarmers and more. Tiny rainbow hats with animal ears for kids are particularly cute. This past December, I left with a hat and scarf to provide warmth in the mountain town’s cold night. I thought it was a steal compared to what I’d pay for similar set at Urban Outfitters or the like.

Sadly, whilst passing through Brussels in February, I unwittingly left my hat behind in my hurry to exit a subway train. I found myself that winter’s night with cold ears, my scarf forlorn without its partner.

In July I returned to Chaoen (turns out even the Moroccan mountain cities are hot in the summer) and wondered if I could again find the happy knitter’s little stall. Hoping to replace my lost hat but not optimistic I’d be able to locate the tiny shop, I was happy to finally find myself in a medina corridor that appeared familiar. I wandered up Rue Targui and meandered past riad Casa Hassan to a small square. A bit further uphill on the left I found the happy knitter’s shop. In tiny print painted above the stall door it simply stated “Hat Man.” The Hat Man was just where I’d last seen him, knitting away with kittens curled up around him and a candle lighting his workspace.

I explained my sorrow of my treasured hat that I lost in Belgium as looked through his piles for a similar color/style. “No problem. Come back tomorrow and you can pick up your same hat” he told me as he put away his work-in-progress and set out to recreate the hat per my description.

I returned the next day around noon when the Hat Man said he’d have it ready. I was not disappointed. I bought my replacement hat and another warm hat for my travel companion to use this winter. I left feeling great affection for the Hat Man. Voila- a snuggly hat identical to that I left on a European subway again in my hands. How many times in life do you get a chance to replace a little thing that was left behind?

When you go to Chaoen, consider staying at the Ksar Aladdin (+212.65.406.464, rue Rauachid) – like the riad Casa Hassan, its rooms have delightful décor and quirky bathrooms shaped like your own little castle, but all this for half the price of Casa Hassan. The best are the rooms on the top floor (well worth the climb), which include private en-suite patios offer amazing views of the mountains and medina below. While this guest house doesn’t include meal services, the same owner runs the Aladdin restaurant, a swank multi-level joint just off the main square. At the Aladdin restaurant you can dine with a stunning view of the happenings in the square below — enjoy your breakfast a sitting a stone’s throw from the top of the Kasbah tower or have a cozy dinner fireside surrounded by local art.

By guest blogger Vanessa

I just bought a bag made of fabric woven from silk and cotton with leather detailing. I bought it from the “purse guy” on Rue des Consuls in the medina Rabat. He has excellent quality bags. If you get to go to Rabat, stop by his shop. I don’t know how to describe the exact location, but you should be able to spot it by the steady flow of customers coming in and out.

I *love* my bag. Its big enough for a full laptop to fit inside without peaking out of the top. The straps are padded so they don’t dig into my shoulder. I added an eight-point star which I also bought in the Rabat medina.

There are lots of interesting bags being made from this type of fabric. I bought a jewelry box and wallet made from the same leather/fabric combination.

The purse guy speaks fluent English and sports a jellaba and beard. He can duplicate anything and is interested in seeing new designs. “Is that a Furla bag?” he asked on my last visit to his store as he inspected my beloved Toscanella tote bag.

If you get a chance to visit his shop, bring your dirhams and your designer bag. He’ll love seeing new designs and you’ll be able to shop from the shelf.