We get so many questions about our custom Beni Ourain rugs that we just had to write an entire blog post about them and hopefully answer all your questions! Also, as you know, we LOVE Beni Ourain rugs and consider them a classic that will never go out of style – I’ll show you why.

This is a classic Beni Ourain rug with thick black lines.

Let’s start with some frequenty asked questions:

Why can’t I find a Beni Ourain rug in American standard size?

They are very hard to find in American standard size because Moroccans work with centimeters and follow European sizings. We can have a custom Beni Ourain rug made in American standard sizes for you. They can be made in 4’x6′, 5’x8′, 8’x10′ or any other size you need. (Maximum width is 9’8″, maximum lenght is 13′)

How can I order my custom Rug?

If you’re interested in our custom Beni Ourain rugs, please get in touch with us via email with the rug size you’d like to order, and if you have a picture of a rug you like (you can pick from our site or send any picture you might have) We’ll get back to you with more information on pricing. We ask for a 50% deposit to start making the rug, then when the rug is ready, we send a picture for our client’s approval. We ask for the final payment prior to shipping the rug.

What can be customizable?

– The rug size
– The background color
– The line color
– The diamond pattern style and size
– The pile (or thickness of the rug)

The Rug Size

The maximum width of our custom Beni Ourain rugs is 9’8″ and a maximum length is 13′. Anything below that is doable. The pricing for different sizing changes from time to time so if you’d like a quote on a specific size, just contact us via email with your request. We’ll get back to you promptly. Note: We can have square rugs made but we can’t have round rugs made.

The background color

– What’s the difference between natural white & cream? This is the most frequently asked question for sure!

Here’s a picture showing both, a Natural white rug beside a cream rug. They are lighter shades of cream rugs but this will give you an idea.

Natural white: It’s a beautiful creamy white color that is not pure white because the wool is natural and will never be as white as a synthetic white. Natural white is the palest shade of wool on the market, it’s a beautiful rich natural white and it’s our personal fave here at Baba Souk.

Cream: It’s a creamier off-white with more yellow in it. It’s great if you’re looking fro a warmer look and is great with dark wood and brown leather.

The diamond line color

They are most typically black or dark brown which are natural wool colors but you can have them made in almost any color you’d like. We LOVE the classic black lines but we have already had Beni Ourain rugs with pink lines, blue lines and even turquoise lines made! Send us your special request by email, we’ll do our best to make it happen for you.

Here’s a custom Beni Ourain rug with hot pink lines. It looks pretty cute in a girl’s room!

Here’s a more classic look, the background of this Beni Ourain rug is cream and the lines are dark brown. Notice the contour line, which is also an option.

The Diamond pattern and style

There you can have fun! Pick the size of your diamonds. Do you prefer small argyles or large ones? Thick lines or thin lines? We even have custom Beni Ourain rugs with Berber symbols, we love this design. It’s super design and the minimalist symbols give it a really cool modern look. See the pictures below for different types of patterns and lines. We even make dotted beni rugs! Have a look right below.

Here you have a natural white Beni Ourain rug with thin lines and large diamonds.

This Beni Ourain rug has small argyles and is low pile.

This Moroccan rug has a natural white background, black dots and is medium pile, which is very cozy!

The pile (or the thickness of the wool)

Walking on a Beni Ourain rug might be the comfiest feeling ever! It feels so wonderful. We have three custom Beni Ourain pile options:
Low pile: (about 0.25″)
Medium Pile: (about 1″)
High Pile (More than 1″)

We always recommend medium pile because we think they look at their best and are the coziest without being too much trouble to take care of. Higher pile requires more maintenance but they sure are cozy! (See the picture below for an example of higher pile). The medium rug pile is a great compromise, it has a more uniform look and is still amazingly cozy.

This is a high pile rug with double diamond lines, which is also an option for custom Beni Ourain rugs.

Why are they so popular?

The reason why everybody loves them so much is certainly their versatility and the fact that their minimalist design will never go out of style. They look amazing in so many décor styles, from Bohemian to minimalist, girly to masculine, classic to eclectic. Check all the different decor styles we have in this blog post!

How long does it take to make a custom Beni Ourain rug?

Depending on the size of the rug you order, it can take 6-8 weeks to complete a rug. Weaving a handmade Beni Ourain is a long process! We have several women working on the same rug at the same time, depending on their workload, the lead time may vary a little. When the rug is finished, we send you a picture so you can see the rug and make sure you love it before we ship it to you. Then, it takes about 15 days to be shipped (via standard shipping to Canada or the USA). We can also ship it faster if you’re willing to pay extra to get it in 5-7 days once it’s ready.

We love the California style where modern meets quirky and traditional.

International Shipping:

We do ship Internationally! Get in touch with us via email to get a shipping quote for your location.

Can Custom Beni Ourain Rugs Be returned?

