Beyond the Pouf: a designer in Morocco

Negative space and pattern play.

In this first post from Morocco you'll find some photos of how creatively they play with shadows. 

Being a San Francisco interior designer and traveling through Morocco with my husband and two young girls, I am having to resist the urge to make this into a shopping trip! (Anyone want to put in an order for some home decor??)

 

No doubt Moroccan design is everywhere these days - from the lanterns to the rugs and of course the ever popular Pouf - temptation is at every corner of the Souks for me . But this being my second trip to this exotic land, I am captivated this time by things beyond the amazing crafts and colors of Morocco. Rather two things have struck me:  how they play with the absence of light and the negative space it creates, and the importance of framing and decorating a passageway. 

These are two design concepts that are often little considered in American design. 

When determining lighting layout for clients, as designers we place much importance on how to provide ample light to a room. We work in as many ceiling cans as possible without it looking too busy; and then of course the decorative center ceiling fixture and/or pendant that can stand on its own to light up the whole room if necessary. 

Moroccan lighting and interior design has given me a new appreciation of the importance of illusion, pattern play and the use of the negative space.