Moroccan interior design: 9 ways to bring riad calm into a British home

Step through the plain door of a Moroccan riad and the noise of the street disappears. Inside is a quiet courtyard, open to the sky, with a fountain or a tree at its centre and cool rooms all around it. It’s one of the most peaceful kinds of house in the world.

Moroccan style is often shown as bright colour and pattern on every surface, but at its best it’s warm, earthy and calm. And it shares its materials with the rustic luxury the studio loves: lime plaster, clay, wood, wool and handmade craft.

What defines Moroccan interiors

The riad

A riad is a traditional Moroccan house built around an inner courtyard garden. The outside walls are plain and almost windowless, and all the beauty faces inwards, towards the light and the planting. It’s a home designed for privacy, shade and calm.

Tadelakt

Tadelakt is a traditional lime plaster from the Marrakech region, polished by hand with smooth stones and finished with a natural black soap, which makes it water resistant. It has a soft, silky sheen and gentle movement, and it’s used on walls, baths and even basins.

Zellige

Zellige is a mosaic of small, hand-cut glazed terracotta tiles, a craft especially associated with the city of Fez. Because every tile is made by hand, each one is slightly different, and the surface shimmers with tiny variations of colour.

Beni Ourain rugs

Beni Ourain rugs are thick, cream wool rugs with simple dark lines and diamonds, traditionally woven by Amazigh (Berber) women of the Middle Atlas mountains. They’re soft, warm and quiet, and they suit modern rooms beautifully.

Carved wood and pierced metal

Carved cedar ceilings, latticed wooden screens and pierced metal lanterns, which throw soft patterns of light across a room in the evening.

9 ways to bring riad calm into a British home

1. Start with the walls

Choose a warm plaster finish in clay, sand or soft terracotta. True tadelakt is skilled work and best left to a specialist, but lime plaster or limewash in an earthy colour gives a similar warmth and depth. There’s more in Limewash walls: what to know before you pick up a brush.

2. Soften the shapes

Arches are everywhere in Moroccan design. An arched niche, an arched mirror or a rounded doorway softens a room instantly. Even one curve makes a difference.

3. Sit low

Moroccan rooms often have low, built-in benches along the walls, piled with cushions. A low sofa, floor cushions or a window seat brings the same relaxed feeling.

4. Lay a cream wool rug

A Beni Ourain style rug is one of the easiest ways to bring the look home, and it works in almost any room. Look for real handmade rugs from fair sources, and be wary of cheap machine-made copies.

5. Use tile as an accent

A splashback or a small wall of zellige behind a basin or a hob gives a room a quiet glow. Choose soft, earthy colours such as clay, cream or a muted green, and keep it to one place.

6. Light it with lanterns

A pierced brass or metal lantern hung low, or a pair beside the sofa, gives the evening glow of a riad. Use warm bulbs, and let the patterns fall on the walls.

7. Choose a calm palette

Clay, sand, cream and terracotta, with one accent such as soft green or faded indigo. Restraint is what keeps Moroccan style calm rather than busy.

8. Bring in a courtyard feeling

A riad is built around its garden. An olive tree in a large pot, a few terracotta planters, the sound of a small water feature, or simply a chair placed to look out at the garden can bring that feeling indoors.

9. Add carved wood or a latticed screen

A carved wooden mirror frame, a latticed screen in front of a radiator or a cupboard door with a pierced panel brings Moroccan craft into the room. One or two pieces are enough, and they look beautiful when evening light falls through them.

Where Moroccan style can go wrong

The quickest way to lose the calm is too much. Bright colour, pattern on every surface, and a room full of souvenirs turn a peaceful look into a busy one. The best Moroccan rooms have plain walls, a few beautiful handmade things, and space to breathe.

And buy with care. Moroccan crafts are made by skilled hands, and choosing genuine handmade pieces from fair sources supports the people who keep those crafts alive.

A Moroccan-inspired garden

A small British courtyard or terrace can take the riad feeling beautifully. Warm rendered walls, terracotta pots, an olive or a fig, lavender, rosemary and other plants that like sun and sharp drainage, and a small water feature if you have the space. Keep the planting peat-free.

The studio designs gardens, courtyards and balconies in the same way as rooms, and I’ve explained how in Online garden design: can it really work from a few photos?.

Moroccan and its Mediterranean cousins

Moroccan style shares a great deal with Spanish country, with its whitewash, clay and shaded patios. I’ve written about that in Spanish country interiors: why lime and clay feel so restful.

If this is the home you’d like

Rustic luxury, the one style Sunday Ambience designs in, shares Morocco’s love of plaster, clay, wood and handmade craft. Tell me you love the Moroccan feel and it becomes part of the brief.

The Sunday Signature package is £1,495 for one room, designed in real depth, with photorealistic visuals and a concept walk-through with Rachel, live or pre-recorded. If you’d prefer to begin more gently, Room Ambience is the lighter option at £495, with one photorealistic visual of your finished room.

Or simply send me a few photographs and tell me what isn’t quite working. I read every message myself, and there’s no obligation of any kind.