Due to the autumn break at home, we mixed business with pleasure and enjoyed a few days of family vacation. We stayed at Berber Lodge, a fantastic place not far from Marrakesh. I highly recommend this beautiful property for anyone who wants to spend some peaceful time in Morocco. The owner is incredibly dedicated and has designed both the interior and exterior spaces with exquisite taste. Berber Lodge is truly an oasis of tranquillity and a perfect base for exploring the surrounding area.
The past few months have been quite intense for us due to the rebranding, and despite the relaxing environment, it wasn't easy to switch to rest mode. Let's just say we managed to achieve that by the end of our time there.
Berber Lodge
The garden at Berber Lodge
Common room of Berber Lodge
Bedroom at Berber Lodge
Pool at Berber Lodge
Kids playing in the village
Amazing High Atlas sunset
Weavers discussing the new custom orders
Kids and tagine
Group photo with the weavers
Football is the common language
Making friends with a donkey
We typically have time to visit one or two regions on each of our buying trips and stay in the homes of the weavers or at guesthouses along the way. This time, we headed to the High Atlas to visit our interpreter's family and our regular weaving collectives in the area. Our children traveled with us for a bit, and although this sometimes led to situations that needed to be resolved, it was truly a great experience to see cultural differences and language barriers completely disappear when a football was brought out or when we sat down around a delicious tagine. At one point, I bid farewell to my family and continued on to the Middle-Atlas to meet the makers of Boujad, Beni Ourain, and Mrirt rugs. Finally, after driving hundreds of kilometers, I concluded my trip in Fez.
Just like on our previous trips, we experienced many touching moments during our time with the rural communities. Our hosts, for example, were particularly proud of how much our children enjoyed the local herbal tea. We suspect their enthusiasm was due to the copious amounts of sugar rather than the thyme, but we kept that to ourselves. And our family's favorite story is about our younger child, who, after unsuccessfully trying all the toy shops in Budapest, managed to get his coveted peonza (a spinning toy that you throw to do tricks with) from the most unexpected source: a child living in the Atlas Mountains.
Beni Ourain in the making
Young weavers in the sunset
Fadma bringing out yarn samples
Essential tea break
Gatto having a rest, after playing with our kids
More tea
Saying goodbye to Fatoma and her team
Saffron processing
Guests are taking part in the saffron processing too
The blue room in one of the weavers' home
Everybody is participating
Dry saffron blossoms everywhere on the streets
Saffron fields
This time of year coincides with the saffron harvest, which brings a special significance to many local families. The arrival of guests doesn't halt daily activities: conversations unfold over tables covered in saffron flowers, as diligent hands process the delicate purple blooms harvested at dawn, taking only brief pauses for an essential tea break. The three red stigmas within the saffron flower produce the precious spice, while the two yellow stamens and the purple blossoms are used by weavers to dye wool.
My days were filled with long conversations, conducting interviews with the weavers, discussing custom rug designs and selecting yarn colours for the new rugs being crafted, but there were also new discoveries, like learning about the special washing steps for our Mrirt carpets. All this was punctuated by wonderful sunsets, plenty of herb tea, multi-course feasts and exhausting journeys. Of course, I also looked through a large number of rugs and hand-picked several for our upcoming collection. Most selections were made for their beauty, though a couple were included due to my personal connection with their weaver.
Choosing rugs in the presence of their makers is particularly challenging for me. While selecting rugs, my aesthetic preferences intertwine with the personal stories of the weavers, each hopeful gaze wondering if their creation will be chosen. This is why I also take custom orders—to ensure that, as much as possible, all weavers receive work and income. This often results in me choosing more rugs than we actually need or have the budget for.
Custom rug inspired by a prior piece from this village
My favourite new style by Naima and Abasil Tiaza
Rug with a mosque and some lovely creatures
Malika crafting a confetti rug for us
Picking colours for the new designs
Joyful Mahjouba sharing her future plans with us
Amazing Middle-Atlas sunset
Behija is showing us a vintage rug
In love with this Boujad runner
A lovely find hanging on a door
Mahjouba and me
New finds are piling up
Weavers waiting to discuss their custom designs
What a colour!
Piled up, looking good
Fatima and her brown rug on the loom
As I left the villages, my pockets overflowed with saffron and sweets that the older women lovingly tucked in during our conversations and farewell hugs. Upon arriving in Fez, I had gathered a collection of a hundred carpets in various styles. I discovered some wonderful treasures, including brand new rug designs—some of which you've already snapped up—but there are many exciting pieces yet to come that have not been well documented. They have all received an extra wash in the past two weeks and will be on their way to Budapest any minute now. I can hardly wait!