Beni Ourain vs. Boujaad Rugs: Which Style Fits Your Home?
Choose a Beni Ourain rug if you want a thick, quiet rug in natural ivory wool with a few dark lines. Choose a Boujaad if you want color: warm reds, pinks and oranges in a freer, more painterly pattern. Both are handwoven Moroccan wool rugs. They come from different regions, and they do different things to a room.
The short comparison
| Beni Ourain | Boujaad | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | The Beni Ourain tribes of the north-eastern Middle Atlas mountains. | The area around the town of Boujad, on the plains below the Middle Atlas. |
| Color | Undyed ivory or cream wool, with brown or black lines. | Dyed wool: reds, pinks, oranges, purples. |
| Pattern | Sparse geometry: lines, lattices, diamonds. | Looser and asymmetrical, with shapes that seem to float. |
| Pile | Thick and soft. Around 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5 cm) is commonly quoted. | Generally lower, and it varies a good deal from rug to rug. |
| Effect in a room | Calms it. A neutral base that adds texture. | Leads it. The rug becomes the color in the room. |
Beni Ourain: texture first
Beni Ourain rugs take their name from a group of Amazigh tribes in the Middle Atlas. In the mountains these thick pile weavings were made for warmth, as bedding and covers as much as floor rugs, which explains their depth and softness.
The classic piece is ivory wool left in its natural color, crossed by dark lines or a diamond lattice. That restraint is why the style sits so easily in minimalist, Scandinavian and mid-century rooms. It brings warmth without competing with anything.
Good for: living rooms and bedrooms where you want softness underfoot. Think twice for: dining areas and entrances, where pale, deep pile is harder to keep clean.
Boujaad: color first
Boujaad rugs come from the region of Boujad, between the Atlas foothills and the plains. Where the Beni Ourain is restrained, the Boujaad is expressive: saturated warm colors, and geometry that shifts, repeats and breaks off as the weaver decides.
The pile is usually shorter than a Beni Ourain’s, which makes many Boujaad rugs a little easier to live with in busier rooms. In a neutral interior, one Boujaad is often enough to carry the whole palette.
Good for: rooms that need a focal point, eclectic and collected interiors. Think twice for: rooms that already have strong pattern on the walls or upholstery.
Claims to treat with care
Moroccan rugs are sold with a lot of storytelling. Three claims are worth questioning, whoever the seller is.
- “Natural vegetable dyes.” Often said of colorful rugs, and often not verifiable. Rug specialists report that many pieces made in recent decades use synthetic dyes, some of which can bleed. Ask how the wool was dyed, and test the colors before any wet cleaning.
- “Vintage.” A faded look can be produced by bleaching a new rug. Compare the color on the front with the back, and ask what is actually known about the rug’s age.
- “Each symbol means…” Researchers who have studied Amazigh weaving do not support a fixed dictionary of symbols. Meanings differ by region, by family and by weaver.
Beni Ourain and Boujaad rugs at TAZRIRT
Our Beni Ourain style rugs keep the deep pile and the line-drawn designs of the tradition, in ivory and black and also in softer colors such as olive, terracotta and blue. Our Boujaad collection holds the warmer, bolder side: red and sage checkerboards, mustard stripes, and Azilal style pieces with free, painterly shapes. All are made to order, in the width and length you enter.
Beni Ourain style
Boujaad and Azilal
Which one for your home?
- You want the rug to recede and the room to feel calm: Beni Ourain.
- You want the rug to be the first thing people see: Boujaad.
- The room is busy with children, pets or meals: lean toward a lower pile, or consider a flatweave.
- You cannot decide: lay out the colors already in the room. If there are three or more, the ivory rug will usually serve it better.
Whichever you choose, size matters as much as style. See how to choose the right rug size for your living room. Leaning toward color? Read how to style a colorful Moroccan rug.
