Monochrome Wonders

I do love a good rug, large and pleasing to the eye bringing everything in the room together making it all gel, I think that a room can look a bit lost without one.  It also has to be soft under your feet, one that you can sink your toes into and relax after a long day.

If I were to be asked to choose one rug to own for the rest of my days I definitely know which one would win.  The Beni Ourain rug has my heart, the beautiful hand made monochrome hatch designs are perfect and timeless. The very nature of the black and white design seamlessly blend with a myriad of styled interiors, minimal and contemporary through to maximalist colourful eclectic spaces.

I’ve had the great pleasure of being able to sample one of these stunning rugs as an introducion to Tate & Darby who officially launch their on line store this Summer but are open for business if anything catches your eye.

Henny Tate and Kirsty Darby are passionate about rugs, well not any old rug but ones that they source from Morocco.  They fell in love with the brightly coloured versions of the usually more muted Beni Ourain rugs on a trip to Marrakech.  They brought a few home to sell at a pop up shop they had organised, the rugs sold so well that they went back for more and so the idea for the Tate & Darby was born.

They both have backgrounds in design and the decorative arts and have found that buying and designing rugs satisfies that creative urge and fits around their busy family lives very well.

All of the Tate & Darby Beni Ourain rugs are hand made in 100% wool by womens co-operatives in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.  Each rug tells a story by the person who made it,  they are perhaps the most beautiful, comfortable and practical rugs around, Henny and Kirsty still marvel at the work that goes into them. Every effort is made to keep their business as sustainable as possible, they don’t want to leave a footprint but do want to encourage a hand print.

Henny and Kirsty believe that a rug has a way of transforming a space, creating atmosphere and by reworking traditional designs into contemporary styles make them all the more accessible for our homes. Tate & Darby offer a bespoke service too, if you can’t quite find the right look they are more than happy to help and of course they love to chat rugs!

One of the things I love about these artisan rugs is their versatility, most of us think of the Beni Ourain being that of a black and white weave but the bright neon colour ways that Tate & Darby offer are so very different and extremely versatile. I know there’s a certain young lady in my house that would kill for a neon pink version in her bedroom!

So now you don’t have to book a flight, hotel and go to Morocco to barter for that sought after rug as Tate & Darby have done all the hard work for you.

•  With thanks to Tate & Darby for the loan of this stunning rug for the purpose of this post