Unfortunately not! As you can now imagine, making a custom rug is a long process and it takes lots of effort. From communication, to ordering, to making, to wrapping, to shipping, – it’s a lot of work. We also do send a picture of the rug prior to shipping, so we make sure you’re satisfied before sending it to you. If ever there were a defect or a problem with the measurements, we would, of course, do our best to accommodate our customers as we strive to offer the best customer service and truly value our customers.However, anything like this very rarely happens.

What is the difference between “Ready-Made” Beni Ourain rugs and “Custom Beni Ourain Rugs

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We have a few rug sizes that we keep in stock in Morocco because they are European standard sizes, They are just as beautiful and their selling price is great! It’s a great option if you are able to play around with sizing in your room. They’re ready to ship so it’s a faster option if you’re in a rush to get a beautiful Beni Ourain rug in your home. We ship them directly from Morocco and here are the sizes and prices we have available right now:

Ready-Made Rug options:

7’x10” (200cm x 300cm), CAN$1300 including shipping from Morocco
8’x11.5’ (250 cm x 350 cm) CAN $2400 including shipping from Morocco
13’ x 10’ (300cm x 400 cm) CAN $3300 + shipping costs to be confirmed depending on your location.

Most of the rugs we have in stock are natural white with black lines and the pile is medium. (which is what we prefer and the most popular option too!) We can send you a picture of a ready-made Beni Ourain rug prior to your buying it, just get in touch by email if you’d like more information or if you’d like to see some rug pictures prior to making your purchase. You can buy your ready-made Beni Ourain rug directly online, right here!

Where are your custom Beni Ourain rugs made, are they authentic?

First of all, all our rugs are authentic and handmade in Morocco out of 100% wool. They are entirely made by hand by a group of traditional women artisan weavers just outside Marrakech. Antique Beni Ourain rugs used to be made by the eponym Berber tribe but nowadays, let’s be honest, you’ll rarely find an Antique Beni Ourain rug, and if you find one, it will be very pricey and will look antique. So don’t get yourself fooled by vendors. The new ones are still made by hand in Morocco, following the Berber weaving tradition and they are just as delightful. They come in whiter shades of wool (which we love) and can be made in different sizes and patterns.

Watch it if you think you’re buying a Beni Ourain rug and the price is particularly low, it’s a bad sign! These rugs are being knocked off by Turkish and Chinese factories a lot lately. If you want to make sure your rug is the real deal, look at the reverse side of the rug. If it’s a real Beni Ourain, the knotting should be irregular. Authentic Beni Ourain rugs are pricey because they are weaved by hand and are made to last a lifetime.

What I like the most about Moroccan rugs is the contrast between their handmade traditional nature and their super modern look in our contemporary homes.

Care Instructions for Custom Beni Ourain Rugs

And, last but not least! We get many emails regarding the care instructions of our custom Beni Ourain rugs. While it’s true that a white rug is a daring choice, especially if you have young kids or animals with dark fur, Beni Ourain rugs are made with natural fibers so the stains do come off, they’re much easier to take care of than synthetic white rugs.

Moroccan rugs are made to be super resistant and last a lifetime. Please follow these simple guidelines:

For regular care
-You can vacuum your rug
-If an accident happens you can spot clean your rug using a white towel, cold water and clothing detergent. Make sure your rug doesn’t stay humid.
-To eliminate odors and humidity, let it dry in the sun for a day.
-Make sure it does not stay wet or humid. If you store it, we do not recommend storing it in a bag.

Shedding:
A new rug might shed more but the secret is to brush it frequently. You can use a plastic brush like a hand broom brush. It will remove the excess wool. Then vacuum. You can repeat this once every two weeks in the beginning until all the excess wool is gone. Then the shedding will stop.

Cleaning your rug:
Have it cleaned by a professional rug cleaner once a year to keep the wool color white and to refresh it. It should cost about $2 per square foot. Make sure you mention your rug is 100% wool. It should come out like new!

We love this modern bohemian look! A Beni ourain rug is ja great option to balance out a colorful wallpaper.

A bit of History

Characterized by thick luxurious white wool and minimalist black lines, the story behind Beni Ourain rugs is quite interesting. These rugs were used to cover the floors of the nomadic Beni Ourain tribes living in tents in the snow-capped Atlas Mountains where winter is particularly rough. These thick pile wool rugs were typically used as floor insulation, bedding, and blankets to keep warm during harsh winters. These tribes lived in remote mountainous locations in the northern Middle Atlas region, therefore, their art was not influenced by the Arab-eastern world, which explains why their style is so particular. Now you understand why Beni Ourain rugs are so comfy and dense!

FUN FACT 🙂

Apparently, Frank Lloyd Wright himself was a big fan, I’ve read he made frequent trips to find rugs for his clients and had a Beni Ourain rug in almost every room of his Falling Water house. These black & white rugs might be trendy right now but they have the type of classic beauty that never goes out of style. In fact, they might seem to be increasingly popular in Canada and the US lately, but they’ve been praised by the French for quite some time. A Beni Ourain rug makes a room, no questions asked!

I hope this helps! Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for any other questions you may have. Click right here to send us an email.

– Stephanie