Our Beni Ouarains

January 28, 2016

Our Beni Ouarains

We've got a weak spot for Beni Ouarains, they are considered to be the most prestigious rugs in the world and fit all styles of interior architecture thanks to their simplicity and neutral colors. From nordic to bohemian, from urban penthouses to country mansions, a beautiful Beni will upgrade any room in a second.

History of the Beni Ouarain.

The Beni Ouarain are a group of seventeen Berber tribes, living in the low and middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Originally they come from the Rif Mountains in Northern Morocco, but have spread out through the years. The women of the Beni Ouarian tribe have a tradition of weaving huge rugs to protect them against the wintercold in the highlands. For these carpets, they will only use the best wool of their own ancient breed of small sheep.

Because of their nomadic existence in remote mountains, these tribes have not been subject to Arabic culture for many years, this explains the simple design of Beni Ouarain rugs: clean white or cream with a simple diamond lining structure.

It takes these women months, sometimes years to finish a piece. An original Beni is typically soft; the quality of the wool will garantuee a soft and shaggy carpet with medium to long hairs. Because of the carefull proces, an original Beni is very strong and thick.

Tourist Beni's versus authenticity.

Because Beni's are getting quite popular in interior styling, a lot of copies have been manufactured the last years for commercial reasons. These carpets, or tourist Beni's as we like to call them, are quickly made, although also by hand, in a few weeks to serve in the Souks as souvenirs or sold on knockoff webshops.
Because of the quick process their quality is far inferior to original pieces. Furthermore, they are made of cheaper factory wool. A commercial piece will never give that extra softness and looses hairs easily.

If you are looking for a Beni Ouarain, take your time to compare quality, wool, knotting and details. A quick glance (and touch) will show you the difference between an authentic piece and a commercial copy.

Quality & pricing.

We visit our suppliers in Morocco on a regular base to pick only the best rugs. Our suppliers travel throughout the Atlas region to select only the finest pieces.
We visit our suppliers in Morocco on a regular base to pick only the best rugs. Our suppliers travel throughout the Atlas region to select only the finest pieces.
This way we guarantee that all Beni's we sell are original handmade pieces of 100% non dyed wool, made by the traditional rules and ment to last forever. Because of our direct distribution we can offer this quality at great prices. Check out our collection here.

Beni's at Saint Eve.

All our current pieces are online but you are very welcome in our apartment (Antwerp) to check out the pieces by yourself. This way you can check colours and feel the quality. Because our stock sells out quite fast and we only take regular sizes in stock, we offer the possibility to order your own rug. Just let us know what your wishes are (size, color, pattern,...) and we'll check what's possible.